Sulevimägi (Sulevimägi)

Sulev’s mountain or hill. Prolongs Olevimägi, with a similar history revolving around nearby Brookusplats. Began its career as de Iseren Doer (1471), tor Iseren Doren (1481), de Iseren Dore (1529) from MLG iser(n) or isen, iron, and could refer to a hypothetical portcullis in an unnamed and no-longer extant tower near the old Russian church (torn vana vene kiriku juures) located some 15 m NNW of where Aia meets Uus. Moving on a century or so, it was renamed auf Thabor (1599) and auf dem Taborsberge (±1700) in reference to the Mount Tabor in Galilee where Jesus got a transfiguration job, then Brockussackgasse (Brockus cul-de-sac, end 18^th C), then Kleine Strandstraße (end 18^th C), Kleiner Brockusberg or Brokusberg (1907), and diverse permutations of Little Brockus Hill around Väike Brookusmägi in the 1920s until its current renaming in 1935. Interestingly, while German Sackgasse (first recorded early 18^th C) may have been influenced by French cul-de-sac, the earliest record of French sac (1307) is some 500 years after old German sac, and although some linguists trace the French back to a possible Arabic زق, zq (wineskin, or impasse), the consensus for both Fr. and Ger. sac and Eng. sack is through Latin saccus and Greek σάκκος (sakkos) along with a Semitic ancestry going all the way back to Akkadian 𒆭𒊓 (saqqu), sack or penitent sackcloth. We are more interconnected than we think.

• All-linn
• Tallinn history
• Mägi

Sulevi (Sulev)

Short for Sulevipoeg, Sulev’s son. According to Kreutzwald, one of the 3 cousins and fighting companions of the epic hero Kalevipoeg (along with Alevi and Olevi, see Kalevipoja) or possibly a rhyming variant of Kalev’s name. Note: if Kalev can be associated with kala, fish, and Sulev with sulg:sule, feather, this would (could?) then relate Olev to ole(ma), ‘to be’, a strange whimsy to say the least. The first two examples, for earlier folk who may well identify their inexplicable and ‘magical’ origins as halfway between two poles of human existence, fact (fish=eat) and fantasy (bird=fly), are not outside the bounds of reason. However, could be an adaptation of plain old Olaf. But where would that have left Alevi?

• Literature
• Mythology

Sule (Sulg)

Feather (pen and nib). Name-bomber in the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets. Probably running out of names. If they’re looking for suggestions, they could try Jäälind (kingfisher), elected Estonian Bird of the Year 2014 (see Estonian photographer, Remi Savisaar) or, better still, Suitsupääsuke, see Lennuse or Pääsukese. See also Talviku. Or don’t, see Suitsupääsuse.