Moomin: a story of love and courage from Finland

After the big flood. Moominmamma and her kid, Moomintroll, are trying to find their lost papa.

Until they all find their new home, the one you see in the picture above!

Hey, who are these Moomin-creatures?

They are some of Finland’s most iconic and beloved symbols. Many call them Finland’s crown jewels.

Their story dates backs in the late 1930s, during a very difficult time for the world. You see, wars, Hitler, then WWII.

Out of the horror and misery popped up these little hippo-like creatures called the Moomins.

Their creator, Tove Jansson, is one of the most loved and acclaimed Finnish authors and her Moomin books tell a lot about the world as she experienced it.

But they also tell a lot about her own life.

And out of all this, the most amazing and always relevant lessons about life come out.

But what is the story behind the Moomins? And what can they teach to our world today? Read on!

Background check!

So, what are the Moomins? They are the main characters in a series of books and a comic strip, that were written by Swedish-speaking, Finnish author Tove Jansson, and published between 1945 and 1977.

They tell the tales of the Moomin family and their various friends. The Moomin family lives in the Moominvalley but they also had other temporary residences before (like a lighthouse and a theater).

Much of what is written in the books and shown in the picture books comes from Tove’s own view of the world and life.

The main recurring themes are about the contrast between good and evil, happiness and sadness, summer and winter, peace and fight, good moments and bad ones.

Everything is part of life and life would not be the same if there weren’t for all of them, right?

But the main theme is family or the place when one feels safe with his or her beloved people on this earth.

A safe haven to go back to at the end of the day.

So, what are the 10 most important lessons that the cute little Finnish hippos have to teach us?

Top-10 lessons about life, from the Moomins

1. Live the moment: sometimes you need to let go of the past and future and live the present.

2. Accept yourself: sometimes it is difficult to be who you really are but it is worth it to do so.

3. Achieve your goals: we all can do it, no matter how big or small we are.

4. Be there for others: sometimes all you have to do is to reassure your loved ones that you are there for them.

5. Embrace good and bad: life has ups and downs and would not feel right without them.

6. Be honest with your family: everything comes up to the surface eventually and there is no point in keeping secrets.

7. Embrace your uniqueness: fitting in the norms and society is not always the most important thing

8. Live balanced: there are things we want to do and things we don’t want to do. We need to keep the balance between our rights and our obligations.

9. Be good with everyone: you never know when you will need their help.

10. Value silence and solitude: sometimes, we all need our own space and time, without anybody else present. It is perfectly OK to want to be alone sometimes. How Nordic!

As you may notice, the Moomin stories embrace all the Nordic values, like equality and balance.

Many people claim that the Moomins have indeed played a significant role in shaping the Finnish society, through the decades.

Just in case you need to find out which Moomin character you are, here is your way to the Moominvalley!