The Moomin stories, created by Tove Jansson, are full of love and respect for the huge, often unpredictable, beautiful sea. Which one of these quotes makes you feel the scent of the sea in your nose and hear the sound of the tender waves lapping against the shore?
“How blue and soft it is! Let’s steer straight ahead and just roll and sleep and never arrive anywhere …”
The Memoirs of Moominpappa (1950)
Pooh!” said Moomintroll diving into a big wave and swimming down through green bubbles of light. He went deeper and came upon forests of crinkly seaweed swaying gently in the current – seaweed that was decorated with beautiful white and pink shells.
Comet in Moominland (1946)
Glass-green and white waves rolled in over the sand. Oh, to be a Moomin and to dance in the waves while the sun gets up! The night was forgotten and a long June day lay before them. They dived like porpoises through the waves and sailed in on the crests towards the beach where Sniff was playing in the shallow water. Snufkin was floating on his back far out and looking up into the blue and gold sky.
Finn Family Moomintroll (1948)
There was the sea – his sea – going past, wave after wave, foaming recklessly, raging furiously, but, somehow, tranquil at the same time. He felt completely alive from the tip of his ears to the tip of his tail.
Moominpappa at Sea (1965)
They stood still and looked at each other in disappointment. But as they stood a whiff of salt wind blew in their faces and a faint sighing could be heard in the distance. “It must be the sea!” exclaimed Moomintroll with a whoop of joy, and he started running upwind, his heart thumping with excitement, for if there is anything Moomintrolls really love it is bathing.
Comet in Moominland (1946)
It was just the right way to live if one liked big waves. Sitting in the middle of the breakers, watching the waves as high as mountains coming and going and listening to the sea thundering on the roof.
Moominpappa at Sea (1965)
When the coast had disappeared a full moon rose, round and yellow over the sea. Never before had Moominpappa seen such a large and lonely moon. And never before had he grasped that the sea could be as absolute and enormous as he saw it now. All at once he had a feeling, that the only real and convincing things in existence were the moon and the sea and the boat, with the three silent hattifatteners.
Moominpappa at Sea (1965)
The Moomin community to the rescue of the polluted sea
2020 marks the 75-year anniversary of Tove Jansson publishing her first Moomin novel. To celebrate the anniversary Moomin Characters Ltd is launching the one and a half year long #OURSEA campaign in collaboration with the John Nurminen Foundation. The goal is to collect one million euros for John Nurminen Foundation’s work to save the Baltic Sea and its cultural heritage for future generations.
For every 10€ donated 40 kg of green-blue algae can be removed from the Baltic Sea. To take part in the campaign you can make a direct donation via www.oursea.fi, buy a campaign product, learn more about the sea, the challenges is faces and solutions needed to help improve the situation, as well as influence your friends, family, colleagues and politicians to take action.