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00:01I'm on the trail of wonders to treasure.
00:05Precious clues from the past.
00:07She's full of sensuous promise.
00:10With unmissable experiences.
00:14We're afraid why you adore Dolphin so much,
00:17and they're playing with us.
00:18Hidden sites in unexpected destinations.
00:22No way. I've never seen anything like that before.
00:28Amazing.
00:29I'm on a global voyage of discovery to explore our shared heritage
00:35and how our past shapes all of our lives.
00:39This time, I'm uncovering the hidden treasures of Estonia.
00:43A place where forests hold timeless secrets,
00:47ancient sacred rites live on,
00:50and the waters hide clues to a forgotten world.
00:54I'll be immersing myself in centuries-old rituals,
00:58and drinking viper gin.
01:00Discovering unexpected delights.
01:04A lovely penis.
01:05And using cutting-edge science to decode the past.
01:08This was chewed by a teenage girl
01:11ten and a half thousand years ago.
01:15Welcome to the magical treasures of Estonia.
01:21Estonia feels like a mystical place.
01:27A cherished land full of intriguing wonders.
01:33Facing the Baltic Sea, it boasts over 2,000 islands.
01:47Half the country is covered in forest.
02:01Beneath the surface of these stunning Nordic landscapes
02:05are fascinating secret histories.
02:09And new science is uncovering untold stories.
02:13I'm heading to this research lab,
02:22which is revealing really incredible secrets,
02:25both about Estonia's past,
02:27but also about the secret histories
02:30that we all carry in our DNA.
02:33My first treasure is in the city of Tartu in South Estonia,
02:41where researchers are combining archaeology
02:43and cutting-edge science
02:45to reveal stories from thousands of years ago.
02:48Historic finds from all over Estonia
02:51are brought to Tartu University
02:53for a new kind of analysis
02:55that's rewriting our understanding of the past.
02:58Inside this building,
03:00there is some astonishing science and discoveries.
03:12I'm getting an inside peek at treasures
03:14unearthed across the country
03:16that combine two spiritual worlds.
03:21Heike, hello.
03:22Hello.
03:23Hi again.
03:24Lovely to see you. How are you?
03:25Nice to see you.
03:26So lovely to see you.
03:27And this wealth of exquisite material that you have here.
03:32How old are these?
03:34They are about 800 years or maybe a little more.
03:37So would they have been Christian or pagan, do you think?
03:41Probably people believed in Christ already,
03:45although there was no church as official organisation here.
03:50Christianity came very late to Estonia.
03:52Some finds here have a pagan vibe.
03:56This little cross, what's that about?
03:59This cross is just a quite, quite strange thing.
04:03So you see it has a pendant here.
04:06Mm-hmm.
04:07But what is behind the pendant?
04:09If we raise it up...
04:13You see it is a raised penis.
04:15Penis.
04:16It is a raised penis.
04:18With what looks like a vulva-shaped sort of knocker.
04:22And if we put it back...
04:26When you wear it, it makes brilliant noise.
04:30A brilliant and beautiful noise.
04:32But so what Christian is wearing that cross with a lovely penis
04:36and a sort of vulva knocker?
04:39Somebody with a sense of humour.
04:40I think they were very practical men
04:43because God has created all good things for people.
04:47Yes.
04:48And if people mix them together, it's not a sin, to my mind.
04:52To my mind as well.
04:53Quite right.
04:54We like whoever that...
04:55We like him.
04:56He was open-minded, that guy.
04:58And you see, it's the beautiful thing about archaeology
05:01because you find these really intimate details of people's lives
05:05and their mindsets as well.
05:08Thank you for curating it,
05:10for being the guardian of all of this treasure.
05:14Among the finds are artefacts uncovered from a 12th-century burial ground
05:23in the village of Kukraza.
05:25The excavation, led by Mari Terev,
05:28has opened up a treasure trove of data,
05:32including a mysterious skeleton dubbed the Kukraza Lady.
05:38In her 50s, she was buried with fine bronze and silver jewellery,
05:42food to eat in the afterlife, a scythe and daggers.
05:48Combining cutting-edge chemistry and archaeology,
05:52Associate Professor Esther Oras
05:55is unlocking centuries-old secrets about the Kukraza Lady's life.
06:01Hey!
06:02Hey, Brittany, good to see you.
06:03Lovely to see you.
06:04Sorry to disturb you.
