”The Tomten” and ”Little Vigg´s adventure on Christmas Eve” a wonderful herritage worth telling

The Tomten ”Deep in the grip of the midwinter cold The stars glitter and sparkle. All are asleep on this lonely farm, Deep in the winter night. The pale white moon is a wanderer, snow gleams white on pine and fir, snow gleams white on the roofs. The tomte alone is awake ” ”Deep in the grip of the midwinter cold The stars glitter and sparkle. All are asleep on this lonely farm, Deep in the winter night. The pale white moon is a wanderer, snow gleams white on pine and fir, snow gleams white on the roofs. The tomte alone is awake ”  Viktor Rydberg wrote the poem Tomten to Ny Illustrerad tidning and it was published in February 19, 1881.

VIKTOR RYDBERG  Poet, journalist, researcher and teacher. He was also a religious and linguistic reformer.  He grew up as a poor boy in Jönköping were he lived in several foster homes.

Have you heard about a boy called little Vigg ?  1871 Viktor Rydberg wrote a short christmas tale for both children and grown-ups.  Originally written for a newspaper.

The story…  A boy, named Vigg helps the ”Chrismas-vätte” to distributing gifts around the countryside in his sledge drawn by four miniature horses.  They talk to the ”Vätte” connected to each farmstead trying to find out weather the people who lives there been good or bad.  The ride include a stop at the Hall of the Mountain King. A battle is going on between the evil and the good deeds. If the evil deeds win the princess will be trapped in the montain…

The word – ”Tomte”  In nordic folklore, a tomte was a kind of not always friendly - vätte (local spirit or minor deity) connected to a farmstead.  There is, a connection to the word tomt ("piece of land, plot)

Jenny Nyström ( )  Was determinated to make the illustrations to Little Viggs adventures on Christmas eve  Viktor and Jenny got to know each other.  When Rydberg then wrote his well known poem “Tomten”, Jenny made the illustrations.  A lifetime friendship between Jenny and the tomte character was laid. From that point, she would always be associated with it.  Jenny did not know where the tomte features came up from; she just had him in her head. The "Swedish kind hearted, gifts giving tomte" was born.  The book, with Jenny's Illustrations have since then been printed in at least 15 editions, and widely translated.

Did you know…  In the early 50´s, you could listen to ”Little Vigg” every morning at Christmas Eve. … and you can still do it.

1960  Astrid Lindgren worked at Rabén & Sjögren´s as a publishing director at their children´s apartment. Together with Widberg she published a more child-friendly edition.

Harald Wiberg He was a Swedish artist and illustrator. Harald Wiberg He was a Swedish artist and illustrator.

Golden years Golden years In the mid 60`s and throughout the 70´s, he got bigger assignments. In the United States he won the award for best children´s book illustrator for ”The Tomten ”and at home he got the Elsa Beskow Plaque in In 1980 he did the illustrations to a new edition of ”Little Vigg´s adventure on Christmas eve”

Summary The novell ”Little Vigg´s adventure on Christmas eve (1871) and the poem ”Tomten" (1881), created a cultural relationship between ”vätten” and Santa Claus. Jenny Lind became the creator of the Swedish Tomte. Harald Wiberg together with Astrid Lindgren made the books easier to read and they became well known in other countries. ”Little Vigg´s adventure on Christmas eve” can indeed be used to day to discuss ethics and morality.

References  Rydberg, Viktor and Wiberg, Harald, Lille Viggs äventyr på julafton, Stockholm, Rabén & Sjögren, 1980, Print  Rydberg, Viktor, adapted by Lindgren, Astrid and Wiberg, Harald The Tomten, New York, Penguin Putnam Books, 1997, Print The Tomten, New York, Penguin Putnam Books, 1997, Print  Homepage – Rydbergsällskapet  Homepage - Kalmar länsmuseum   Homepage Tore Lund Veritas 24(2008)