The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen
1
The Snow Queen
The
Snow
Queen
(Danish:
Snedronningen) is a fairy tale by Hans
Christian Andersen (1805–1875). The
tale was first published in 1845, and
centers on the struggle between good
and evil as experienced by a little boy
and girl, Kai and Gerda.
The story is one of Andersen's longest,
and one of his most highly acclaimed
stories by readers and critics. It is
regularly included in selected tales and
collections of his work and is
frequently reprinted in illustrated
storybook editions for children. The
tale has been adapted in various media.
The Snow Queen illustration by Elena Ringo.
Narrative division
The Snow Queen is a tale told in seven 'stories' (Danish: Historier):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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 ("called the devil") makes a magic mirror that has the
power to distort the appearance of things reflected in it. It fails to
reflect all the good and beautiful aspects of people and things while it
magnifies all the bad and ugly aspects so that they look even worse
than they really are. The devil teaches a "devil school," and the devil
and his pupils delight in taking the mirror throughout the world to
distort everyone and everything. They enjoy how the mirror makes the
loveliest landscapes look like "boiled spinach". They then want to
Vilhelm Pedersen illustration.
carry the mirror into Heaven with the idea of making fools of the
angels and God, but the higher they lift it, the more the mirror grins
and shakes with delight. It shakes so much that it slips from their grasp and falls back to earth where it shatters into
billions of pieces — some no larger than a grain of sand. These splinters are blown around and get into people's
The Snow Queen
2
hearts and eyes, making their hearts frozen like blocks of ice and their eyes like the troll-mirror itself, only seeing the
bad and ugly in people and things.
Years later, a little boy, Kay, and a little girl, Gerda, live next door to
each other in the garrets of buildings with adjoining roofs in a large
city. One could get from Kay's to Gerda'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. Kay and Gerda have a
window-box garden to play in, and they become devoted to each other
as playmates.
Kay's grandmother tells the children about the Snow Queen, who is
ruler over the snowflakes, that look like bees — that is why they are
Vilhelm Pedersen illustration
called "snow 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, Kay, one winter, sees the Snow Queen, who beckons him to come with her. Kay draws back in fear
from the window.
By the following spring, Gerda has learned a song that she sings to Kay: Where the roses deck the flowery vale,
there, infant Jesus thee we hail! Because roses adorn the window box garden, Gerda is always reminded of her love
for Kay by the sight of roses.
It was on a pleasant summer's day that splinters of the troll-mirror get into Kay's heart and eyes while he and Gerda
are looking at a picture book in their window-box garden. Kay's personality changes: he 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 he goes out with his sled to the market square and hitches it—as was the custom of those
playing in the snowy square—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 shows herself to Kay and takes him into her sleigh. She kisses him
only twice: once to numb him from the cold, and the second time to cause him to forget about Gerda and his family.
She does not kiss him a third time as that would kill him. Kay is then taken to the Snow Queen's palace on
Spitsbergen, near the North Pole where he is contented to live due to the splinters of the troll-mirror in his heart and
eyes.
The people of the city, once they realize Kay is nowhere to be seen or found, get the idea that Kay drowned in the
river nearby, but Gerda, who is heartbroken at Kay's disappearance, goes out to look for him. She questions everyone
and everything about Kay's whereabouts. Gerda offers her new red shoes to the river in exchange for Kay; by not
taking the gift at first, the river seems to let her know that Kay did not actually drown after all. Gerda next visits an
old sorceress, who wants Gerda to stay with her forever. She causes Gerda to forget all about her friend and,
knowing that the sight of roses will remind Gerda of Kay, the sorceress causes all the roses in her garden to sink
beneath the earth. At the home of the old sorceress, a rosebush raised from below the ground by Gerda's warm tears
tells her that Kay is not among the dead, all of whom it could see while it was under the earth. Gerda flees from the
old woman's beautiful garden of eternal summer and meets a crow, who tells her that Kay was in the princess's
palace. She subsequently goes to the palace and meets the princess and the prince, who appears very similar to Kay.
Gerda tells them her story and they help by providing warm clothes and a beautiful coach. While traveling in the
coach Gerda is captured by robbers and brought to their castle, where she is befriended by a little robber girl, whose
pet doves tell her that they had seen Kay 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 Snow Queen
3
The robber girl then 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 Kay is in her
sweet and innocent child's heart:
Vilhelm Pedersen illustration
“
I can give her no greater power than she has already," said the woman; "don't you see how strong that is? How men and animals are obliged to
serve her, and how well she has got through the world, barefooted as she is. She cannot receive any power from me greater than she now has,
which consists in her own purity and innocence of heart. If she cannot herself obtain access to the Snow Queen, and remove the glass
[1]
fragments from little Kay, we can do nothing to help her...