06:05You're obviously right in the middle of working here,
06:08but so exciting to see this happening.
06:11Yes.
06:12And what's this here? What's in there?
06:13Well, that's a very special thing.
06:15This is egg shell.
06:17Egg shell?
06:18Indeed.
06:19That was buried with this lady?
06:21Yeah, at her foot.
06:23And, you know, it gets even better,
06:25because we know that it was a fertilised egg,
06:27so it actually had a chick in the egg whilst it was buried
06:32and kind of someone decided that, you know,
06:34this particular lady should have this fertilised egg
06:38as a grave good to be buried with her,
06:40probably something to do with maybe some kind of
06:42Christian symbolism and fertilisation.
06:44I mean, this is fascinating.
06:45So this is all...
06:46You can tell this because you're combining archaeology
06:49and...
06:50Exactly.
06:51...chemistry here.
06:52Exactly.
06:53So we've got a picture of her, mid-50s,
06:54so she's probably post-menopause.
06:55Yeah.
06:56She's probably not fertile.
06:57Yeah.
06:58But they're burying her with a fertilised egg.
06:59We know more about her than we might know about neighbours
07:02who are still alive today.
07:03Absolutely.
07:04Absolutely.
07:05Yes.
07:06Researchers in the Institute of Genomics
07:08are pioneering another method
07:11to unpack even deeper layers of history.
07:15DNA samples are subjected to a new kind of analysis.
07:19I've been given access to the DNA samples
07:23to a new kind of analysis.
07:27I've been given access to a mind-blowing find.
07:34There's something totally incredible here
07:38that I just have got to show you.
07:41So, when you burn or heat silver birch bark,
07:46you get something called birch tar,
07:48which is still used today,
07:50but this that I'm just about to show you,
07:54this is birch tar from a site from the time of hunter-gatherers,
07:59so around ten and a half thousand years old.
08:03And I've just got to be incredibly careful with this.
08:06Hang on a sec.
08:08Oh!
08:09OK.
08:11It tells us all kinds of extraordinary things.
08:14So, I don't know if you can see here,
08:17but it's actually got teeth marks in it,
08:20and that's because one of the ways to prepare it
08:22is to chew the birch tar.
08:26And the extraordinary discoveries don't stop there.
08:30Because there are teeth marks here,
08:32there are also traces of saliva,
08:35and the research team here have managed to analyse that
08:39and extract the DNA,
08:42so we know that almost certainly
08:45this was bitten by a teenage girl,
08:48and they worked out that she probably had brown eyes
08:52and brown hair.
08:54So, what you're looking at here
08:57is basically the chewing gum of a teenager
09:01from ten and a half thousand years ago.
09:05I've got to put it back.
09:09The institute also holds DNA samples
09:12from 20% of Estonia's population,
09:15providing scientists with a modern genetic comparison
09:19to better interpret ancient DNA.
09:23The hidden stories in our genes and under the earth
09:26are a treasure,
09:28allowing the past to speak
09:30and revealing secrets about our ancestors.
09:45For centuries, people have travelled these old forest roads by horse.
09:59It's still a traditional form of transport
10:02at this time of year, Christmas.
10:08My next treasure is the Setemar culture
10:12from south-east Estonia,
10:14first settled 8,000 years ago.
10:17This unique, orthodox Christian community
10:22has declared itself a kingdom
10:24and proudly maintains its own distinct language.
10:28Beautiful journey.
10:32They describe themselves as living on the edge of the world
10:38because their culture is so distinct
10:41and their home so deep in nature.
10:47Because it's Christmas Eve,
10:49all over the region people are preparing
10:51and I've been invited to stay in one of these farmhouses.
10:55Helen, Angelica and Kaidi take great pride in their Setemar heritage.
11:12Sorry, you're clearly right in the middle of something.
11:15Ladies, can I just say, you look...
11:17Oh, my goodness.
11:19You look incredible.
11:22You look so beautiful, all of you.
11:25Beautiful women are getting even more beautiful.
11:27Even more beautiful.
11:29Sorry to go straight into this,
11:31but I've read about these brooches
11:33and I imagined, like, when you say a brooch,
11:36I imagine, like, a little thing here.
11:38These are incredible.
11:39They're like breast plates.
11:41Well, it's a symbol of, like, a married woman.
11:44Yeah.
11:45A fertile age.
