a swamp
where rises a spring of water, called from its colour the Blue Spring.
It is said that the spring can produce rain or drought, and thus cause
dearth or plenty. In time of drought three widows of the same name must
go to the spring on a Sunday during service-time, to clean it out and to
enlarge the opening. Each must take a spade, hoe, rake, a cake of bread,
and a hymn-book with her. But if too much rain falls, the spring must be
closed up to a mere crevice, and this is at once efficacious.

One day three widows named Anna opened the spring too wide, when a
dreadful rain spread over the country. Sometimes it has happened that
women who were about to clean the spring have failed to finish the work
during church-time, and it has been fruitless. Another time the people
wished to find out how deep was the spring. They let down a stone with
a long cord, but drew the cord up without the stone. They then let down
a kettle filled with stones, but, to their horror, they drew up a
bleeding human head instead. They were about to make another trial, when
a voice cried from the depths, "If you attempt this again, you will all
sink!" So the depth of the Blue Spring is still unknown.

[Footnote 49: In the neighbourhood of Dorpat.]

THE BLACK POOL.

(JANNSEN.)

In time of war, a rich lord tried to escape from the country with his
family and goods in a coach drawn by six horses. In their haste, the
horses swerved from the path, and all were lost in a deep lake of black
water. Since that time it has been haunted, and sometimes a black dog
tries to entice boys in, or cats and birds are seen about it. One day a
man was walking by the pool when his leg was seized, and he was dragged
down, but he contrived to seize a bush of juniper, and saved
himself.[50] Then he saw some maidens sporting in the water like white
swans; but presently they vanished. One day a fisherman caught a black
tail-less pike, when the voice of the old nobleman was heard asking,
"Are all the swine safe?" And another voice answered, "The old tail-less
boar is missing." Many people, too, have seen a great hoop from a
coach-wheel, as sharp as the edge of an axe, rise from the water.

[Footnote 50: Dreadful stories are told in many countries of the fiends
inhabiting the undrained swamps. Monsters as terrible as those described
in "Beowulf" are popularly believed to have haunted the English fens
almost to the present day. Aino, in the _Kalevala_ (Runo 4)