The people of Värska know to tell the legend of how and why the mud of the Lämmijärve lake and the mineral water acquired their healing qualities. The legend tells that it was the result of the Estonian folk hero “Kalevipoeg”’s action of importing planks.
Namely, back in those ancient times in Russia the Immortal Kaštšei and the Old Woman of Jaaga were supposed to have given to Kalevipoeg a viagra-like panacea so that he would not fall into shame among the Finnish maidens. Against the devil he was also given strong drinks. Kalevipoeg would swirl the hemp into a rope himself and tie the boards together. In Finnland a good rope was highly esteemed. As contraband he would also sew a handful of Chinese golden and silver needles into the lining of his fur coat.
The Lämmijärve lake would do away with the traces and the man made it back to the grounds of his home country safe and sound. At our coast, however, the uproar started. Someone had taken word ai-ai- to the paying office. Even back in those times money would make things move and Kalevipoeg was trapped by the machinery of the sorcerers. The Hedgehog saved him from worse things to happen by taking the strip of fur with the precious metals to himself and ordering Kalevipoeg to throw the panacea into the lake. Upon inspection, no forbidden goods were found with Kalevipoeg. The travelling expenses were more or less covered by the hemp taken to Finland.
The devil would later pocket the strong drinks. The initial viagra commingled with the mud of the Värska bay. The Chinese needles were hidden by the Hedgehog under a hazelnut tree in Väike-Rõsna. From that time on there comes potent water from the depths of “Setoland”, the mud has healing power and even the needles of the Hedgehog serve the people. By today the Hedgehog has passed out all the old recipes and teachings that came along with the panacea.
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