"Snow Queen" is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The tale was first published 21
December 1844 in New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection. 1845. The story centers
on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by Gerda and her friend, Kai.
The story is one of Andersen's longest and most highly acclaimed stories. It is regularly
included in selected tales and collections of his work and is frequently reprinted in
illustrated storybook editions for children.
Narrative division "The Snow Queen" is a tale told in seven 'stories':
About the Mirror and Its Pieces A Little Boy and a Little Girl
The Flower Garden of the Woman Who Knew Magic The Prince and the Princess
The Little Robber Girl The Lapp Woman and the Finn Woman
What Happened at the Snow Queen's Palace and What Happened Afterwards
Story
An evil troll has made a magic mirror that distorts the appearance of everything it reflects.
It fails to reflect the good and beautiful aspects of people and things, while magnifying
their bad and ugly aspects. The devil, who teaches a "devil school," took the mirror
and his pupils throughout the world and delight in using it to distort everyone and everything;
the mirror makes the loveliest landscapes look like "boiled spinach." They tried to
carry the mirror into Heaven with the idea of making fools of the angels and God, but
the higher they lifted it, the more the mirror grinned and shook with delight, and it slipped
from their grasp and fell back to earth, shattering into millions of pieces. These splinters — some
no larger than a grain of sand — were blown around and get into people's hearts and eyes,
freezing their hearts like blocks of ice and making their eyes like the troll-mirror itself,
seeing only the bad and ugly in people and things.
Years later, a little girl, Gerda, and a little boy, Kai, live next door to each other in
the garrets of buildings with adjoining roofs in a large city. One could get from Gerda's
to Kai's home just by stepping over the gutters of each building. The two families grow vegetables
and roses in window boxes placed on the gutters. Gerda and Kai have a window-box garden to
play in, and they become devoted to each other as playmates.
Kai's grandmother tells the children about the Snow Queen, who is ruler over the "snow
bees" — snowflakes that look like bees. As bees have a queen, so do the snow bees,
and she is seen where the snowflakes cluster the most. Looking out of his frosted window
one winter, Kai sees the Snow Queen, who beckons him to come with her. Kai draws back in fear
from the window. By the following spring, Gerda has learned
a song that she sings to Kai: Where the roses deck the flowery vale, there, infant Jesus
thee we hail! Because roses adorn the window box garden, the sight of roses always reminds
Gerda of her love for Kai. On a pleasant summer day, splinters of the
troll-mirror get into Kai's heart and eyes while he and Gerda are looking at a picture
book in their window-box garden. Kai becomes cruel and aggressive. He destroys their window-box
garden, he makes fun of his grandmother, and he no longer cares about Gerda, since all
of them now appear bad and ugly to him. The only beautiful and perfect things to him now
are the tiny snowflakes that he sees through a magnifying glass.
The following winter, Kai goes out with his sled to play in the snowy market square and
— as was the custom — hitches it to a curious white sleigh carriage, driven by the
Snow Queen, who appears as a woman in a white fur-coat. Outside the city she reveals herself
to Kai and kisses him twice: once to numb him from the cold, and a second time to make
him forget about Gerda and his family; a third kiss would kill him. She takes Kai in her
sleigh to her palace, the people of the city decide that Kai died in the nearby river.
Gerda, heartbroken, goes out to look for him and questions everyone and everything about
Kai's whereabouts. She offers her new red shoes to the river in exchange for Kai; by
not taking the gift at first, the river lets her know that Kai did not drown. Gerda next
visits an old sorceress with a beautiful garden of eternal summer. The sorceress wants Gerda
to stay with her forever, so she causes Gerda to forget all about Kai, and causes all the
roses in her garden to sink beneath the earth, since she knows that the sight of them will
remind Gerda of her friend. Gerda's warm tears raise one bush above the ground, and it tells
her that it could see all the dead while it was under the earth, and Kai is not among
them. Gerda flees and meets a crow, who tells her that Kai is in the princess's palace.
