Moominvalley

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Moominvalley
Moomin location
Moominvalley map.jpg
First appearance The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945)
Created by Tove Jansson
Genre Children's fantasy
In-universe information
Type Valley
Race(s) Moomins, Fillyjonks, Hattifatteners, Hemulens, Mymbles, Snorks, Toffles, Whompers
LocationsMoominhouse
Characters Moomintroll, The Groke, Little My, Sniff, Snorkmaiden, Snufkin

Moominvalley (Swedish : Mumindalen, Finnish : Muumilaakso) is a fictional place, where the Moomins live in the tales by Finnish author Tove Jansson.

Especially in the early books Moominvalley is depicted as a beautiful place with green slopes, rivers, fruit trees, flowers and a place for calm and peaceful life as in the tradition of pastoral poetry, and yet it is still threatened by natural forces such as flooding and volcanoes. The valley is surrounded by Lonely Mountains in the east and by other mountains in the south, while the west faces the sea. Thus, travel on land is often preceded by mountain climbing in the stories. It was inspired by Ängsmarn, a family retreat in Sweden, which is also situated on a grassy field facing the sea and surrounded by rocky outcrops. [1] The Moominvalley is also a manifestation of Jansson's escapism; she often fantasized about establishing a colony in Morocco or moving to The Basque Country or Tonga. [2]

Moominvalley, leading down to the sea at Moominworld Moomin Valley leading down to the sea, Moominworld.jpg
Moominvalley, leading down to the sea at Moominworld

In Moominpappa at Sea , Moominvalley is depicted as a place of boredom. [3]

Moominvalley appears to be above the Arctic Circle, based on the description in Moominland Midwinter of the sun not rising in winter. [4]

Moominvalley is also the former name for the Moomin Museum in Tampere, Finland.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tove Jansson</span> Finnish author, illustrator (1914–2001)

Tove Marika Jansson was a Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author of Swedish descent. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Paris. She held her first solo art exhibition in 1943. Over the same period, she penned short stories and articles for publication, and subsequently drew illustrations for book covers, advertisements, and postcards. She continued her work as an artist and writer for the rest of her life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snufkin</span> Moomin character

Snufkin is a character in the Moomin series of books written by Swedish-speaking Finn Tove Jansson, appearing in six of the nine books; his first appearance is in the second book, Comet in Moominland. He is the best friend of the series' protagonist, Moomintroll, and lives a nomadic lifestyle, only staying in Moominvalley in the spring and summer, but leaving for warmer climates down south every winter. He is the son of the elder Mymble and the Joxter, and is half-brother to the Mymble's daughter and Little My.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little My</span> Fictional character

Little My is a character in the Moomin series of books by Tove Jansson. The character first appeared in the fourth book, The Exploits of Moominpappa (1950). She is a small, determined and fiercely independent Mymble. Little My is brash, aggressive, mischievous and disrespectful, but can also be a good friend when she wants to. She is the Mymble's daughter's younger sister. She was eventually adopted by the Moomin family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moomin Museum</span> Museum in Tampere, Finland

Moomin Museum is situated in the city of Tampere, Finland. Shown at the Moomin Museum are illustrations by Tove Jansson, 40 miniatures, tableaux about Moomin events and a small Moomin House. There are about 2,000 exhibits on display. Also shown is the original Moominvalley multimedia. The Moomin Shop sells gift items and the Moomin Library offers Moomin books in many languages.

<i>Comet in Moominland</i> 1946 childrens book by Tove Jansson

Comet in Moominland is the second in Finnish author Tove Jansson's series of Moomin books. Published in 1946, it marks the first appearance of several main characters, such as Snufkin and the Snork Maiden.

<i>Moominland Midwinter</i> 1957 childrens book by Tove Jansson

Moominland Midwinter is the sixth in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomin books, published in 1957. This book sees Jansson adopt a darker, more introspective tone compared to the earlier books that is continued in the remainder of the series. Often in the book Moomintroll is either lonely, miserable, angry or scared - the result of being forced to survive in a world to which he feels he does not belong. While preserving the charm of the previous novels, the story involves a more in-depth exploration of Moomintroll's character than before.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Groke</span> Fictional character from stories by Tove Jansson

The Groke is a fictional character in the Moomin stories created by Tove Jansson. She appears as a ghost-like, hill-shaped body with two cold staring eyes and a wide row of white shiny teeth beneath a large and wide triangular nose. In the book Who Will Comfort Toffle?, it is mentioned that she has a tail, but it has never been seen. Wherever she stands, the ground below her freezes, plants and grass die and if she stands in place too long the soil itself will die and nothing will ever grow there again. She leaves a trace of ice and snow when she walks the ground. Anything that she touches will freeze. On one occasion, she froze a campfire by sitting down on it. She seeks friendship and warmth, but she is declined by everyone and everything, leaving her in her cold cavern on top of the Lonely Mountains.

