Moominland Midwinter characters

Appears from the start

A young Moomin who wakes unexpectedly while the rest of his family is hibernating. Accustomed to a valley known only in warmer seasons, he finds the snowbound house dark and unfamiliar and cannot rouse his parents. His unease gradually gives way to a need to explore the transformed valley for himself.

Appears from the start

Moomintroll's mother, asleep with the rest of the household when he wakes in winter. Her familiar presence reassures him even though hibernation keeps her beyond his reach.

Appears from the start

Moomintroll's father, hibernating through the season beside the rest of the family while his son faces winter alone.

First appears in chapter 2

A calm, practical friend living in the family's bathing-house for the winter. She understands the season's customs and creatures but explains only what she thinks Moomintroll is ready to learn. Her steady acceptance of cold, darkness, and uncertainty makes her his guide to a world that does not follow summer rules.

First appears in chapter 2

A fearless, sharp-tongued member of the household who also wakes before spring. Where Moomintroll is troubled by winter, Little My immediately treats snow and ice as opportunities for speed, danger, and amusement.

First appears in chapter 3

A beautiful but deadly winter figure who travels through the valley during the deepest cold. Too-ticky warns that meeting her gaze freezes a living creature, making her less an enemy than one of winter's impersonal dangers.

First appears in chapter 3

A squirrel active in the winter woods. Its carefree movements draw attention during the dangerous spell of extreme cold.

First appears in chapter 4

A small, ancient-looking troll who inhabits the warm cupboard behind the stove. Moomintroll is fascinated by the possibility that this elusive creature resembles a distant ancestor of his family, though it offers no explanation of itself.

First appears in chapter 6

A lonely dog who admires the wolves from afar and imagines that he belongs with them. His longing for their freedom keeps him watching the pack despite warnings that they may not welcome him.

First appears in chapter 6

An energetic winter-sports enthusiast who arrives on skis and expects others to share his enthusiasm for fresh air, exercise, and organized activity. His loud confidence disrupts the quieter arrangements that Moomintroll and Too-ticky have made for surviving the season.

First appears in chapter 6

A very small, timid creature who becomes devoted to the Hemulen and follows him with determined admiration, despite the difficulty of keeping up with him.