Ghost story
The Old Man of Lake Ülemiste
Lake Ülemiste, Tallinn's drinking-water reservoir, was born from the tears of Linda, who wept on a boulder that fell from her apron while she carried stones for Kalev's grave. In its grey waters lives the Old Man of Ülemiste, a small, bearded figure who rises at dusk and asks anyone he meets the same question: is the city of Tallinn finished yet? If the answer is yes, he will release the lake and drown the town. So the wise always reply that there is still a great deal to build, and some say that is why Tallinn is never done. The lake still supplies the capital's water.
Open it on the map See the spot on the old maps and as it is today
Eesti keeles
Ülemiste järv, Tallinna joogiveehoidla, sündis Linda pisaratest, kui ta nuttis kivil, mis kukkus tema põllest, kui ta kandis kive Kalevi hauale. Järve hallides vetes elab Ülemiste vanake – väike habemik kuju, kes tõuseb hämaras ja küsib igaühelt, keda kohtab, sama küsimust: kas Tallinn on juba valmis? Kui vastus on jah, laseb ta järve lahti ja uputab linna. Seepärast vastavad targad alati, et ehitada on veel palju, ja mõnede sõnul ongi see põhjus, miks Tallinn kunagi valmis ei saa. Järv varustab pealinna veega siiani.
Source: Classic Tallinn legend (Ülemiste vanake), summarised in Wikipedia's 'Legends of Tallinn'. ↗