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Vanemuise (Vanemuine)
God of music composed by Faehlmanni F.R. and Weizenberg A. in their Estonian mythology, name borrowed from Finnish Väinämöinen of folklore and Kalevala fame, giving its name to a theatre in Tartu. The name may well come from Finnish väinämö, minstrel, but see Väina (my original interpretation that it came from ‘old’, vanha in Finnish and vana in Estonian (or vanem, elder, see Kuninga), is almost certainly wrong, and some people wouldn’t say ‘almost’). Part of a small Estonian mythology street-name group. See Haldja.
Valdeku (Valdek)
Said to be derived from an inn, Waldecki kõrts, on the corner of this street and Männiku. From German Waldeck (edge of the woods), and no relation to Metsanurga M. The ‑eck ending is clearly related to Ger. Ecke (corner) and Eng. ‘edge’, but also its cognate Egge, a multi-forked hoe-like implement for loosening the soil, both derived from the same root *ak- or *ok- producing words indicating sharpness: point, edge, corner, ridge, ‘cutting edge’ of a weapon, e.g. Old English ecg, sword, etc. Swiss (and Austrian?) names such as Eggli, Eggler, etc. tend to refer more to ridges (and so, for those interested in this sort of thing, Arnie’s surname has nothing to do with ‘negros’). Although tempting, there does not seem to be any association with Ger. Eiche, Eichel or Ecker, synonyms for acorn. Street known as Punatähe (Red Star) from 1940-1941. In 1798, the Waldecki kõrts was called Sutlem, see Suklema.
