Tarakuse: Local History and Folklore

• Tarakuse was a historic half-manor; its name forms include Torokas (1389) and Tarrakus (1844).
• Two healing practices from 1937 have been documented in Kopra, in Tarakuse.
• The Alutaguse municipality includes ancient forests, extensive bogs and marshes, as well as the Kurtna lake district.

The wider Alutaguse municipality is home to ancient forests and several extensive bogs and marshes. These include the Puhatu Bog and Muraka Bog; the Kurtna lake district is also part of this broader landscape. These names represent the natural diversity of the municipality and do not necessarily describe individual places within Tarakuse.

It is important to keep the scale in mind for orientation: the forests, bogs, marshes, and lakes are regional landmarks of Alutaguse. Tarakuse itself appears in historical records as a village and former half-manor; the customs from Kopra and the history of the place name relate more specifically to the locality. This allows you to consider the landscape and local history as separate aspects of trip planning without treating them as geographically identical.

Tarakuse, also known as Tarrakus, was a historic half-manor in Ida-Viru County and Mäetaguse Municipality. Its name changed over several centuries: Torokas is recorded in 1389, Thorakes in 1435, Tarrascus in 1752, Terrakas in 1795, and Tarrakus in 1844. In 1795, the half-manor belonged to Jõhvi Manor. This sequence of names provides a timeline to help you identify older names in the local history.

A significant event in the history of the half-manor was its purchase in 1907: twelve Estonian farmers from Avinurme Municipality bought it from the Waldmann family. The village itself has another layer of history. On June 5, 1932, Tarakuse celebrated its 25th anniversary. A report from the same year described communal activity in Tarakuse as dating back further than the village itself. Thus, a dated village anniversary sits alongside the idea of communal life stretching back further in time.

Traditions documented in Kopra, Tarakuse, include a healing spell for birds dating from 1937 and a healing incantation for dawn, also dated to 1937. Both traditions are associated with healing, but they concern different subjects: one birds, the other dawn.

In Kopra, there was also a custom of not thanking someone for borrowed fire. The accounts and customs therefore include both healing incantations and a rule for responding to an everyday gift. Another tradition from Tarakuse is a treasure legend linking a treasure find with the graves of Sõõrumäe. As a legend, it complements the customs with a story tied to a named place.

A memorial stone for the village of Tarakuse is associated with Kauri. During the 2024 inventory, the sacrificial stone in Tarakuse was not found; it has probably been destroyed. Therefore, do not plan on visiting it as a reliably existing attraction. These two notes distinguish a memorial stone associated with Kauri from a sacrificial stone whose existence has not been confirmed.

Are Puhatu Bog, Muraka Bog, and Kurtna located in Tarakuse?

These landscapes are part of the wider Alutaguse municipality. They are regional landmarks and should not automatically be attributed to Tarakuse itself.

Which customs have been documented in Kopra?

A healing spell for birds and a healing incantation for dawn date from 1937. There was also a custom of not thanking someone for borrowed fire.

Can the sacrificial stone be included as a place to visit?

The sacrificial stone was not found during the 2024 inventory and has probably been destroyed. Therefore, do not plan on it as a reliably existing destination.

For the wider travel overview: Mäetaguse.