The water maiden of Veisjärv

Veisjärv, a long lake in the Mulgimaa hills between Karksi and Kärstna, was born in a single night, when a storm and a cloudburst flooded the valley and drowned a herd of cattle grazing there; the lake still carries their name, for veis means cattle. But the water did not stay empty. Folk tradition says a water maiden, a näkineiu, settled in its depths, and every year she claims two or three lives from those who swim, fish or cross it carelessly. Old people warned children never to bathe there alone at dusk, when she is most likely to be watching from beneath the reeds. Veisjärv is today a popular summer lake with a village on its shore.