Ulen sword facts for kids
The Ulen Sword is a cool old object found buried in a field. This field is about 3 and a quarter miles west of a town called Ulen in Clay County, Minnesota. Today, you can see the sword at the Ulen Museum. The Ulen Historical Society takes care of the museum. When it was first found, some people thought it might be a Viking sword. But experts now think it's more likely a military sword from the 1800s.
The Mysterious Ulen Sword
The Ulen Sword is a fascinating piece of history. It was discovered in a surprising way, leading to questions about where it came from. Even though it was first thought to be a sword from the Viking Age, its design doesn't quite match those ancient weapons. This makes the Ulen Sword a bit of a mystery!
How Was It Found?
A farmer named Hans O. Hansen found the sword on his farm. This happened on April 20, 1911. It was a very dry year, so Hans decided to plow his fields deeper than usual. As his plow dug into the ground, it hit something hard. That's when he unearthed the sword!
When Hans found the sword, it had a thin layer of rust on its blade. This rust was about one-sixteenth of an inch thick. He carefully polished the rust away to reveal the metal underneath.
What Does It Look Like?
The blade of the Ulen Sword is about 16 inches long. One end of the sword looks like it was hit with a hammer or something similar. This might have blunted it.
The sword also has a special part called a pommel. This is the round or shaped part at the very end of the handle. It also has a thick crossguard. This is the part that protects your hand where the blade meets the handle. Both the pommel and the crossguard are made of brass.
The crossguard has cool designs on both sides. On one side, you can see a picture of a soldier wearing a helmet. On the other side, there's a design of a breastplate. A breastplate is a piece of armor that covers the chest. Underneath the breastplate, there's a dagger and two axes crossed over each other. These designs make the sword even more interesting!
