It tells the story of a friendship between an old tomten, who lived in Turku Castle for hundreds of years, and his only human friend.
[1] The fairy tale has also served as a strong inspiration for the City of Turku, which has also organized annual "Tonttupäivä", when the castle hosts guided tours in the spirit of Topelius's story.
[2][3] Beneath Turku Castle, in the deepest and darkest cellar vault, lived the 700-year-old elf Tomten with a white beard so long that he could wind it twice around his waist.
The lonely Tomten was good and honest, but disciplined and tidy, and also had a slightly peculiar taste for his living comforts.
Matti Kivinen was 12 years old when he first met the Tomten; at that time, the boy was looking for old musket bullets in the vaults of the castle, where he found an underground passage.
In his spare time, Tomten told Matts about the history of the castle and the people who inhabited it, including the dukes and kings.
According to Tomten, there is a tunnel under the door to beneath the castle's foundations, where the old Väinämöinen, the ageless wise man, is sitting and waiting with his warriors.
However, he invited Tomten to the upcoming castle wedding: Rose, Matts's great-granddaughter, was marrying a sergeant major.