”
When Gerda gets to the Snow Queen's palace, she is first halted by the
snowflakes which guard it. The only thing that overcomes them is
Gerda's praying 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 Kay alone and almost immobile on the frozen lake,
which the Snow Queen calls the "Mirror of Reason" on which her
throne sits. Gerda finds Kay engaged in the task that the Snow Queen
gave him: he must use pieces of ice as components of a Chinese puzzle
to form characters and words. If he is able to form the word "eternity"
(Danish: Evigheden) the Snow Queen will release him from her power
Vilhelm Pedersen illustration
and give him a pair of skates. Gerda finds him, runs up to him, and
weeps warm tears on him, which melt his heart, burning away the
troll-mirror splinter in it. Kay bursts into tears, dislodging the splinter from his eye. Gerda kisses Kay a few times,
and he becomes cheerful and healthy again, with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks: he is saved by the power of Gerda's
love. He and Gerda dance around on the lake of ice so joyously that the splinters of ice Kay has been playing with
are caught up into the dance. When the splinters tire of dancing they fall down to spell the very word Kay was trying
to spell, "eternity." Even if the Snow Queen were to return, she would be obliged to free Kay. Kay 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" (Matthew 18:3).
The Snow Queen
Characters
• Gerda (in English, /ˈɡɜrdə/), the heroine of this tale, who succeeds in finding and saving Kai from the Snow
Queen.
• Kai (in English, /ˈkaɪ/; Kay), 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 (Sneedronningen), 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 (Trolden) or the Devil (Dævelen), 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 (Bedstemoderen), 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 (den gamle Kone kunde Trolddom), 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 (the flower
most favored by herself and Kai) awakens her from the old woman's enchantment.
• The Crow (Kragen), who thinks that the new prince of his land is Kai.
• The Tame Crow (den tamme Krage), 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 (Prindsessen), 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 (Prindsen), 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 (den gamle Røverkjelling), the only woman among the robbers who capture Gerda as
she travels through their region in a golden coach.
• The Little Robber Girl (den lille Røverpige), 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 (in English, /ˈbeɪ/; Bæ), the reindeer who carries Gerda to the Snow Queen's palace.
• The Lappish Woman (Lappekonen), 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 (Finnekonen), 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.
4
The Snow Queen
Media adaptations
Film and television
• Snezhnaya koroleva (1957) 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 (1966), a live-action adaptation from the Soviet Union, directed by Gennadi Kazansky.
• The Snow Queen (1976), a live-action/animated production released through BBC Enterprises (before restructured
as BBC Worldwide), produced by Ian Keill and directed by Andrew Gosling.[2]
• A 1985 episode of Faerie Tale Theatre starring Melissa Gilbert as Gerda and Lee Remick as the Snow Queen.
• Tayna snezhnoy korolevy (The Secret of the Snow Queen) (1986), another live-action adaptation from the Soviet
Union, featuring Alisa Freindlich as the Snow Queen.
• Lumikuningatar (1986), a Finnish live-action adaptation.
• The Snow Queen (1992), an American animated short, narrated by Sigourney Weaver.
• The Snow Queen (1995), a British animated adaptation, directed by Martin Gates and featuring the voices of
Helen Mirren (as the title character), David Jason, Hugh Laurie, Rik Mayall and Imelda Staunton. A sequel, titled
The Snow Queen's Revenge, was released the following year.
• Snedronningen (2000), a Danish live-action adaptation, directed by Jacob Jørgensen and Kristof Kuncewicz.
• Snow Queen (2002), 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 (2005), 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.[3]
• Snow Queen(2005 Animated Short Film) on the Danish Anthology series The Fairytaler
• The Snow Queen (雪 の 女 王) (2005–2006), a Japanese anime series, produced by NHK and animated by TMS
Entertainment.
• Marko Raat's Lumekuninganna (2010) takes story to contemporary time and motivates character inspired by Kai
with love towards older dying woman.
• Koscherfilm[4] has been working on its own adaptation[5] of The Snow Queen[6] based on the children's book
Gerda and Kai-The Snow Queen Book.[7] Richard Koscher announced[8] 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 December 31, 2012, internationally in January 3, 2013, and will be released in U.S. theaters on October
11, 2013 and U.S. DVD on November 26, 2013.[9]
• Walt Disney Animation Studios' fifty-third animated feature Frozen is loosely based on The Snow Queen and was
released on November 27, 2013.
