The Snow Queen
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"The Snow Queen" ( da, Snedronningen) is an original
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...
by Danish author
Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consist ...
. It was first published 21 December 1844 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection'' (''Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Anden Samling''). The story centers on the struggle between
good and evil In religion, ethics, philosophy, and psychology "good and evil" is a very common dichotomy. In cultures with Manichaean and Abrahamic religious influence, evil is perceived as the dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good shou ...
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.


Story

The
devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...
, in the form of an evil
troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human ...
, has made a magic mirror that distorts the appearance of everything that it reflects. The magic mirror fails to reflect the good and beautiful aspects of people and things, and magnifies their bad and ugly aspects. The devil, who is headmaster at a troll school, takes the mirror and his pupils throughout the world, delighting in using it to distort everyone and everything. They attempt to carry the mirror into heaven in order to make fools of the angels and God, but the higher they lift it, the more the mirror shakes as they laugh, and it slips from their grasp and falls back to earth, shattering into billions of pieces, some no larger than a grain of sand. The splinters are blown by the wind all over the Earth 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 boy Kai (often spelled "Kay" or "Kaj" in translations) and a little girl Gerda live next door to each other in the garrets of buildings with adjoining roofs in a large city. They could get from one's home to the other's 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, and as close as if they were siblings. 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: 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. 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 everyone now appears 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 sledge to play in the snowy market square and 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 conclude that Kai died in the nearby river. Gerda, heartbroken, goes out the next summer, 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. So Gerda climbs into a boat and the river carries her away, to start her on the right path. 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 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. However, a while later, whilst playing in the garden, Gerda sees a rose on the sorceress's hat, then remembers Kai and begins to cry. 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. So she interrogates the other flowers in the garden, but they only know a single story each, which they sing to her. Realizing that they cannot help her find Kai, Gerda flees the garden of eternal summer and realizes that it's already autumn. She has wasted a lot of time, and has no warm clothes to wear. 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 The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
, 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 ''Chinese Puzzle'' (french: Casse-tête chinois) is a 2013 French comedy-drama film written and directed by Cédric Klapisch. It is the third chapter of the ''Spanish Apartment trilogy'', after ''L'Auberge Espagnole'' (2002) and '' Les Poupées r ...
to form characters and words. If he is able to form the word the Snow Queen told him to spell she 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. As a result, Kai bursts into tears, which dislodge the splinter from his eye, and becomes cheerful and healthy again. He remembers Gerda, and the two dance around so joyously that the splinters of ice Kai had been playing with are caught up into the dance. When they tire of dancing the splinters fall down to spell "eternity," the very word Kai was trying to spell. Kai and Gerda 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. Kai and Gerda find that everything at home is the same and that it is ''they'' who have changed; they are now grown up, and are also delighted to see that it is summertime. At the end, the grandmother reads a passage from the Bible:


Characters

* Gerda (), the protagonist and the main heroine of this tale, who succeeds in finding her friend Kai and saving him from the Snow Queen. * Kai () in Danish and Norwegian (often spelled Kay or Kaj in other European languages including English), 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 (''Snedronningen''), 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 Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...
, specifically
Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Nor ...
. She takes Kai back to this palace 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 (''Djævlen''), 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 der kunne 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 favoured 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 and has the run of the princess's palace. She lets Gerda into the royal bedchamber in her search for Kai. * The Princess (''Prinsessen''), 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 (''Prinsen''), 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 Røverkælling''), 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 (; ''Bæ''), the
reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subs ...
who carries Gerda to the Snow Queen's palace. * The Lappish Woman (''Lappekonen''), who provides shelter to Gerda and Kai, and writes a message on a dried cod fish to the Finnish 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.


