The Tomten in Åbo Castle
The Tomten in Åbo[1] Castle (also known as The Tomte at Turku Castle; Swedish: Tomtegubben i Åbo slott, Finnish: Turun linnan tonttu-ukko) is a Finnish fairy tale from 1849 by Zachris Topelius. It is one of Topelius' most beloved stories in Finland and very important in cultural history. At the time of writing, the medieval Turku Castle, the site of events, was badly damaged, and the story had a major influence on the desire to restore this important landmark in the City of Turku.[2]
| Author | Zachris Topelius |
|---|---|
| Original title | Swedish: Tomtegubben i Åbo slott Finnish: Turun linnan tonttu-ukko |
| Translator | Frank R. Southerington |
| Country | Finland |
| Language | Swedish Finnish |
| Genre | fairy tale |
Publication date | 1849 |
Published in English | 1977 |
| OCLC | 5124874 |
Plot
Beneath Turku Castle, in the deepest and darkest cellar vault, lived a 700-year-old elf Tomten with a white beard so long that he could spin it two turns around his waist. The lonely Tomten was good and honest, but disciplined and tidy, and also had a slightly peculiar taste for his living comforts. He had only three friends: the elf of Turku Cathedral, his magical black cat Murri in the cellar vault and his only human friend, Matti, the old janitor of Turku Castle.
Matti was 12 years old when he first met Tomten; at that time, the boy was looking for old muskets bullets in the vaults of the castle, where he found an underground passage. Matti was trapped in the tunnel as the rocks collapsed, but the Tomten who emerged helped him out of the tunnel and transported him safely out of the tunnel through Turku Cathedral. Matti didn't expect to see Tomten anymore, but the old elf wished Matti a great future and secretly helped Matti in his studies and work, until he was a janitor at Turku Castle at the age of 30. Matti worked for 50 years until she retired at the age of 80 and left her job for her granddaughter's husband. After that, old Matti spent a lot of time in the decaying castle, repairing the places, not knowing that the Tomten also repaired the castle every now and then. There were plenty of things to repair in the castle due to the weather and the natural forces, but Tomten was tenacious and had for centuries secured the castle by repairing it so that the castle would not leave only ruins over time.
When Tomten saw how old Matti loved the castle like him, his heart was tender and he reappeared to Matti after all these years. In his spare time, Tomten told Matti about the history of the castle and the people who inhabited it, including the dukes and kings. Tomten used to invisibly enjoy the table and secretly listen to the secret talks of the lords of the castle. He also told Matti about the battles and other conflicts around the castle; when a Great Fire of Turku came at the time when Tomten visited Raseborg and Loviisa to meet his cousins, he had decided that he would never leave Turku at all. Tomten introduces Matti to the cellar vaults of the castle where Tomten lives. There, he shows the first door to his guarded treasure chamber full of gold, silver and jewels. He also shows another door that leads to a dungeons where many thieves, who have attempted to steal treasure, are now in chains and turned into wolves. The old elf also shows a third door, which he doesn't even dare to open. According to Tomten, there is a tunnel under the door beneath the castle's foundations, where the old Väinämöinen, the ageless wise man, sitting and waiting. Matti swears to himself that he never visit again beneath the castle.
Soon there is a wedding at the castle: Rose, the great-granddaughter of Matti is getting married with sergeant major and invisible Tomten has given her a beautiful crown as a gift. The guests, who did not see Tomten, are sure that Matti has found it in the castle, but only Matti knew the truth. Matti drinks too much wine and starts to tell about Tomten and treasure to Saara, whose need to gossip is trumped by her greed. Saara goes to tell her greedy son Kiljanus everything she heard. Saara and Kiljanus start to look for the treasure and come into the cellar vault. Tomten stops them and turns Saara into a cat and her son Kiljanus (when he still trying fighting back) into a wolf. They will never be seen by people again. Tomten was disappointed with Matti and he replaced the Rose's crown with rusty iron. Matti understood the reason and repented of his actions. Tomten was no longer friendly toward the inhabitants, the flowers are no longer watered and the walls are not repaired. The old elf was tired.
One day, Tomten shows up for the last time to 88-year-old Matti, who visits at the castle with Rose and his son, Eerik. With this meeting, Matti died of old age. Rose promises to Tomten that her son will take care of the castle. After Matti's funeral, the Tomten begins to repair the Turku castle again.
See also
References
- Swedish: [ˈǒːbʊ]
- Selin, Bengt (December 8, 2017). "Tonttu-ukko, joka pelasti linnansa". Turku.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved January 3, 2020.