LAKE TUDU AND CULTURE
In previous times, the lake has also been called Lake Suigu or Lake Muda. Currently, the bog lake is called Lake Tudu (in Estonian, tuduma is a cute synonym for 'to sleep'). As for the origin of Lake Tudu, the folklore goes as follows, according to Mall Hiiemäe. In earlier times, there used to be a lake in the middle of a sacred grove by the village of Tudu. One summer afternoon, a gypsy woman's sorcery made the spirits of two young women appear from the grove. The spirits, said to have been dressed in white, stepped into the lake and burst into tears. As they were doing this, water began to vanish from the lake, until the lake was completely dry, but while the lake was running dry, another lake appeared in the middle of the mire. This is how undines carried the water from the village to Järvesoo (or Lake Mire). Another story again takes us to the settlement of Tudu, but instead of a gypsy woman, a Finnish crone uttered a spell which made a sprite relocate from the sacred grove of Tudu to the landlocked lake of Tudu. The sprite punished the Finnish crone by taking her voice. Currently, it seems, pikes and sprites live peacefully side by side. Who knows, if one is respectful, sits quietly and waits, they might just show themselves. Those who are impatient should perhaps have a chat with the locals to inquire about possibly participating in the Tudu Triathlon, which is one of the oldest events of its kind in Estonia, having taken place here since 1988 without interruption. This is where it starts! Lake Tudu Photo: Marko Kohv Text by Piret Pungas-Kohv, Marko Kohv Edited by the team of project “Restoration and Preservation of Mires” Translation into English by Tõnu Soots Illustrations and design by Triinu Sarv Bibliography available at soo.elfond.ee