Harku järv (Harku)

Lake in the SE of Pikaliiva in W Tallinn, referred to as Verschen zee in 1371, commonly translated as ‘fresh’ lake, it can also mean ‘unsalted‘ or ‘brackish‘, testament to the city’s changing topographical fortunes over time, see Liiva.

Harkumetsa (Harkumets)

Harku woods. A road built for ‘light traffic’, in other words a two-way bicycle lane, See Hiiumetsa. Joins Kõrgepinge near Astangu. Plans were afoot in 2014 to rename it as Kitsarööpa, of which it now seems to be just an extension.

Härma M.

(Miina Härma [Hermann], 1864-1941)

Music teacher, organist, prolific composer (over 200 choral songs, 10 cavatinas, a canto, Kalev and Linda and more), choral and orchestral conductor. Received initial musical education from Hermanni K.A. (no relation).

Härmatise (Härmatis)

Frost, hoarfrost, rime. Part of a bad-weather group. See also Külma.

Harusambla (‘Harusammal’?)

Not traced. Given its location in the middle of a field of mosses, clearly assumed to be one of them. But what? Possibly a conflation of h[arilik k]arusammal, great goldilocks or common hair/haircap moss, Polytrichum commune (but Karusammal:Karusambla is already used), or an unrecorded name for one of the broom mosses, Dicranum spp., whose stems fork (haru = branch, fork, prong). Possibly a mistranscription for harilik hallsamblik, Hypogymnia physodes. Possibly a vernacular for any spreading moss (haruma, to branch out). Unlikely, but maybe an accidental rendition of haruhärmik, Green Mountain Fringe-moss, Racomitrium fasciculare (rare in Estonia anyway)? Either way, to quote Asta Põldmäe^*: “This small old country was frightfully mossy!”. Estonia has 558-odd varieties of moss. Discounting close relatives of the greater-, lesser-, speckled- sort, there remain 186. Of these, 67 – or one third – are called mis-ta-n’d-oligisammal (thingamajig moss). So it’s not as if they had no choice. None of them, however, is called harusammal. I cannot state with certainty that the word does not exist (all the more so since it does in this street-name) but, as black swans go, the genetics are recent. According to a bryologist at Tartu University: “Sammalde eestikeelsete nimede hulgas sammaltaime nimega harusammal ei ole.” (loosely tranlsated: “Ain’t no bryophyte plant called harusammal among Estonian names for mosses.”). One of a group of moss-named streets. See Karusambla. And not in Tallinn in the first place, but Laagri, although leading west off Möldre, so not that far.

^* See Baltic Belles: The Dedalus Book of Estonian Women's Literature, ed. Elle-Mari Talivee, www.dedalusbooks.com