11:46But it's also, like, yeah, it protects us from an evil eye.
11:50But why so much silver?
11:52Where does all this silver come from?
11:54Basically still some of them from grandmother,
11:57grand-grandmother and our mums.
11:59Yeah.
12:00Well, it was the only place to show off.
12:02These are actual coins.
12:03Coppaic.
12:0415 coppaics, 20 coppaics.
12:06Yes.
12:0720, this is 20.
12:08Yeah.
12:09From 1912, for example,
12:12but also from the end of the 19th century.
12:15Of course, before that,
12:16when there were no coppaics,
12:19then they would wear something like this,
12:21more like a leaf-shaped things.
12:23Yes.
12:24You are walking, thanks.
12:26I feel so underdressed.
12:27So, is there anything particularly special
12:30that you do on Christmas Eve to prepare for tomorrow?
12:32Yeah.
12:33We take a silver necklace.
12:34Yeah.
12:35Yeah.
12:36And then we put it in a bowl of water for the whole night,
12:39and then in the morning when we get up,
12:41we will wash the eyes with this water,
12:45and it's just very holy.
12:47These are identical to the silver treasures
12:50from those medieval burials I saw in Tartu.
12:53I love it as well,
12:55because you find this jewellery buried in the grounds
12:58from the medieval times.
12:59The fact that you've got these eight-pointed stars,
13:02I see that on the jewellery that goddesses were given
13:065,000, 4,000 years ago.
13:09So, it's just like, you know, it's the past alive now.
13:13And when we dress up, actually, we feel like goddesses.
13:23The people of Setemar, the Setos, love singing.
13:35Bravo, goddesses, dancing goddesses.
13:37I am in the Christmas mood.
13:39That is just gorgeous. Hurrah.
13:41You are like goddesses.
13:43You're living goddesses.
13:44Amazing.
13:48The Seto Christian community fervently believes
13:51in the spirit of nature,
13:53holding onto ancient pre-Christian pagan traditions
13:56along with their orthodox faith.
13:59At the heart of Seto belief is Peko,
14:04their so-called god-king,
14:06who protects nature
14:08and speaks to them through dreams.
14:11Angelica is taking me to see Peko's shrine.
14:15So, what's special about this play?
14:20For me, always, when I feel a little bit,
14:22I don't know,
14:23like I miss my grandparents
14:28or my grand-grandmother
14:32or my grandmother.
14:33I always love to come here.
14:35I like to feel close with my spirits.
14:54Hi.
14:57Hi.
14:59Did they...
15:00Did they sweet you?
15:02Your ancestors, yeah.
15:03Yeah, definitely.
15:04I feel them.
15:08Especially right now,
15:09it's so peaceful and quiet.
15:10Yeah.
15:11To hear on the wind.
15:13Oh, so that's good they've come on Christmas Eve.
15:16These little...
15:17Little offerings.
15:18Oh, exactly.
15:19Yeah.
15:20And remind her that we're so, you know,
15:22that thing that we're not part of nature,
15:25we are nature as well.
15:26Exactly.
15:27And we need to respect that here.
15:31Each year, a chief herald,
15:33an earthly assistant to King Peko,
15:36is elected,
15:37as Angelica has been.
15:39Their role,
15:40to safeguard the community's culture
15:43from the threats of modern life.
15:47Estonia was once part of the Soviet Union.
15:52In 1991, it gained independence,
15:55and Setemar land was divided into two.
15:59Today, around 13,000 Estonian speak Seto,
16:03and 3,000 live in this area.
16:06But two-thirds of original Setemar territory
16:09is in Russia,
16:10where only 300 Seto people are left.
16:13Border crossing is complicated,
16:15requiring visas,
16:16and separating many Seto families.
16:18You actually have to go into Russia for a little bit
16:20to get to some of the Seto's particular sanctuaries and monuments.
16:24So this is the Russian border with Russia.
16:26So these are all cars that belong to people
16:27who've travelled back into Russia,
16:28and they've just left the cars because they can't drive them there.
16:30So these guys with their suitcases,
16:32they'd be going across, would they?
16:33Yep.
16:34Soviets tried to stamp out Seto culture,
16:36but now it's flourishing ever more vigorously,
16:38with Christmas Eve celebrated in January,
16:40not December,
16:41because they follow the Orthodox Julian calendar.