Jenny Lind

Andersen met Swedish opera singer
Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and ...
in 1840, and fell in love with her, but she was not interested in him romantically (although the two became friends). 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


Theatrical films

*'' The Snow Queen'' (1957), a
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
animated film by film studio Soyuzmultfilm and directed by
Lev Atamanov Lev Atamanov (russian: Лев Атаманов), born Levon Konstantinovich Atamanyan (russian: Левон Константинович Атаманян, hy, Լեւոն Կոնստանտինի Ատամանյան; – 12 February 1981), was a ...
, later dubbed by
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
with the voices of Sandra Dee as Gerda, Tommy Kirk as Kay and introduced by
Art Linkletter Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly; sources differ; July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of ''House Party'', which ran on CBS radio a ...
. In the 1990s, the film was redubbed again, this time featuring the voices of
Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. Turner became widely ...
,
Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...
, Kirsten Dunst and Laura San Giacomo. *'' The Snow Queen'' (1967), a live-action adaptation from the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, directed by Gennadi Kazansky. *'' Lumikuningatar'' (1986), a Finnish live-action adaptation. *'' The Snow Queen'' (1995), a British animated adaptation, directed by Martin Gates and featuring the voices of
Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom ...
(as the title character), David Jason, Hugh Laurie, Rik Mayall, and
Imelda Staunton Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre prod ...
. This adaptation deviates significantly from the original fairy tale. A sequel, titled ''
The Snow Queen's Revenge ''The Snow Queen's Revenge'' is a 1996 British animated film directed by Martin Gates. It is a sequel to the 1995 film ''The Snow Queen'' and has some of the voice cast changed, including Julia McKenzie replacing Helen Mirren as the titular role ...
'', was released the following year. *Marko Raat's '' Lumekuninganna'' (2010) takes the story to contemporary time and motivates the character inspired by Kai with love towards an older dying woman. *'' The Snow Queen'', a CG-animated feature film adaptation produced by Russian studio Wizart Animation, Bazelevs Company, and Inlay Film which was released theatrically in Russia on 31 December 2012, internationally on 3 January 2013, and was released in U.S. theaters on 11 October 2013 and U.S. DVD on 26 November 2013. Three theatrical sequels were also released: '' The Snow Queen 2: The Snow King'', '' The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice'' and '' The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands''. *'' Frozen, a Disney adaptation.'' *'' Frozen II, a sequel of the Disney adaptation.''


Television

*'' Hans Christian Andersen Stories'' (1971) is a Japanese anime series by Mushi Productions (Now
Tezuka Productions is a Japanese animation studio founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968. It is known for animating notable works such as ''Marvelous Melmo'', the 1980 and 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series, and '' Black Jack''. It is also the holder of the intellectual property ...
) and aired on Fuji TV. the 50th and 51st episodes by two parts of the story. *''The Snow Queen'' (1976), a live-action/animated TV movie released by BBC Enterprises (before restructured as BBC Worldwide), produced by Ian Keill and directed by Andrew Gosling. *A 1985 episode of ''
Faerie Tale Theatre Faerie Tale Theatre (also known as Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre) is an American live-action fairytale fantasy drama anthology television series of 27 episodes, that originally aired on Showtime from September 11, 1982 until November 14, ...
'' starring Melissa Gilbert as Gerda and
Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress ...
