Where Does Narva’s Treasure Sleep?
On this Mother Tongue Day, we recall Narva’s legends and the man who recorded them — Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald. It was he who wrote down, “from the lips of the people,” two fascinating local tales — “The Daughter of a Narva Merchant” (Narva kaupmehe tütar) and “Where Narva’s Former Treasure Sleeps” (Kus Narva endine varandus magab).
These stories reached readers in Estonian 160 years ago in the collection “Ancient Tales of the Estonian People” (Eestirahwa Ennemuistsed jutud), published in Helsinki in 1866. While one tells a touching story of love, the other takes us on a journey in search of lost treasures.
Kreutzwald was an honorary member of the Narva Society of Antiquities and gifted the society a first edition of Kalevipoeg, which was kept in the library located in Peter the Great’s house. However, Narva’s legends had been close to him even earlier — he wrote about them in the society’s publications as early as 1865.
Congratulations to everyone on Mother Tongue Day!
The book can be accessed in the digital archive of the University of Tartu (ADA):
https://dspace.ut.ee/

Photo: Eestirahwa ennemuistsed jutud, 1866. University of Tartu Library.