16:43Families across the region are busy at home,
16:45preparing in many different ways for the festivities ahead,
16:47including singing.
16:48Lalo is a unique form of polyphonic song,
16:51recognised by byructikanter the Protestant
16:55and the Roma,
16:56.
16:59With Christmas Eve celebrated in January,
17:00not December,
17:02because they follow the Orthodox Julian calendar.
17:04Families across the region are busy at home,
17:06preparing in many different ways for the festivities ahead,
17:11including singing,
17:12Lalo is a unique form of polyphonic song,
17:17recognised by UNESCO.
17:23Silversmith Ewa Ritsa still crafts the symbolic silver
17:28the Seto women wear.
17:30They believe that silver protects their souls.
17:37As night falls, something special catches my eye.
17:47This is one of the graveyards of the biggest church here
17:53and all these candles are being put here
17:56because it's Christmas Eve
17:58and people are commemorating their ancestors and their loved ones.
18:03It's very magical being here.
18:07It just sort of feels like all ages are present here at all times.
18:12The women's breastplates are even hung on the graves.
18:24What keeps the past alive is a powerful connection
18:28between the living and their ancestors.
18:34Hey!
18:35Oh, thank you so much.
18:38I'll let you do it.
18:39I'll trust you with that.
18:40That is so toasty warm and delicious.
18:44So this is your family, but which...
18:47Is this one your grandmother?
18:48That's my grandmother.
18:49She must have been very proud of her life here and her lifestyle.
18:53When she got sick, unfortunately,
18:56I was 20 years old at that time,
18:58she asked me to her bedside
19:00and she said to me that,
19:01Kaidi, I think I will lose this battle.
19:04I will not come out of it alive.
19:08So she said that...
19:11I have one now.
19:12I always start crying when I tell the story.
19:16And she said,
19:18Can you promise me that you will find a way
19:21to keep the songs alive,
19:24to keep the traditions alive,
19:26to talk about our family,
19:28about the silverware, the clothes, the traditions.
19:31Can you do that for me?
19:31I said, I try.
19:35And she said,
19:36You cannot tell me try.
19:38You just have to promise.
19:39Yes.
19:40And I promised.
19:41And that's what you're doing now.
19:43Why do you think you've devoted your life to this?
19:47Because I feel that it was planted in me,
19:50the love towards the seto traditions,
19:54towards my grandmother.
19:56Thank you for letting me even see this photo of her.
19:59It's an incredible thing.
20:01It is.
20:06It's January the 7th.
20:08Orthodox Christmas morning.
20:14Oh, that's certainly refreshing.
20:16Just like the setos,
20:17I'm washing my face with silver water.
20:21Okay.
20:24Ready for the future.
20:26Hi.
20:27Nice to see you.
20:28Happy Christmas.
20:28Tequila.
20:30Hope you're welcome.
20:33Great.
20:36Amazing.
20:38Off to church.
20:39Christmas morning.
20:40While seto culture dates back 8,000 years,
20:51their conversion to Christianity
20:53only started in the 11th century.
20:56The church accepted their ancient, nature-centered beliefs,
21:07allowing them to maintain old traditions
21:09within their new faith.
21:11I'm privileged to experience another special ritual,
21:31celebrating a relative who recently passed.
21:37Is it your father?
21:39Their father is buried there.
21:41So it's 40 days.
21:42My daughter-in-law and the son, two sons.
21:45Two sons.
21:46Oh, I'm sorry for your loss.
21:48So this is your father?
21:50Yeah.
21:50So he was such a great singer.
21:55He got given a medal.
21:57This is the medal for singing.
21:58Talking about it, yeah.
22:04Okay.
22:05Like that.
22:14Yay!
22:15Yay!
22:15Yay!
22:16Yay!
22:21So we're all eating this
22:23to remember
22:25I can't pronounce his name properly.
22:27Vassil.
22:28Vassil.
22:29Vassil.
22:30Vassil.
22:30Soft, soft, soft S.
22:32It's 40 days after he died,
22:34so today's the day that his soul leaves his body,
22:37so we're eating to remember him,
22:39to remember your father.
22:41I'm very honoured to be here.
22:45And it's...
22:45And this is...
22:46That's why you have the benches in all of the graves,
22:48so that people just come back
22:50and sit and eat
22:51and share a meal with their ancestors,
22:53because here,
22:54you think your ancestors are asleep.
22:58Yes, exactly.
