The Tomten in Åbo Castle facts for kids

The Tomten in Åbo Castle is a classic Finnish fairy tale from 1849. It was written by Zachris Topelius. The story is also known as The Tomte at Turku Castle.

This tale shares the special friendship between an ancient elf and his only human friend. The elf had lived in Turku Castle for hundreds of years. When the story was written, the old medieval Turku Castle was in bad shape. The story helped people want to fix and restore this important place in the city of Turku.

The City of Turku has been greatly inspired by this fairy tale. They even have an annual "Tonttupäivä" (Elf Day). On this day, the castle offers guided tours that bring Topelius's story to life.

Discovering the Castle's Elf

Deep beneath Turku Castle, in a dark cellar, lived a 700-year-old elf named Tomten. He had a long white beard that could wrap twice around his waist! Tomten was a good and honest elf. He was also very neat and tidy.

Tomten was a bit lonely. He had only three friends. These were the elf of Turku Cathedral, his magical black cat Murri, and his human friend, Matti. Matti was the old janitor of Turku Castle.

Matti Meets the Tomten

Matti was just 12 years old when he first met Tomten. The boy was looking for old musket bullets in the castle's vaults. He found a secret underground passage. Rocks fell and trapped Matti in the tunnel.

Suddenly, Tomten appeared! He helped Matti escape through a path that led to Turku Cathedral. Matti didn't think he would see Tomten again. But the old elf secretly helped Matti with his studies and work.

Matti grew up and became the janitor of Turku Castle at age 30. He worked there for 50 years. When he was 80, he retired and gave his job to his granddaughter's husband.

The Castle's Secret Helper

After retiring, old Matti spent a lot of time fixing the old, crumbling castle. He didn't know that Tomten was also secretly repairing the castle! The castle needed a lot of repairs because of weather and time.

Tomten had been working for centuries to keep the castle from falling apart. He was very determined. When Tomten saw how much Matti loved the castle, his heart softened. He decided to show himself to Matti again after all those years.

Tomten and Matti spent time together. Tomten told Matti amazing stories about the castle's past. He spoke of the dukes and kings who lived there. Tomten used to enjoy meals invisibly and listen to the lords' secret talks.

He also told Matti about battles around the castle. Once, during the Great Fire of Turku, Tomten was visiting his cousins. He decided then that he would never leave Turku again.

Tomten's Hidden Rooms

Tomten showed Matti the cellar vaults where he lived. He pointed to a special door. This door led to his treasure room, filled with gold, silver, and jewels!

He also showed another door. This one led to the dungeons. People who tried to steal his treasure were magically changed and trapped there.

Then, the old elf showed a third door. Tomten himself was afraid to open this one. He said it led to a tunnel under the castle's foundations. There, the ancient wise man Väinämöinen and his warriors were waiting. Matti promised himself he would never go there.

A Wedding and a Lesson

Matti invited Tomten to an upcoming wedding at the castle. Rose, Matti's great-granddaughter, was marrying a sergeant major. Tomten, invisible, gave Rose a beautiful crown as a gift.

The guests didn't see Tomten. They thought Matti had found the crown in the castle. Only Matti knew the truth. Matti got a bit carried away and started telling a gossipy woman named Saara about Tomten and the treasure.

Saara quickly told her greedy son, Kiljanus, everything. Saara and Kiljanus went to the cellar vault to find the treasure. Tomten stopped them. He magically changed Saara into a cat and Kiljanus into a wolf. They were never seen by people again.

Tomten was very disappointed in Matti. He replaced Rose's beautiful crown with a rusty piece of iron. Matti understood why and felt very sorry for what he had done.

After this, Tomten was no longer friendly to the people living in the castle. He stopped watering the flowers and repairing the walls. The old elf was tired.

The Castle's Future

One day, Tomten appeared for the last time. Matti was 90 years old and visiting the castle with Rose and her son, Eerik. Matti offered his own life to protect the castle. But Tomten asked for Eerik to become his helper for the castle. Rose strongly refused.

Tomten was very upset and almost did something drastic. But then, the beautiful song of Väinämöinen's kantele (a Finnish musical instrument) stopped him. As the kantele played, Matti passed away peacefully.

Rose promised Tomten that her son, Eerik, would take care of the castle. After Matti's funeral, Tomten began to repair Turku Castle again. He invisibly helped the many people who came to fix it.