as the Snow Queen. *''Tayna snezhnoy korolevy'' (''The Secret of the Snow Queen'') (1986), another live-action adaptation from the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, featuring
Alisa Freindlich Alisa Brunovna Freindlich (russian: Алиса Бруновна Фрейндлих, born 8 December 1934 in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian actress. People's Artist of the USSR (1981). Since 1983, Freindlich has been a leading ...
as the Snow Queen. *'' Anpanman'' (1988), a long-running series and books created by
Takashi Yanase Takashi Yanase (February 6, 1919 – October 13, 2013) was a Japanese writer, poet, illustrator and lyricist. He was best known as the creator of the picture book and animated series ''Anpanman''. Yanase was chairman of the Japan Cartoonists Asso ...
and produced by and animated by
TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as '' Lupin the Third' ...
. The Snow Queen appears in Soreike! Anpanman: Kirakiraboshi no namida and each episodes. *''The Snow Queen'' (1992), an American animated TV short, narrated by
Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...
. *''Snedronningen'' (2000), a Danish live-action television short adaptation, directed by Jacob Jørgensen and Kristof Kuncewicz. *'' Snow Queen'' (2002), a television movie by
Hallmark A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term '' hallmark'' can a ...
, directed by David Wu and starring
Bridget Fonda Bridget Jane Fonda (born January 27, 1964) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in ''The Godfather Part III'' (1990), ''Single White Female'' (1992), '' Singles'' (1992), ''Point of No Return'' (1993), '' It Could Happen to You'' ...
,
Jeremy Guilbaut Jeremy Guilbaut (born 2 June 1980) is a Canadian actor. He most recently appeared in the television series ''The Guard'' and also appeared in '' Edgemont''. His other credits include ''Battlestar Galactica'' and ''Millennium''. He is often se ...
,
Chelsea Hobbs Chelsea Hobbs (born February 18, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She is known for roles such as Gerda in the 2002 television film '' Snow Queen'' and Emily Kmetko in the ABC Family teen drama ''Make It or Break It''. Early life Hobbs attended an ...
,
Robert Wisden Robert Charles Wisden (Brighton, 2 June 1958) is an English-born, Canadian actor who has an extensive career in Canadian and American film and television, for which he has won a Gemini Award. Best known for playing U.S. President Richard Nixon ...
, and Wanda Cannon. *''
The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" ( da, Snedronningen) is an original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection'' (''Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Anden Samli ...
'' (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 Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...
, the film was adapted from a 2003 operatic concert held at the
Barbican Arts Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...
. *''
The Fairytaler ''The Fairytaler'' ( da, Der var engang...) is a 2002 Danish animated television series based on the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. and It was also the second anthology series adapted from Hans Christian Andersen's works right after And ...
'' (alternately titled as ''Tales from H.C. Andersen''), a Danish animated television anthology, has a two-part half-hour adaptation directed by Jorgen Lerdam in 2003. * (2005–2006), a Japanese anime TV series, produced by
NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...
and animated by
TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as '' Lupin the Third' ...
. *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. * Elizabeth Mitchell portrayed the Snow Queen, named Ingrid, in the fourth season of the TV series '' Once Upon a Time''. *In 2017 British children's television channel Cbeebies, aired an adaptation of the story as their Christmas pantomime The Snow Queen. It was a scaled down version of the original story but contained all the major characters and written as a musical. As of December 2017 it is viewable on BBC iPlayer.