22:59Yeah.
23:00We've all been given a drink
23:02in honour of your father.
23:04Your father.
23:05Yes.
23:07Vassil.
23:07Vassil.
23:08Vassil.
23:08Vassil.
23:08Vassil.
23:09Yeah.
23:09Yeah.
23:09And happy Christmas.
23:11Yeah.
23:12Vassil.
23:12Vassil.
23:13Vassil.
23:13Vassil.
23:14Feasting, sitting with the dead, offering libations, goes right back to pre-history.
23:30You read about it in the great classical epics like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
23:34The Setoes are a treasure as they embody something that came long before artificial intelligence, ancestral intelligence, a deep connection to the cycle of life, nature and the warmth of welcoming strangers.
23:57It's a place that feels as though you can live in two times at once.
24:04I'm just outside the capital city of Tallinn on the trail of my next treasure, the hidden underwater world of Estonia's Baltic coast.
24:24I've heard there's a team that are working on the underwater archaeology here and Estonia's famous for that so I've asked to join them.
24:36It's not warm, it's not warm today so it's going to be quite interesting out there in the middle of the sea.
24:42In the middle of the sea.
24:44Hey guys, hi, nice to see you.
24:47For thousands of years, the Baltic Sea has been a vital channel of commerce, communication and conflict.
25:04Many of its secrets remain trapped beneath the waves.
25:09There are up to 10,000 shipwrecks here from this hub of maritime activity spanning the 8th to the 21st centuries, many with their cargo still intact, waiting to be explored.
25:23Look, one of the main wreck sites is just over there.
25:30Maritime archaeology researchers Ivar Trefner and Preet Leti from the Estonian Maritime Museum are responsible for the nation's underwater heritage.
25:42This involves mapping, surveying and studying each ship they find.
25:52So far, 700 are being monitored in the depths.
25:59You okay?
26:01Yeah.
26:02You're total heroes.
26:05Archaeology heroes.
26:08The unique conditions of the Baltic Sea, low salinity, cold and dark, are an ideal environment for preserving sunken ships.
26:20This is a fluid, a popular merchant vessel from the 17th century.
26:25It's astonishing, the level of preservation of the wood here.
26:32So on some of those fluids, like there, you can see an incredible level of carving and detail.
26:40Why are the captains bothering to do that with their boats?
26:43Well, one reason was probably that it's kind of like the boat was kind of like a calling card.
26:49Okay.
26:50Just to show off that, look, I know business.
26:52Yes.
26:53So I can afford having a fancy boat with a lot of decorations and stuff.
26:57Yeah.
26:58And you've just got to imagine these waters being crisscrossed by merchants.
27:04Because was it the Dutch who called it the mother of trade?
27:07Yes, it was the Dutch, yes.
27:08Yeah.
27:09Well, the raw material trade that they were, which basically, you know, like a source of their wealth was that.
27:17And that's why they called it the mother of trade.
27:19Yeah.
27:20So you've got, from Estonia itself, you've probably got those kind of beautiful natural things,
27:24that kind of hemp and tar and salt going in one direction.
27:27Exactly.
27:28Green, basically.
27:29Great.
27:30So it's sort of, you know, again, we must remember that, that it's a sea that's bringing all these materials that are ending up right across Europe.
27:37So it's kind of nourishing culture, what's happening here.
27:40Exactly.
27:41When a medieval ship sank in a storm in the 16th century near the islands of Nyssa, it took with it something a bit special.
27:52Researcher Erky Russo has the often tricky job of identifying the finds, some of which are pretty unusual.
28:02So tell me what we've got here.
28:05It's really exciting.
28:07These funny things were found, these ointment jars, like this one or these ones.
28:14And also syringe came from this box as well, some domestic stuff as well.
28:21Yeah.
28:22So based on this, I'd say that at least this box belonged to some kind of pharmacist or person dealing with medicine.
28:31I've never seen anything like that syringe before.
28:34I'm now allowed to pick it up as well because I've got my gloves on.
28:37Is that okay, Erky?
28:38Yeah, of course.
28:39Oy, oy, oy.
28:40Look at that.
28:41Look.
28:42I mean, that's actually, it's, well, it's not gruesome because it's probably life saving, but that's a hardcore bit of medical equipment.
28:51So what sort of thing would this have been used for?
28:54Obviously to inject.
28:55Inject some kind of potion for different parts of the body.
