The Snow Queen
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"The Snow Queen" is a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen and first published in 1845. The story centers on the struggle between good and evil.
Plotline
A little boy, Kay, and a little girl, Gerda, live across from one another; they share a window-box garden and they love each other. One day, the Snow Queen passes by, and millions of pieces of her splintered troll-mirror are spread over the earth. One splinter ends up in Kay's eye.
The troll-mirror works thus: when looking in the mirror, all which is beautiful seems poor and mean, and all which is ugly is shown magnified and increased in ugliness.
So Kay becomes aggressive; he makes fun of Gerda, throws something at the cat, and starts enjoying acts of destruction. In the end, he goes with the Snow Queen to the North Pole.
Gerda is deeply saddened, because she loves Kay. She starts a journey, in which she goes through much suffering, and also finds many helpers, until she finally reaches Kay in the palace of the Snow Queen. His heart is frozen, and she cries for his suffering. The tears fall on his heart, and he is freed. Thus, good is stronger than evil, and love can melt even the coldest heart.
The fairy tale theme of the healing tears is a feature also of "Rapunzel".
The Snow Queen may have influenced the creation of C S Lewis' character, the White Witch of Narnia.
At the Winter Carnival of Saint Paul, Minnesota, the presiding female is also known as a Snow Queen.
External link
- Hans Christian Andersen, "The Snow Queen": (http://www.online-literature.com/hans_christian_andersen/972/) e-text