Video games

* A text adventure, ''
The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" ( da, Snedronningen) is an original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection'' (''Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Anden Samli ...
'', was released by
Mosaic Publishing Mosaic Publishing was a computer games company founded in 1983 by Vicky Carne, who had previously worked with magazine publisher Haymarket and with Sinclair-Brown, an imprint started by Clive Sinclair and Patrick Brown. Mosaic published a series ...
for the
ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
and
Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness W ...
home computers in 1985. * ''Rise of the Snow Queen'', the 3rd instalment of the Dark Parables Hidden Object PC computer game, is based on both ''The Snow Queen'', ''&'' the
Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...
fairytale. *Referenced as a play in '' Megami Ibunroku Persona'' for the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...
. The mask used in the original play is under a curse, and takes the player through a spin-off of the story. *In Cookie Run: Kingdom Frost Queen Cookie, Sherbet Cookie and Cotton Cookie portray said story, alternating the glass shard for an illness.


Operas

*An opera ''The Snow Queen'' was written in 1913 by
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
n composer Lucijan Marija Škerjanc, but it was lost and never performed. *The children's ''opera История Кая и Герды'' (The Story of Kai and Gerda) was written in 1980 by Russian composer Sergei Petrovich Banevich, (libretto by Tatiana Kalinina). It premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre (then Kirov Theatre) on 24 December 1980. *The children's opera ''The Snow Queen'' was premiered in 1993 in Toronto as part of the Milk Festival. This is a 60-minute version of the story by Canadian composer John Greer and English librettist Jeremy James Taylor. It was commissioned and premiered by the
Canadian Children's Opera Company The Canadian Children's Opera Company (formerly the Canadian Children's Opera Chorus, CCOC) is a large choral group based in Toronto. The company consists of five divisions of approximately 240 boys and girls aged 6 to 19. The Principal Chorus ha ...
, and subsequently performed by them in 2001 and 2019. They also toured the work to the Netherlands and Germany in the summer of 2001. *The opera ''La Regina delle Nevi'' was written in 2010 by Italian composer Pierangelo Valtinoni (Libretto by Paolo Madron) and premiered at the
Komische Oper Berlin The Komische Oper Berlin is a German opera company based in Berlin. The company produces opera, operetta and musicals. The opera house is located on Behrenstraße, just a few steps from Unter den Linden. Since 2004, the Komische Oper Berlin, al ...
on October 24, 2010. The opera has since been translated into English, German, Spanish and Swedish and has been performed in numerous countries. *A family opera "Snödrottningen" in one act with prologue and 13 scenes is composed during 2013-2016 by Swedish composer Benjamin Staern (Libretto by Anelia Kadieva Jonsson) to be premiered at the
Malmö Opera Malmö Opera ( Swedish: ''Malmö opera'') is an opera house in Malmö, Sweden. An opera company of the same name presents seasons of opera in this house. Built 1933-1944 by architect Sigurd Lewerentz and, until 1992, known as the Malmö City Th ...
on December 17, 2016. * ''The Snow Queen'', a chamber opera for radio or stage based on Andersen's story, composed by David Ward and libretto by Kevin Ireland. * ''Snedronningen'' (''The Snow Queen'') is a free adaptation by the composer
Hans Abrahamsen Hans Abrahamsen (born 23 December 1952) is a Danish composer born in Kongens Lyngby near Copenhagen. His '' Let me tell you'' (2013), a song cycle for soprano and orchestra, was ranked by music critics at ''The Guardian'' as the finest work of t ...
which premiered at the Danish Opera House on 13 October 2019 and received its first performance in English at the National Theater in Munich on 21 December 2019.


Stage plays and musicals

The story has been adapted into numerous stage plays and musicals, notably including: *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 Cedric King Palmer (13 February 1913 – 13 July 1999) was an English composer, conductor, author and teacher, best known for his popular educational books on music and as a prolific composer of orchestral library music. Biography Born in Eastbou ...
from the Music of
Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...
. The author altered Hans Andersens' hero 'Kay' to 'Karl'. *A rock musical adaptation entitled "The Snow Queen: A New Musical". was produced by
San Jose Repertory Theatre The San Jose Repertory Theatre (a.k.a. San Jose Rep) was the first resident professional theatre company in San Jose, California. It was founded in 1980 by James P. Reber. In 2008, after the demise of the American Musical Theatre of San Jose, th ...
in December 2013, with music by Haddon Kime, book by Rick Lombardo and Kirsten Brandt, and lyrics by Kime, Brandt, and Lombardo. This adaptation received positive reviews, after also being produced at the 2014
New York Musical Theatre Festival The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) was an annual three-week summer festival that operated from 2004 to 2019. It presented more than 30 new musicals a year in New York City's midtown theater district. More than half were chosen by leading theate ...
. *An adaptation written by Preston Lane that uses Appalachian culture to tell the story premiered at
Triad Stage Triad Stage is a regional theatre located at 232 South Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina. History Triad Stage began as the dream of creating a professional not-for-profit regional theater to serve the communities of the Triad. Co-found ...
in 2013. *Another adaptation of "The Snow Queen" made its world premiere at the Hippodrome State Theatre in
Gainesville, FL Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in ...
in November 2015. This adaptation was written and directed by Charlie Mitchell, with original songs by Mitchell and Brian Mercer. *"The Snow Queen" was adapted as a radio play by
Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radi ...
, released on September 2, 2010 *"The Snow Queen" by Missoula children's theatre played in several locations including Estevan and Humboldt. *"The Snow Queen" was adapted as an audiobook by Jennifer Charles, released by Ojet Records on December 23, 2020