Gerda goes to the palace and meets the princess and the prince, who is not Kai, but looks
like him. Gerda tells them her story, and they provide her with warm clothes and a beautiful
coach. While traveling in the coach Gerda is captured by robbers and brought to their
castle, where she befriends a little robber girl, whose pet doves tell her that they saw
Kai when he was carried away by the Snow Queen in the direction of Lapland. The captive reindeer
Bae tells her that he knows how to get to Lapland since it is his home.
The robber girl frees Gerda and the reindeer to travel north to the Snow Queen's palace.
They make two stops: first at the Lapp woman's home and then at the Finn woman's home. The
Finn woman tells the reindeer that the secret of Gerda's unique power to save Kai is in
her sweet and innocent child's heart:
When Gerda reaches the Snow Queen's palace, she is halted by the snowflakes guarding it.
She prays the Lord's Prayer, which causes her breath to take the shape of angels, who
resist the snowflakes and allow Gerda to enter the palace. Gerda finds Kai alone and almost
immobile on a frozen lake, which the Snow Queen calls the "Mirror of Reason", on which
her throne sits. Kai is engaged in the task that the Snow Queen gave him: he must use
pieces of ice like a Chinese puzzle to form characters and words. If he is able to form
the word "eternity" the Snow Queen will release him from her power and give him a pair of
skates. Gerda runs up to Kai and kisses him, and he is saved by the power of her love:
Gerda weeps warm tears on him, melting his heart and burning away the troll-mirror splinter
in it; Kai bursts into tears, dislodging the splinter from his eye; Kai becomes cheerful
and healthy again, with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks. He and Gerda dance around on
the lake of ice so joyously that the splinters of ice Kai has been playing with are caught
up into the dance, and when they tire of dancing they fall down to spell "eternity," the very
word Kai was trying to spell. Even if the Snow Queen were to return, she would be obliged
to free Kai. Kai and Gerda then leave the Snow Queen's domain with the help of the reindeer,
the Finn woman, and the Lapp woman. They meet the robber girl, and from there they walk
back to their home, "the big city." They find that all is the same at home, but they have
changed: They are now grown up, and they are delighted to see that it is summertime. At
the end, the grandmother reads a passage from the Bible:
"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by
no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven".
Characters Gerda, the heroine of this tale, who succeeds
in finding and saving Kai from the Snow Queen. Kai, a little boy who lives in a large city,
in the garret of a building across the street from the home of Gerda, his playmate, whom
he loves dearly. He falls victim to the splinters of the troll-mirror and the blandishments
of the Snow Queen. The Snow Queen, queen of the snowflakes or
"snow bees", who travels throughout the world with the snow. Her palace and gardens are
in the lands of permafrost, specifically Spitsbergen. She is successful in abducting Kai after he
has fallen victim to the splinters of the troll-mirror. She promises to free Kai if
he can spell "eternity" with the pieces of ice in her palace.
The Troll or the Devil, who makes an evil mirror that distorts reality and later shatters
to infect people with its splinters that distort sight and freeze hearts. Some English translations
of "The Snow Queen" translate this character as the "sprite" or the "hobgoblin".
The Grandmother, Kai's grandmother, who tells him and Gerda the legend of the Snow Queen.
Some of Grandmother's actions are essential points of the story.
The Old Lady who Knew Magic, who maintains a cottage on the river, with a garden that
is permanently in summer. She seeks to keep Gerda with her, but Gerda's thought of roses
awakens her from the old woman's enchantment. The Crow, who thinks that the new prince of
his land is Kai. The Tame Crow, who is the mate of the field
crow/raven and has the run of the princess's palace. She lets Gerda into the royal bedchamber
in her search for Kai. The Princess, who desires a prince-consort
as intelligent as she, and who finds Gerda in her palace. She helps Gerda in her search
for Kai by giving her warm, rich clothing, servants, and a golden coach.
The Prince, formerly a poor young man, who comes to the palace and passes the test set
by the princess to become prince. The Old Robber Woman, the only woman among
the robbers who capture Gerda as she travels through their region in a golden coach.