• The second movie of the popular anime series Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice has the Sailor
Senshi dealing with a powerful Snow Queen 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 it's 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, Nehelenia takes him to a palace in the arctic, and Sailor Moon must travel there to rescue
him.
5
The Snow Queen
Plays
The story was 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.[citation needed]
• An opera The Snow Queen premiered at St Michael's Church, Blewbury, Oxfordshire, on 5 January 1982.
Composed by Gary Carpenter to a libretto by Ian Barnett, the opera was commissioned by the village and
performed largely by the villagers. The process - from commission to performance - was the subject of an ATV
documentary, broadcast early in 1983.[citation needed]
• An opera The Snow Queen, London Premiere at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, 1994. Composed by Matthew King for
the British soprano, Jane Manning and her group Jane's Minstrels.[citation needed]
• A rock musical "The Snow Queen" premiered at San Jose Repertory Theatre, San Jose, CA on 27 November
2013. Book by Kirsten Brandt and Rick Lombardo, Music by Haddon Kime, Lyrics by Brandt, Lombardo &
Kime.
Dance productions
• The Snow Queen was adapted for ballet by Aerin Holt and her non-profit company, Dance Street Performers (now
officially California Contemporary Ballet), with the writing of the libretto in September 1998 (co-written by Marti
Marshall). Aerin then approached composer Randall Michael Tobin to create the music for this original
adaptation. The music was composed, performed and recorded between September and December 1998, and the
soundtrack album was submitted to the Grammy® Awards first ballot in 1999. Aerin created the choreography
following receipt of each music cue from the composer. The Snow Queen - ballet redefined premiered December
19, 1998, at Lanterman Auditorium in La Cañada, California, and received multiple standing ovations. The ballet
ran its final performance of the season the following day as a matinée. This production is believed to be the first
feature-length large-cast ballet adaptation of The Snow Queen. California Contemporary Ballet has continued to
produce and elevate the ballet, and performed its 15th-anniversary season in December 2012 at the Glendale
College Performing Arts Theatre, the ballet's home since 2000 (the only year the ballet featured a live orchestra in
the pit).
• 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 October 11, 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.[citation needed]
• In 2011, a stage production was developed by David Pierini and performed at the B Street Theatre [10] in
Sacramento, California.
• On November 23, 2012, the Finnish National Ballet premiered a two-act version of The Snow Queen,
choreographed by Kenneth Greve, music by Tuomas Kantelinen.
Other adaptations and inspired works
• The Snow Queen by Evgeny Shvarts (1937): 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 (1950): 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.[11]'
6
The Snow Queen
7
Notes
[1] cf. Sixth Story: The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman"
[2] Amazon.co.uk (http:/ / www. amazon. co. uk/ dp/ B000V15S78)
[3] Article on 2003 performance (http:/ / entertainment. timesonline. co. uk/ tol/
arts_and_entertainment/ article837792. ece)
[4] The Snow Queen - The Movie (© TXU-001-650-698 - WGA 1382055) (http:/ /
www. koscherfilm. com/ )
[5] The Snow Queen - A story by Richard Koscher based on H.C. Andersen's short
story - YouTube (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=_Zif7P_WCFw)
[6] The Snow Queen - The Movie (© TXU-001-650-698 - WGA 1382055) (http:/ /
www. thesnowqueenmovie. com/ )
[7] Gerda and Kai | The Snow Queen Book by Richard Koscher (http:/ / www.
gerdaandkai. com/ )
[8] Richard Koscher ist in vielen Medien zu Hause > Kleine Zeitung (http:/ / www.
kleinezeitung. at/ kaernten/ 2828398/ vielen-medien-zu-hause. story)
10 DKK of The Snow Queen
[9] Snow Queen Release Info (http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt2243621/ releaseinfo?ref_=tt_dt_dt) in IMDb
[10] http:/ / bstreettheatre. org/
[11] Thefreelibrary.com (http:/ / www. thefreelibrary. com/ No+ sex+ in+ Narnia?+ How+ Hans+ Christian+ Andersen's+ "Snow+ Queen". . .