28:59So am I, because that's not going under your skin.
29:03So is this the kind of, it's like an anal syringe?
29:06Highly likely.
29:07Very charming.
29:08And as you can see, there is not a very sharp point.
29:11So it means that it's...
29:13Okay.
29:14And you're what, sorry to now get into this detail, but you're what, you'd be injecting, you know, what would you be doing?
29:20Like, painkillers or what's, what would you be using it for?
29:24For example, had difficulties with digestion and something like that.
29:29Okay.
29:30Right.
29:31Okay.
29:32Well, I hope it brought a lot of relief to somebody in the, in the, you know, 16th, 16th century.
29:37But I mean, this is, it's astonishing, this key to find.
29:40Shall I?
29:41Yeah, give it, give it back to you.
29:43It's awesome.
29:44Even if the syringe is petrifying.
29:46Yeah.
29:47And the discoveries keep on coming.
29:52At the Maritime Museum, Ivar wants to share another sunken wreck.
29:58In December 1918, a British Royal Navy ship, HMS Cassandra, went down while supporting the newly formed Estonia against Russian attacks.
30:11Now, it might be a danger to the delicate Baltic Sea ecosystem.
30:18I'm just like, magnetically can't stop watching it.
30:21It's true though.
30:22It's just so, so fascinating.
30:25The Cassandras on the seabed, she sunk.
30:28So what happened?
30:29The thing is that during the First World War, a lot of mines were laid out in the sea.
30:34And the mines were still there because the First World War had just ended and it exploded.
30:40So, and that just, that was it.
30:42And that's, so if it was that quick, presumably there were casualties on this boat.
30:46Yes.
30:47There were 11 casualties.
30:49But is there anything particular with this, with this wreck that you're trying to discover?
30:53It's very important to understand the condition because HMS Cassandra is a potentially polluting wreck.
30:59So she was using oil as a fuel.
31:02Okay.
31:03Cassandra had about 950, let's say, approximately tons of heavy fuel oil on board.
31:10Okay.
31:11So of course during the mine explosion and probably during the sinking some of the oil was released, but most of it is still there.
31:18Really?
31:19I mean, it's, it's incredible to see this because it's, you know, we think of the underwater archaeology and wrecks as historical treasures that tell us about the past.
31:30But this is, you know, you're using all your skills and science now to also to protect the Baltic Sea for the future.
31:37Ivar and his team are constantly monitoring the HMS Cassandra.
31:44If there's a leak, they'll need to siphon out the oil.
31:48An expensive and dangerous operation.
31:52The underwater discoveries here in Estonia are just remarkable because they tap into this nation's deep connection to the world of the sea.
32:15And they also reveal incredible things about our past.
32:20I mean, if you think about it, 70% of the world is covered with water.
32:25So that's where you find extraordinary treasures.
32:29As Estonia's winter snows melt, the green wonderland below slowly comes back to life.
32:51I'm in the forests of Southern Estonia to try to discover some of their secrets.
33:04Home to bears, elk, lynx, springs and swamps.
33:14My final treasure is the hidden and ancient law of forest culture in Estonia.
33:21There's someone here who uses all the gifts of the forest in a very historic way.
33:35Ada.
33:36Ada.
33:37Hello.
33:38Hi.
33:39Hi.
33:40Straight away a hug.
33:42That's lovely.
33:43I'm Bethany.
33:44Nice to meet you.
33:45I'm Edna.
33:46Lovely to see you face to face.
33:47I'm sauna mother.
33:48You...
33:49Well, I'm glad to hear you.
33:50For you.
33:51A sauna mother sounds great.
33:52I've never met a sauna mother before.
33:54Yes, I would like you introduced to the saunas because saunas are family members.
34:00Are they?
34:01Okay.
34:02So, yeah.
34:03Okay.
34:04So, let's go and say hello.
34:06I've never in my life said hello to a sauna before.
34:10Already.
34:11But you have to.
34:12Do you have to?
34:13And we do it with a chant.
34:14Let's go.
34:15Dere, dere sanakana.
34:17Dere, dere sanakana.
34:19Good.
34:22The sauna tradition is ingrained in Estonian society.
34:26A place to come together with family and friends and to connect to the spiritual world.
34:33Dere, dere sanakana.
34:35Dere, dere sanakana.
34:37Dere, dere sanakana.
34:38Dere sanakana.