<i>The Exploits of Moominpappa</i> 1950 childrens book by Tove Jansson

The Exploits of Moominpappa, first published in 1950 and then considerably revised in 1968 under the title Moominpappa's Memoirs, is the fourth book in the Moomin series by Tove Jansson. The story found in this book is mentioned in the previous Moomin books, as Moominpappa writes his memoirs in those stories. Unlike Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll, both versions of the novel were translated into English. Exploits of Moominpappa forms the basis of episodes 62, 63 and 64 in the 1990 TV series.

<i>Tales from Moominvalley</i> 1962 childrens book by Tove Jansson

Tales from Moominvalley is the seventh book in the Moomins series by Finnish author Tove Jansson. Unlike all the other books, which are novels, it is a collection of short stories, the longest book in the series. It was first published in 1962. The book forms the basis of episodes 9, 10, 13, 24, and 36 of the 1990 TV series.

<i>Moominpappa at Sea</i> 1965 childrens book by Tove Jansson

Moominpappa at Sea is the eighth book in the Moomin books by Finnish author Tove Jansson. First published in 1965, the novel is set contemporaneously with Moominvalley in November (1970), and is the final installment in the series where the titular Moomin family are present within the narrative.

<i>Moominvalley in November</i> 1970 childrens book by Tove Jansson

Moominvalley in November is the ninth and final book in the Moomin series by Finnish author Tove Jansson, and was first published in her native Swedish in 1970, and in English in 1971. Set contemporaneously with her previous novel Moominpappa at Sea (1965), it is the only installment in the series where the titular Moomin family are actually absent. Instead it focuses on a set of other characters, including Snufkin, who come to live at Moominhouse during the onset of winter whilst its inhabitants are away, and the various interactions which they have with each other.

Moomin is a comic strip created by Tove Jansson, and followed up by Lars Jansson, featuring their Moomin family of characters. The first comic strip, entitled Mumintrollet och jordens undergång was a short-lived project for the children's section of the Finland-Swedish leftist newspaper Ny Tid. It was written between 1947 and 1948, at the request of the editor, a friend of Jansson's, Atos Wirtanen. The series was published with two new strips weekly, and was mainly an adaptation of Comet in Moominland. The series has been reprinted in book form under the name Jorden går under by the newspaper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophia Jansson</span>

Vivica Sophia Jansson is the daughter of cartoonist Lars Jansson and the niece of the famous Finnish writer and painter Tove Jansson. Jansson has worked as a Spanish language teacher, creative/artistic director, chairman, and majority shareholder of Oy Moomin Characters, Ltd, and provided direct oversight together with her father for the 1990 Moomin animated series.

<i>Moomins</i> Fictional characters created by Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson

The Moomins are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, picture books, and a comic strip by Swedish-speaking Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of white, round fairy-tale characters with large snouts that make them resemble the hippopotamus. However, despite this resemblance, the Moomin family are trolls. The family live in their house in Moominvalley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Warburton (writer)</span> Finnish writer and translator

Thomas Warburton was a Finnish writer, translator, and recipient of the Eino Leino Prize in 1997.

<i>Moomin</i> (1990 TV series) Animated television series

Moomin is a Dutch-Japanese anime television series produced by Telecable Benelux B.V. and animated by Telescreen Japan. Based on the Moomin novels and comic strips by the Finnish illustrator and author Tove Jansson and her brother Lars Jansson, it was the third anime adaptation of the property and the first to receive distribution in different countries worldwide. Moomin first aired on TV Tokyo from April 12, 1990, to October 3, 1991. The series had also been dubbed into English and aired on CBBC in United Kingdom during the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sniff (Moomin character)</span> Childrens book character

Sniff is a character in the Moomin stories created by Tove Jansson. His debut is in the first Moomin-book The Moomins and the Great Flood. In addition to books, he is also a prominent character in the Moomin comics and animations.

Taikatalvi may refer to:

Garm was a monthly political and satirical magazine published in Helsinki, Finland. The magazine existed for thirty years from 1923 to 1953. The title of the magazine is a reference to a character in the Norse mythology, a monstrous hound which defended the entrance to Helheim, the Norse realm of the dead.

References

  1. Björn Sundmark, “A Serious Game”: Mapping Moominland. doi:10.1353/uni.2014.0022
  2. Karjalainen, Tuula: Tove Jansson – Tee työtä ja rakasta, s. 94–96. Helsinki: Tammi, 2013. ISBN   978-951-31-6963-3.
  3. Westin, Boel (2007). Tove Jansson: ord, bild, liv. Stockholm: Bonniers, page 21. ISBN   978-91-0-011325-4
  4. Jansson, Tove (2019). Moominland midwinter. Thomas Warburton. London. ISBN   978-0-241-34450-7. OCLC   1089827166.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Bibliography