The Little Robber Girl, daughter of the robber hag. She takes Gerda as a playmate, whereupon
her captive doves and reindeer Bae tell Gerda that Kai is with the Snow Queen. The robber
girl then helps Gerda continue her journey to find Kai.
Bae, the reindeer who carries Gerda to the Snow Queen's palace.
The Lappish Woman, who provides shelter to Gerda and Bae, and writes a message on a dried
cod fish to the Finn woman further on the way to the Snow Queen's gardens.
The Finnish Woman, who lives just two miles away from the Snow Queen's gardens and palace.
She knows the secret of Gerda's power to save Kai.
Jenny Lind Andersen met Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind
in 1840, and fell in love with her, but she was not interested in him romantically. According
to Carole Rosen, Andersen was inspired to model the icy-hearted Snow Queen on Lind after
she rejected him as a suitor. Media adaptations
Film and television Snezhnaya koroleva is Soviet animated film,
later dubbed by Universal Studios with the voices of Sandra Dee as Gerda, Tommy Kirk
as Kay and introduced by Art Linkletter. In the 1990s, the film was redubbed again, this
time featuring the voices of Kathleen Turner, Mickey Rooney, Kirsten Dunst and Laura San
Giacomo. Snezhnaya koroleva, a live-action adaptation
from the Soviet Union, directed by Gennadi Kazansky.
The Snow Queen, a live-action/animated production released through BBC Enterprises, produced
by Ian Keill and directed by Andrew Gosling. A 1985 episode of Faerie Tale Theatre starring
Melissa Gilbert as Gerda and Lee Remick as the Snow Queen.
Tayna snezhnoy korolevy, another live-action adaptation from the Soviet Union, featuring
Alisa Freindlich as the Snow Queen. Lumikuningatar, a Finnish live-action adaptation.
The Snow Queen, an American animated short, narrated by Sigourney Weaver.
Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice The second movie of the popular anime series Sailor
Moon has the Sailor Senshi dealing with a powerful Snow Princess who intends to freeze
the entire Earth and make it her possession. The final season of the series Sailor Stars,
also heavily borrows from the story for its opening arc; Queen Nehelenia breaks a mirror
and the shards of it fall to the earth. One of the fragments get into Mamoru's eye making
him cold and distant. When Nehelenia takes him to a palace in the arctic, Sailor Moon
must travel there to rescue him. The Snow Queen, a British animated adaptation,
directed by Martin Gates and featuring the voices of Helen Mirren, David Jason, Hugh
Laurie, Rik Mayall, and Imelda Staunton. A sequel, titled The Snow Queen's Revenge, was
released the following year. Snedronningen, a Danish live-action adaptation,
directed by Jacob Jørgensen and Kristof Kuncewicz. Snow Queen, a television movie by Hallmark,
directed by David Wu and starring Bridget Fonda, Jeremy Guilbaut, Chelsea Hobbs, Robert
Wisden, and Wanda Cannon. A 2000 episode of Happily Ever After: Fairy
Tales for Every Child, featuring Eartha Kitt as the voice of the Snow Queen in an Inuit
setting. The Snow Queen, a BBC television adaptation
utilising state of the art effects, merging live-action and computer-generated art. Featuring
songs by Paul K. Joyce and starring Juliet Stevenson and the voice of Patrick Stewart,
the film was adapted from an 2003 operatic concert held at the Barbican Arts Centre.
Snow Queen on the Danish Anthology series The Fairytaler.
The Snow Queen, a Japanese anime series, produced by NHK and animated by TMS Entertainment.
Marko Raat's Lumekuninganna takes story to contemporary time and motivates character
inspired by Kai with love towards older dying woman.
Koscherfilm has been working on its own adaptation of The Snow Queen based on the children's
book Gerda and Kai-The Snow Queen Book. Richard Koscher announced the script still looks for
the right studio and it was released on Christmas 2012.