34:39Dere sanakana.
34:40Dere sanakana.
34:41Honestly.
34:42So, now we have to ask permission to heat the sauna today.
34:46Lovely.
34:47I love it.
34:48Asking permission to take the sauna's heat.
34:50Perfect.
34:51So, I go and ask permission.
34:54Can we heat the sauna for you today?
34:57Hmm.
35:06Eda isn't speaking Estonian.
35:08She's using an ancient tribal language.
35:11Yes.
35:12Yes.
35:13Would you bring the firewood?
35:15Firewood, sure thing.
35:16Yeah.
35:17Good.
35:18Has the sauna ever said no to anybody?
35:21Sometimes.
35:22Yes.
35:23Beautiful.
35:24You can smell the elders.
35:25So beautiful.
35:26There are charms for me to put in the fire, part of a series of preparatory rituals.
35:41Yes.
35:42So, this is linden wood.
35:43Yes.
35:44Okay, so I put this in the fire, and then this should summon three generations of my ancestors
35:48into the sauna as well.
35:49Yes.
35:50It's a kind of trade.
35:51You give it to the fire, and fire gives you back what you wanted, what we told about.
35:56Okay.
35:57Okay.
35:58Okay.
35:59Okay.
36:00So, fire.
36:01No, please, trade.
36:02Don't say please.
36:03Okay.
36:04I've got to be firm with the fire.
36:05Yeah.
36:06Okay.
36:07You are sure.
36:08You'll get it.
36:09Okay.
36:10Okay.
36:11I've got it.
36:12So, fire, I'm giving you this.
36:13Please give me love, passion.
36:15I'm so sorry.
36:16So sorry.
36:17One more.
36:18I'm sorry if I'm English.
36:19Okay.
36:20I'm going to be more Estonian.
36:22There's a bit of a culture clash here.
36:24Okay.
36:25Right.
36:26Fire.
36:27Give me love, creativity, passion, and ideas.
36:37Estonian smoke saunas, following an ancient, singular design, have no chimney for a
36:45reason.
36:46You are under the smoke.
36:48Yeah.
36:49Under the protection.
36:50Yeah.
36:51We exhale and we let all the artificial thoughts float out of our head.
36:59So I'm just clearing my mind and asking you the saunas when I'm in here to help me know
37:05what I need to know today.
37:06Yes.
37:07Delightful.
37:08What my soul gives me to know today.
37:12Ah.
37:13Oh, it's so calming.
37:16Okay.
37:17I think it, I think my mind's clear.
37:21Good.
37:22So, so, so, do we leave the sauna to do its own preparation now?
37:27Yes.
37:28While the sauna heats up for six hours, we head to a holy spring to fetch water to feed
37:37it.
37:38There's written evidence of smoke saunas from the 13th century, but the word for sauna dates
37:45back at least 4,000 years.
38:01Thank you, John.
38:05Thank you so much for such a good thing.
38:08And I hope not for you very much.
38:10live in harmony with the forest, deeply connected
38:14to its life cycle.
38:17This is very idyllic.
38:18This is your friend.
38:19This is my friend, Ruth, yes.
38:22She's picking mushrooms for dinner today after the sauna.
38:26Oh, hello, Ruth.
38:28How lovely to see you.
38:29Oh, I'm not going to tread on these.
38:31Yes, look.
38:33So many.
38:33How long to see you on bettany.
38:35Lovely to see you.
38:35Nice to meet you.
38:36Me?
38:37Mm-hmm.
38:38Yeah.
38:40Chanterelle's?
38:40Yeah.
38:41Beautiful.
38:42Chanterelle's are the first.
38:44Yes.
38:45I mean, these are, like, all the best restaurants in the world,
38:49aren't these?
38:50Don't they?
38:51Aren't they beautiful?
38:52So those are good to eat.
38:53Hey, this really is farthing.
38:54Yeah, you can cook them you're going to eat here.
38:56It's a month later.
38:59Mm.
39:00Oh, that's so lovely.
39:01And those ones are my husband's favorites.
39:05I'm just going to say.
39:06No, but they're great that they're your husbands.
39:08These are my favorites.
39:09Because it's like butter.
39:10It's like peppery butter, isn't it?
39:13It's got a bit of a kind of pepper taste to it.
39:14Uh oh.
39:24Look!
39:27Edda's sauna sisters join us.
