A mysterious sword made in Germany, adorned in Sweden and recently unearthed in Siberia could actually belong to Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

The medieval German-made sword, a gift Ivan received after his conquest of Siberia, was accidentally found in 1975 buried in Russia's Novosibirsk region. The excavation was led by archaeologist Russian Vyacheslav Molodin who is studying Bronze Age settlements and cemeteries on the banks of the River Om in Novosibirsk, Siberia.

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The sword is considered the only weapon of its kind ever found in Siberia. The exquisitely engraved weapon is adorned with an ornate silver handle and inscribed Norse rune patterns.

The ancient sword measures about a meter long. It has a conventional iron hilt with a clearly expressed crossbar guard and tripartite pommel. It is beautifully inscribed with writing on both sides.

The sword was found five centimeters beneath the grass and archaeologists believed that because of this, it's clear the sword wasn't intentionally buried.

The Latin words etched on the sword say: "In the name of the mother of our Saviour eternal, eternal Lord and Saviour. Christ Jesus Christ."

Molodin explained how Tsar Ivan IV or the Terrible obtained the medieval sword. Ivan's conquest of territory helped build a relationship with Europe, especially via trade. He believes this may account for how the sword ended up as Ivan's property.

Molodin suggests the weapon was then taken from the royal armory by the legendary warrior Ivan Koltso, as a gift from Ivan ahead of the conquest of Siberia by the Cossack leader, Yermak Timofeyevich.

"The sword falls out of the hands of the hero and drops to the ground under a young birch tree. I am not sure that I am right, imagining all this, but the legend is really beautiful," Molodin said.

Molodin's theory remains unproven, however. But if he's right, the discovery of the sword will become one of the most important archaeological finds in Siberian history.

TagsMedieval Sword, Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Ivan IV, Russian leader, Siberian history, history, European history, Discovery of 12th Century Sword Suggests It Belongs to Ivan the Terrible