Ghost story
The black lady and her dog in Helme castle cellar
Beneath the ruins of the Livonian Order's castle at Helme lies a vaulted cellar said to be full of treasure, and it has a guardian. When treasure-seekers broke in, a woman dressed all in black appeared before them with a small black dog at her feet. In one telling she seized and strangled the lord who led the digging; in another she sat calmly on a wine cask while her dog watched the door. Men who went down and came back were left blind, deaf or lame, and in the end the lady of the manor ordered the cellar sealed. A similar black lady is said to guard the cellar under nearby Sõõrikmägi. The castle ruins stand on a hill above the Helme church.
Open it on the map See the spot on the old maps and as it is today
Eesti keeles
Liivi ordu Helme linnuse varemete all on võlvkelder, mis olevat aardeid täis, ja sellel on valvur. Kui aardeotsijad sisse murdsid, ilmus nende ette üleni musta riietatud naine, väike must koer jalge ees. Ühe versiooni järgi haaras ta kinni ja kägistas kaevamist juhtinud mõisahärra, teise järgi istus ta rahulikult veinivaadil, samal ajal kui koer ust valvas. Mehed, kes alla läksid ja tagasi tulid, jäid pimedaks, kurdiks või lombakaks ning lõpuks käskis mõisaproua keldri kinni müürida. Sarnane must daam valvavat ka lähedase Sõõrikmäe keldrit. Linnusevaremed seisavad mäel Helme kiriku kohal.
Source: Helme folk legends (several variants) in the Valga County place-legends compilation. ↗