39:30First, a communal, naked swim to refresh the skin and the mind.
39:56I'm going to go in.
39:57Yeah.
39:58OK.
39:59Let's go to the sauna.
40:00I'm clean from swamp and spring water.
40:06Now we're going in.
40:13My understanding is that you come here on really important occasions.
40:18So people have wedding nights here and women give birth here.
40:21And it's like it's kind of part of the cycle of life.
40:25Cycle of life, cycle of nature, cycle of being human.
40:31Whenever you lose the connection with yourself or with your destiny, you can come back to the sauna and restore this connection.
40:39It's like it's a threshold.
40:42You know, for me, this is like all the ancient rituals that I read about that happened like 3,000 years ago, that you're crossing a gateway.
40:49So you're almost entering another world by coming here.
40:52Yeah.
40:52Oh, what's that?
40:55Beautiful.
40:56Is it mint?
40:57Different plants, yes.
40:59Oh, lovely.
41:00Ed has asked me to lie on the bench for a healing treatment.
41:07A whisk with these forest branches and herbs generates additional heat.
41:25Over the next few hours, we oscillate between the icy chill of cold water plunges and the intense heat of the sauna,
41:44rubbing ourselves with salt, ash and honey, caressed by steam from the sacred spring water.
41:53I will.
42:07Now.
42:08Let the water take away all the opinions about you.
42:12Slander, all that horrible slander.
42:14I will.
42:15Now.
42:15Yeah.
42:16Jump.
42:16What better end to the day than savouring the wild mushrooms we picked earlier?
42:46And before we start to eat we have to have one sip of local drink that brings you into your body again after this big flying in the sauna.
43:11So this is alcohol?
43:13Yeah, just a little bit.
43:15OK.
43:16It's medicine.
43:18Medicine!
43:19The strongest medicine we have in our farm.
43:22Is it? I definitely need a bit of that medicine.
43:25Yeah, I'll hold it for you.
43:26What's it got in it?
43:27A viper.
43:28No way.
43:29Yeah, the way. The best way.
43:33Oh, my goodness. I didn't think the surprises were going to finish those.
43:40OK, there's a viper. There's a viper in my soup. There's a viper in my gin. Do I just drink it from here?
43:49Yeah.
43:50Oh, no.
43:51Yes.
43:52A little bit.
43:53Just do it.
43:54I'm going to do it.
43:55And let it go into the roots. Don't drink it. Give it to the ancestors.
43:59Don't drink it.
44:00Yeah.
44:01Do drink it.
44:02Yeah, it's through your body. It goes to the ancestors.
44:04OK.
44:05OK.
44:06I'm going in. I'm going in. I'm drinking viper gin.
44:08I'm speechless.
44:09I'm speechless.
44:10I'm speechless.
44:11For your health.
44:13This is the most extraordinary place to end up. I'm in this incredible oasis in a forest.
44:29And I've done a lot of things today that I've never done in my life.
44:33But the incredible thing is this is what's been happening here for hundreds of years,
44:38probably for thousands of years.
44:40Yeah, it is.
44:41So it's new to me, but it's very old to this land.
44:45So thank you for showing me what your ancestors would have done on this earth way back in Estonia's history.
44:56It's really special.
44:57So thank you.
44:58I am full of gratitude for being here.
45:01Thank you so much.
45:02Thank you for coming.
45:05Tennavaika.
45:06Do I say that back?
45:08Yes.
45:09Tennavaika.
45:10Tennavaika.
45:11Tennavaika.
45:12And I hope I survive the viper gin.
45:15This amazing journey has immersed me in a world of medieval shipwrecks, DNA from our ancestors and age-old rituals.
45:32Beneath the surface, Estonia is brimming with magical surprises.
45:43The human stories in this land of forests and sea and steam and ice are incredibly rich.
45:52And they connect us back to ancient cultures that still live today, as well as to the secret histories that live within our bodies.
46:02So the hidden treasures here tell us not just about this country, but about us as a species.
46:23Secrets and scandal in the 16th century.
46:27The untold story of the Virgin Queen becoming Elizabeth.
46:30Stream the lot right now.
46:32Five past nine tonight and fresh revelations into the genetics of a tyrant.
46:36Part two of Hitler's DNA, blueprint of a dictator.
46:40Keeping it light next though, we're off to see New Zealand and we're doing it by train.
46:44Train.
46:45Train.
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