a sacred lake. There is archaeological evidence that it may well have been a place of ritual sacrifice. At some point during the early Iron Age, the lake was surrounded by a stone wall long, with a median width of about and an average height of . Finnish mythology has stories that may originate with the formation of Kaali. One of them is in runes 47, 48 and 49 of the Kalevala epic: Louhi, the evil wizard, steals the Sun and fire from people, causing total darkness. Ukko, the god of the sky, orders a new Sun to be made from a spark. The virgin of the air starts to make a new Sun, but the spark drops from the sky and hits the ground. This spark goes to an "Aluen" or "Kalevan" lake and causes its water to rise. Finnish heroes see the ball of fire falling somewhere "behind the Neva river" (the direction of Estonia from Karelia). The heroes head in that direction to seek fire, and they finally gather flames from a forest fire. According to a theory first proposed by Lennart Meri, it is possible that Saaremaa was the legendary Thule island, first mentioned by ancient Greek geographer Pytheas, whereas the name "Thule" could have been connected to the Finnic word tule ("(of) fire") and the folklore of Estonia, which depicts the birth of the crater lake in Kaali. Kaali was considered the place where "The sun went to rest." Namesake The asteroid 4227 Kaali is named after it (except for their names, there is no connection between this asteroid and the crater). References External links About Kaali crater on the official Saaremaa website Photos of the Kaali crater Impact tectonics Interactive panoramic aerial view of the Kaali crater area Impact craters of Estonia Holocene impact craters Lakes of Estonia Saaremaa Parish Sacred lakes Saaremaa Landforms of Saare County Tourist attractions in Saare County Impact crater lakes