# Little Mats — The Wonderful Adventures of Nils character guide

> Little Mats in The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mats

**First appearance:** 0085-osa-the-goose-girl-and-little-mats

## Snapshot

Osa's small, frightened brother trails after her on the long road, trusting his sister's plan even when his feet and his courage give out.

## Who they are

Mats is the younger half of a pair of wandering children, and he leans on Osa for direction, comfort, and the next meal. Hunger and fear make him clingy and sometimes tearful, and Osa's sharpness with him is the flip side of her devotion. His dependence raises the stakes of their search: every delay costs him something, and Nils sees in him the kind of child he himself never had to be.

## In the story

### [The Big Checked Cloth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se/chapters/the-big-checked-cloth)

Nils remembers little Mats, another former comrade, when he sees Jordberga.

### [The Legend of Småland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se/chapters/the-legend-of-sm-land)

Little Mats is Osa's younger brother who tells the legend of Småland's creation, emphasizing the poor soil and rocky landscape, but also the cleverness of the Småland people.

### [The Cabin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se/chapters/the-cabin)

Arrives with Osa at the burning cabin; Nils greets him but he is frightened.

### [The Homespun Cloth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se/chapters/the-homespun-cloth)

Accompanies Osa, examines the wooden shoe, and agrees it belongs to the elf.

### [The Breaking Up of the Ice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se/chapters/the-breaking-up-of-the-ice)

Little Mats accompanies Osa on the dangerous ice crossing and is guided by the geese.

### [Osa, the Goose Girl, and Little Mats](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se/chapters/osa-the-goose-girl-and-little-mats)

Little Mats is Osa's lively and talkative younger brother. He is injured by flying rocks at the Malmberget mine while searching for their father.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se/characters/little_mats
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_adventures_of_nils_se/characters