Mustamäe (Mustamägi)

Black hill, black mountain. Although use of the word ‘mountain’ is questionable (see Mäe for discussion). Most capital cities have buildings taller than Estonia’s mountains. Right or wrong, the nominative Mustamägi is sometimes heard. Even saying ‘black’ is questionable too. One of the only Estonian words which gives me a touch of urticaria is this one: must. It means black, but also dirty, and for people, a mustlane is a gypsy (proabably not much better...). Reminds me of scrubland in the Pantanal, Brazil, described by one local as sujo, literally ‘dirty’ but to him meaning untamed, unfarmed, thus representing the dark, perhaps frightening, nature of tropical forest with its wild animals and insects. See Vana-Mustamäe. Mustamäe Linnaosa includes the following Asumid: Kadaka, Mustamäe, Siili and Sääse.