-a0211707037)
External links
• The Snow Queen at the Hans Christian Andersen website (http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/register/info_e.
html?vid=68)
• SurLaLune's Annotated The Snow Queen (http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/snowqueen/index.html)
• Free audiobook (http://librivox.org/andersens-fairy-tales-by-hc-andersen/) from LibriVox (http://librivox.
org/)
Article Sources and Contributors
Article Sources and Contributors
The Snow Queen Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=586555630 Contributors: 1ST7, 6afraidof7, AJim, Aastrup, Alexf, Alexius08, Allen4names, Altenmann, Amanda Ris,
Amkilpatrick, Anatkh, And1987, AnimeDreamer, Astra255, Atama, AtticusX, Aylad, BDD, Badami28, Bdve, Behawk, Bender235, BertieFrog, Bianca Anne Martins, Blanchardb,
BlueTrollPennyGadget, BobM, BodvarBjarki, Bokan, Bondegezou, CBM, Caesura, Capsulekei, Carniolus, ChaosquodOrdo, Cmapm, Coder Dan, Colt Smith 6892, CommonsDelinker,
Connormah, CyberSkull, Cybertooth85, DanceVisionNJ, Dark Shikari, Darkfrog24, Derek R Bullamore, Dhodges, Dimadick, Doc glasgow, Domitori, Drboisclair, EDavies94, Eeyore tim,
Eichikiyama, Eilev G. Myhren, Ejmna1, Epbr123, Esn, Etimodnar, EuTuga, Favonian, Flax5, Franzeska, Frederick Slidepole, FrigidNinja, Gatoclass, Geoffman13, Georgia guy, Gogo Dodo,
GoingBatty, Goldfritha, GregorB, Guystephen, Hailey C. Shannon, Haukurth, Hinio, Hobbes747, Hobblewobblegobble12920, Hqb, Hu12, Ibiza042, Igorwindsor, Iridescent, JDspeeder1, JKeck,
JNW, Janke, JasonAQuest, Jastrow, Jeff Polizzi, Jen.chevaux, Jesshy, JimBurnell, Jksmith614, Jmj713, Jo The Marten, Joey80, JohnBlackburne, JonathanDP81, Jonathunder, JustAGal,
Kahvipapuja, Karlward, Keith D, Keystone32, Khazar2, KinksRock, Knulclunk, Konstantinos, Kouban, Krumhorns, LaSylphide, Le Chubrala, Logslider, Lotje, LtNOWIS, Luigibob, Luminum,
Machine123, MakeRocketGoNow, Mandarax, Marblespire, Marcika, Masamage, Materialscientist, Mboverload, McDoobAU93, MegSimpson, Mild Bill Hiccup, Nandesuka, Nanouk, Niemti,
Nikai, Nissi Kim, Noneofyourbusiness, Nun03, Nuno Tavares, OGoncho, Obakeneko, OliverSpears, Orlady, Paul A, Paul Erik, PauloIapetus, Pennygadgetwatchwatch, Phineas99, PresN,
Protogarrett, Pryoidain, Pshuke, Psi-Lord, R3m0t, RBBrittain, RFWilmut, RJS Creative Adventures, RadioActive, Ragestorm, Rakshasa7, Randee15, Rcsprinter123, Rkoscher, Rtkat3,
Sacksquatch, Sadads, Saddhiyama, Sarvikuonokas, Sb1990, Schekinov Alexey Victorovich, Sfan00 IMG, Shuulinific-lul, Sielda, Simon Peter Hughes, Sluzzelin, Smetanahue, Spook`, StanZegel,
Stelmaris, Stylingwiki, Svick, Svisvi, TGCP, TONYCT91, Tabletop, Tassedethe, Technomad, Terraflorin, Thanhtinsaosang, The 80s chick, The Man in Question, The Mark of the Beast,
TheArguer, Thetriangleguy, Timwi, TonyTheTiger, Treadssoft, Trusilver, Twthmoses, Vedersoe, Veritasoxford, Victoriaearle, Vipetthegreat, Wendell, Wesley, Wetman, Yllosubmarine,
Zotdragon, 348 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
File:Snow_Queen_by_Elena_Ringo.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Snow_Queen_by_Elena_Ringo.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0
Contributors: Елена Ринго
File:Snow Queen 02.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Snow_Queen_02.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:terraflorin
File:Snow Queen 04.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Snow_Queen_04.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: LaSylphide
File:Snow Queen 01.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Snow_Queen_01.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: LaSylphide
File:Snow Queen 03.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Snow_Queen_03.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Original uploader was LaSylphide at en.wikipedia
File:Danish commemorative coin 10kr Snedronningen Snow Queen.jpg Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Danish_commemorative_coin_10kr_Snedronningen_Snow_Queen.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors:
User:TGCP
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
8