Moomin philosophy for young and old

Tove Jansson’s first Moomin book was published 77 years ago. It hasn’t aged a bit.

Tove – yes, she is Tove to Finns, known by her first name because she’s familiar to everyone and easily approachable, like the Moomins – loved yellow roses. Though actually, she loved everything beautiful and pleasurable: dancing, parties, flowers, laughing. And that side of her personality also shines through the Moomins, who have slowly become loved all around the world. It remains a great injustice that Tove never received the Nobel Prize in literature.

But Tove’s lightheartedness and zest for life are not the whole picture. Underlying her joy in everyday life were weighty and important values that can also be found in her Moomin books, values like courage, love, and freedom.

Or friendship, nature, and tolerance, which are also supporting pillars of the Moominverse.

Equal but different

Though the Moomins are timeless, of course, similarities can nonetheless be found between the present and 77 years ago.

Tove wrote the book The Moomins and the Great Flood in 1939, but it was published only after the war, in 1945. As at the time of the book’s writing, we are now again in a situation where freedom is not self-evident. Years of coronavirus and now the war in Europe have made people remember what is ultimately most important: their friends and loved ones.

The Moomin books are also current in that different personalities and views of life are all given a voice, but everyone is united by the values of equality and diversity. Everyone is always welcome at the Moominhouse, and its door is never locked, even at night, as the theme song from the Finnish-language version of the animated series says.

The characters of Moominvalley are allowed to be exactly who they are, different and unique. Sniff is greedy but fearful. Moominpappa is the head of the family, but rather irresponsible. Moominmamma takes care of everyone, to the point of exhaustion. Snufkin is a good friend, but despite that, he always leaves. And so on. The inhabitants of Moominvalley have many sides, just like humans. They also evolve.

Not bad at all

The characters’ multidimensionality is also their charm. They have annoying features, but also lovable ones. Children may see one side of the Moomin characters, but adults see something else, which is probably one reason for their popularity – everyone finds something in them. For Finns, there’s also an element of nostalgia: since most Finns have read the books as children, the Moomins unite them.

The Moomins are universal and deeply human. One distinctive feature of the Moomins is their positivity. There’s not a single bad character in all of Moominvalley. The Groke is undeniably scary, but at the heart of it, she’s just lonely, like many people who seem scary in real life probably are. As for Stinky... well, he tries to be a bandit, but nothing really comes of it.

Did you know?

The first drawing of a Moomin was created in the early 1930s on the wall of the outhouse at the Janssons’ summer cottage. Tove named it Snork. The character later grew into Moomintroll, changing a little along the way. He reached his chubbiest form in 1954. At that time, Finland was starting to recover from the war, and perhaps there were plenty of treats to be had in Moominvalley too!

Tove Jansson

Tove Jansson (1914–2001) was an artist, writer, caricaturist, and cartoonist who is best known as the creator of the Moomin characters. Thirteen beloved Moomin books were published, and they have been translated into more than 50 languages. Tove Jansson is Finland’s most translated author.

The significance of the sea

Everyone recognizes the tall blue Moominhouse, but few know it was inspired by a real-life building, the now-demolished Glosholm Lighthouse near Porvoo. Tove and her partner, Tuulikki Pietilä , had their summer place near Porvoo, on a barren cliff without any comforts – well, hardly any: the story goes that Tove would order gin from the local grocery store on her radiotelephone when she needed it – it could be arranged, even though grocery stores in Finland aren’t allowed to sell gin, at least not at the time.

The sea was an important element for Tove, both in real life and in the Moomin books: it’s a symbol of freedom and a place for swimming and sailing, but also something that no one can control.

The sea is also apparent in the work of artists Tove was inspired by. In illustration, she admired Swedish artists like John Bauer and Elsa Beskow, but she also absorbed influences from other artists as well, such as the famous seascape painters J. M. W. Turner, from England, and Hokusai, from Japan.

Tove considered herself first and foremost a painter, and she was an excellent artist. But she will always be remembered above all for the Moomins. They are so beloved that since 2020, the Finnish flag is flown in Tove’s honor on August 9, her birthday. s

Tove’s Moomin book one-liners are unparalleled:

“If you’re not afraid, how can you really be brave?”

—Moominpappa

“All nice things are good for you.”

—Moominmamma

“All things are so very uncertain, and that’s exactly what makes me feel reassured.”

—Too-Ticky

MOOMIN MUSEUM

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