Russian studio Wizart Animation, production studio Bazelevs Company, and film company
Inlay Film have produced a CG-animated feature film adaptation, titled The Snow Queen, which
was released theatrically in Russia in 31 December 2012, internationally in 3 January
2013, and will be released in U.S. theaters on 11 October 2013 and U.S. DVD on 26 November
2013. Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen is inspired
by "The Snow Queen", although the film's plot deviates from the original fairy tale.
Elsa, based on the character from the 2013 film, Frozen, appears in the Once Upon a Time
third season finale, "There's No Place Like Home", after her urn was accidentally sucked
into the time-traveling portal from the Enchanted Forest in the past back to present-day Storybrooke.
The fourth season will center around the arrival of Elsa, and will incorporate elements from
the film where she will be portrayed by Georgina Haig.
Computer games In December, 2011, Blue Tea Games and Big
Fish Games released Rise of the Snow Queen, the 3rd installment of their Dark Parables
media franchise. The storyline features elements from the Brothers Grimm's "Snow White" and
Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen". The video game Megami Ibunroku Persona and
it's PSP remake made by Atlus, one of the paths the main story can take features the
protagonist's school transform into an Ice Castle. It is ruled by the Snow Queen's mask
who takes over the mind of the protagonist's homeroom teacher. To progress through to story,
the player must collect mirror shards to repair a mirror to use against the will of the mask.
Plays The story has been adapted into numerous plays,
notably including: An opera The Snow Queen was written in 1913
by Slovenian composer Lucijan Marija Škerjanc, but it was lost and never performed.
Disney has future plans to turn their 2013 film adaptation, Frozen, into a Broadway musical.
A rock musical adaptation entitled "The Snow Queen: A New Musical" was produced by San
Jose Repertory Theatre in December 2013, with music by Haddon Kime, book by Rick Lombardo
and Kirsten Brandt, and lyrics by Kime, Brandt, and Lombardo. This adaptation is scheduled
to run as part of the 2014 New York Musical Theatre Festival.
In 1969 Josef Weinberger produced "The Snow Queen", a Musical Play in Two Acts. Based
on the story by Hans Andersen, Book and Lyrics by Winifred Palmer, Musical Score adapted
by King Palmer from the Music of Edward Grieg. The author altered Hans Andersens' hero 'Kay'
to 'Karl'. Dance productions
An Off-Broadway dance theater adaptation of The Snow Queen was choreographed and produced
by Angela Jones and Noel MacDuffie in 1999 with an original score by John LaSala. The
soundtrack was released as an album on TownHall Records in 2000.
On 11 October 2007, the English National Ballet premiered a three-act version of The Snow
Queen, choreographed by Michael Corder to a score drawn from the music of Sergei Prokofiev's
The Stone Flower, arranged by Julian Philips. On 23 November 2012, the Finnish National
Ballet premiered a two-act version of The Snow Queen, choreographed by Kenneth Greve,
music by Tuomas Kantelinen. Inspired works
The Snow Queen by Evgeny Shvarts: A play by the famous Soviet author loosely based on
Anderson's tale, with the introduction of new characters such as the Councillor of Commerce,
dealing with ice and therefore close ally of the Snow Queen.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: It is possible that the White Witch from C. S.
Lewis's novel may be based on the Snow Queen, as she turned Narnia into a snow-covered land,
and is also depicted as wearing a white fur coat, kidnapping a boy, and turning her subjects
to stone for display in her castle.' The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge: A science
fiction novel loosely based on Anderson's tale.
The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey: Book four of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. Fantasy
novel covering the Snow Queen story as a side story to the overall plot line.
Seohyun's concept photo for Girls' Generation's 2011 studio album The Boys was inspired by
The Snow Queen. In the comic book Fables, the Snow Queen and
Kai appear as minor characters. See also
Yuki-onna Notes
External links The Snow Queen at the Hans Christian Andersen
website SurLaLune's Annotated The Snow Queen
Free audiobook from LibriVox