Snufkin (original Swedish: ''Snusmumrik ''en' or ''Mumrik ''en', Finnish: ''Nuuskamuikkunen'') is a character in the Moomin series of books written by Swedish-speaking Finn

Tove Jansson Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, ...

, 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 Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

lifestyle, only staying in

Moominvalley Moominvalley (, ) 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 pla ...

in the spring and summer, leaving for warmer climates down south every winter. He is the son of the elder

Mymble A large number of characters appear in the ''Moomin'' series by Tove Jansson. The original Swedish language, Swedish names are given with the etymologies and word associations suggested by Yvonne Bertills in her 2003 dissertation. Main character ...

and the Joxter, and is half-brother to the Mymble's daughter and

Little My Little My (original , literally: "Little Mu") 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 independe ...

. Snufkin serves as the main protagonist in the 2024 video game ''Melody of Moominvalley''.

Description

Snufkin wears old green clothes and a wide-brimmed hat that he has had since birth. He lives in a tent, smokes a pipe and plays the harmonica. Snufkin also has a great dislike for authority figures such as the Park Keeper and the many regulation signs and fences he erects. At one point, he sabotages the Park Keeper by planting Hattifatteners in his garden, causing them to grow and drive him out. He has a great hatred for all symbols of

private property Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental Capacity (law), legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which is owned by a state entity, and from Collective ownership ...

, even losing his temper with the Hemulen after the latter attempts to put up a sign declaring "Moominvalley". Snufkin's age is never specified outright in any of the books. He has had more mature conversations with

Moominpappa A large number of characters appear in the ''Moomin'' series by Tove Jansson. The original Swedish language, Swedish names are given with the etymologies and word associations suggested by Yvonne Bertills in her 2003 dissertation. Main character ...

and is notoriously wise and mysterious. However, he enjoys playing with Moomintroll and other children, and sometimes acts just as childish as them. He is also referred to as young and/or a child multiple in the series, and is younger than

, though he is easily twice her size. In problem situations, others often turn to the help of Snufkin, and he enjoys the unreserved admiration of the inhabitants of the valley for his wisdom. His advice is also followed. The way Snufkin thinks intersects a wide range of

philosophical Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

views. He is undoubtedly one of the most multi-faceted characters in ''The Moomins''. Snufkin has said that no one should own more than they can handle, and he cannot understand his friend Sniff's affection for worldly things. Snufkin once even throws his tent in the gorge, because he thinks it is not worth clinging to useless property, but instead can write a poem when he sees something beautiful.

Inspiration

Tove Jansson based the character of Snufkin on her friend and one-time fiancé,

Atos Wirtanen Atos Kasimir Wirtanen (27 January 1906 in Saltvik – 10 March 1979) was a Finnish people, Finnish left-wing intellectual, journalist, member of Parliament of Finland, Finnish parliament (1936–1953) and cultural critic. Life Wirtanen was born i ...

. A typical feature of Snufkin, to come and go independently without caring for others, is inspired by the nature of Atos Wirtanen; at the time, Wirtanen was the center of Jansson's life, but Wirtanen was so busy working as an MP that he came and went, leading to the failure of their relationship. Wirtanen's style was also borrowed in the recognizable green hat of Snufkin.

Reception

The character has a mostly positive reception.

References

Bibliography

* * {{The Moomin Series Literary characters introduced in 1946 Moomin characters Fictional hoboes Male characters in film Male characters in animation Male characters in comics Male characters in literature ja:スナフキン

Description

Inspiration

Reception

See also

References

Bibliography