Legend
How Abruka island was born
The Devil's servant, old Jäts, was furious that the villagers of Kurelaidu, where Kuressaare stands today, praised Suur Tõll. To punish them he turned himself into a giant bird, flew across the Gulf of Riga to Courland and tore off a whole hill to drop on the village. But Tõll, standing on a boulder by the shore, pelted the bird with stones. Bits of its tail became the islets of Kirjulaid and Linnuse, its broken wings Kasselaid and Vahase, and finally the bird itself crashed into the sea with its load and became Abruka. Today, seen on a map, Abruka still looks like a bird, with its beak at Pöörtnina pointing towards Kuressaare.
Open it on the map See the spot on the old maps and as it is today
Eesti keeles
Vanapagana teener va Jäts sai vihaseks, kui kuulis, et Kurelaidu küla rahvas – seal, kus praegu on Kuressaare – Suurt Tõllu kiidab. Kättemaksuks muutis ta end hiiglaslikuks linnuks, lendas üle Liivi lahe Kuramaale ja murdis sealt terve mäe, et see külale peale kukutada. Suur Tõll aga seisis kaldal kivi otsas ja loopis lindu kividega. Saba küljest lennanud tükkidest said Kirjulaid ja Linnuse, katkistest tiibadest Kasselaid ja Vahase ning lõpuks kukkus lind koos koormaga merre ja temast sai Abruka saar. Kaardil meenutab Abruka tänini lindu, kelle nokk – Pöörtnina – osutab Kuressaare poole.