The Groke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Groke |
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| Moomins character | |
The Groke from the Japanese–Finnish-Dutch television animation Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka.
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| First appearance | Finn Family Moomintroll |
| Last appearance | Moominpappa at Sea |
| Created by | Tove Jansson |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
The Groke (whose name is Mårran in Swedish and Mörkö in Finnish) is a well-known character from the Moomin stories. These stories were created by Tove Jansson. The Groke looks like a ghost or a hill, with two cold, staring eyes and a wide row of shiny white teeth. In the book Who Will Comfort Toffle?, it is said that she has a tail, but no one has ever seen it.
Wherever the Groke stands, the ground below her freezes. Plants and grass die when she is near. She leaves a trail of ice and snow as she walks. Anything she touches will turn to ice. Once, she even froze a campfire just by sitting on it! The Groke really wants friendship and warmth, but everyone and everything usually avoids her. This leaves her alone in her cold cave on top of the Lonely Mountains.
In one Moomin comic, the Groke actually became a hero! She was looking for warmth, as always, and ended up sitting on a forest fire. This put the fire out and saved the forest. In another comic, Sniff made a magic potion. When he dripped some on an ant, the ant turned into the Groke! It's not clear if this is how the Groke came to be, or if the ant just changed into another creature like her. The ant was never seen again after that.
The Groke in the Moomin Books
The Groke appears in several Moomin books. Her role changes a bit in each story.
This is the first time the Groke appears. She is shown as a scary villain. However, Sniff feels a little sorry for her. He even cries, thinking about how sad it must be to be so alone.
In this book, some characters say the Groke eats people. The Joxter claims his cousin was eaten by her. Young Moominpappa even saves the Hemulen's Aunt from being eaten. But the Groke is never actually seen eating anyone. Since this book is Moominpappa's memories, he might have made things sound more exciting to look like a bigger hero.
The Groke makes a few short appearances here. She seems less like a villain and more like someone to feel sorry for. Too-Ticky even feels bad for her. The Groke wants to warm herself by a fire, but she scares everyone away. She also accidentally puts out the fire with her own coldness.
In this story, the Groke keeps visiting Moominpappa's island. She begs Moomintroll to show her his lantern flame. This book shows the Groke in a very sympathetic way. It even includes parts written from her point of view. She is always wanting warmth and light, but she can't get either.
Toffle bites the Groke in this book while saving Miffle. It's not clear if the Groke was holding Miffle captive or not.
The Groke in TV Shows
The Groke has appeared in different Moomin TV shows. She looks and acts a bit differently in each one.
- The 1969 anime version shows her as white and sad.
- In the Polish Moomin TV series, she looks more like the character from the books. She is darker and more animal-like.
- The Japanese anime series Moomin (from 1990) often features her as the main bad guy. In the Japanese language version, she is called Morran. She is known for her scary look and loud growling sounds. Other language versions use different growls and scary music when she appears. The Groke first appeared in episodes 6, 7, and 22 of this series. It wasn't until episode 37 that she was shown in a more sympathetic way.
- She also appears in the "Night of the Groke" episode of the 2019 series. In this show, she makes a ghostly moaning sound. She slowly slides along, leaving an ice trail behind her as she searches for fire.
