Legend of Taevaskoja
Once upon a time the Devil was walking on the banks of the Ahja river. He liked the beautiful high banks of the river and he decided to live there but he did not have the shelter. The devil did not want to build the shelter on the ground because people could see it and would come to disturb him. Then he decided to dig a small cave from the bank of the river. Reaching deeper and deeper he built a lot of rooms, one more beautiful than the other. He liked his new home so much that he called it Taevaskoda ( Heaven home). He lived in his beautiful rooms quietly but he had a problem of getting bread. There was a field where he got the grain, but he could not grind it. Then the Devil decided to build a mill. The Whirlwind saw the Devil building and decided to play him a trick He gathered his strength and shook the walls of the mill. The logs flew in different directions. The Devil stopped building the mill and left the caves of Taevaskoja.
The church of Põlva
According to the legend the church was meant to be built on a sacred place of the Estonians. They did not like it. Every morning the walls that had been built the last day had crumbled. It lasted for a long time. Then they went to a wise man for advice and he replied, ”The walls of the church will remain up if you immure an innocent girl inside the walls in kneeling position.”
The congregation chose a girl named Mary. The mason made a hole where to fit Mary in kneeling position and the hole was closed with a large curb. The second hole was made to give her bread and water to keep her alive. Afterwards they closed that hole too and the walls stayed up. Mary was immured in the wall of the church in kneeling position and thus the place was called Põlva. ( Estonian word põlv means knee in English)
The congregation chose a girl named Mary. The mason made a hole where to fit Mary in kneeling position and the hole was closed with a large curb. The second hole was made to give her bread and water to keep her alive. Afterwards they closed that hole too and the walls stayed up. Mary was immured in the wall of the church in kneeling position and thus the place was called Põlva. ( Estonian word põlv means knee in English)
The Little Old Man of Ülemiste Lake
The little old man of Ülemiste lake is a creature from Estonian mythology who according to the legend lived near Tallinn in Ülemiste lake. People think that when Tallinn will be completely finished the little old man will drown the town. Because of that every person who meets the little old man has to tell him that Tallinn will never be completely finished.