Dance productions

* The first full-length ballet production of ''The Snow Queen'' was choreographed and produced by Aerin Holt and California Contemporary Ballet in December 1998 with an original score by Randall Michael Tobin. The ballet ran for 16 consecutive Decembers from 1998 to 2013. In December 2017 ''The Snow Queen Ballet'' returns for three performances in celebration of the 20th anniversary of California Contemporary Ballet. * An
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...
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 English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scot ...
premiered a three-act version of ''The Snow Queen'', choreographed by Michael Corder with a score drawn from the music of
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...
's ''
The Stone Flower "The Stone Flower" ( rus, Каменный цветок, Kamennyj tsvetok, p=ˈkamʲɪnːɨj tsvʲɪˈtok), also known as "The Flower of Stone", is a folk tale (also known as ''skaz'') of the Ural region of Russia collected and reworked by Pave ...
'', arranged by
Julian Philips Julian Philips is a British composer. Philips' works have been performed at major music festivals, including The Proms, Tanglewood, Three Choirs Festival, at the Wigmore Hall, South Bank Centre and Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Music Hall and ...
. * 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 Tuomas Kantelinen (born 22 September 1969 in Kankaanpää) is a Finnish composer. He studied composition at the Sibelius Academy with Eero Hämeenniemi. He is best known for his scores for films such as '' Rukajärven tie'', '' Äideistä parhain'' ...
. * On 22 March 2016, the
Grand Theatre, Poznań Grand Theatre, Poznań (Polish: ''Teatr Wielki im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Poznaniu'') is a neoclassical opera house located in Poznań, Poland. It is named after famous Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko. History Designed by German architect ...
premiered a two-act version of ''The Snow Queen'', directed by Anna Niedźwiedź, music by Gabriel Kaczmarek. *On 8 April 2017, the
Eugene Ballet Eugene Ballet is an American ballet company based in Eugene, Oregon. A resident company of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, it performs a repertoire of full-length classical ballets, and operates a ballet academy. For more than 20 years, ...
(OR) premiered a new full-length ballet, ''The Snow Queen'', choreographed by Toni Pimble with original music by Kenji Bunch. The music was released on the Innova Records label to great acclaim. * Scottish Ballet staged a full-length ''Snow Queen'' ballet in two acts, choreographed by Chistopher Hampson and
Ashley Page Ashley Page OBE (born August 1956) is a British former ballet dancer, choreographer and was artistic director of Scottish Ballet for ten years. Ashley Page was born in Rochester, Kent in August 1956. Page trained the Royal Ballet School, and join ...
, to a score arranged from music by
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...
in 2018; filmed by BBC television in 2019, rebroadcast 2020. The scenario borrows elements, such as the Snow Queen's sister, the wolves and the splintering palace, from the Walt Disney movie '' Frozen''.


Inspired works

Literature *''The Snow Queen by
Evgeny Shvarts Evgeny Lvovich Schwartz (russian: Евге́ний Льво́вич Шва́рц; , Kazan, Russian Empire – January 15, 1958, Leningrad, Soviet Union) was a Soviet writer and playwright, whose works include twenty-five plays, and screenplay ...
'' (1937): A play by the famous Soviet author loosely based on Andersen'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 ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all the ...
'' (1950): It is possible that the White Witch from
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...
's novel may be inspired by the Snow Queen, as she turned Narnia into a snow-covered land, is also depicted as wearing a white fur coat and first appears riding in a sleigh, and kidnapped a boy. *''
The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" ( da, Snedronningen) is an original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection'' (''Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Anden Samli ...
'' by
Joan D. Vinge Joan D. Vinge (; born April 2, 1948 as Joan Carol Dennison) is an American science fiction author. She is known for such works as her Hugo Award–winning novel ''The Snow Queen'' and its sequels, her series about the telepath named Cat, and he ...
(1980): A science fiction novel loosely based on Andersen's tale. *''Assumptions'' by Marilyn Hacker (1985): contains an eight-poem sequence, "The Snow Queen," about Gerda, the Robber Girl, and the Finland Woman. *''
The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" ( da, Snedronningen) is an original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection'' (''Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Anden Samli ...
'' by Mercedes Lackey (2008): book four of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, set in a fantasy world where fairy tales happen over and over in a never-ending cycle. The Snow Queen is a harsh persona adopted by a benevolent sorceress (called a Godmother in this world) also known as the Ice Fairy to ensure that the kingdoms under her care get their happy endings. Andersen's tale is featured as a subplot within the novel, which tells an original story incorporating other myths and legends of the
Sámi people The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Ru ...
and of other Scandinavian countries. *In the comic book '' Fables'', the Snow Queen and Kai appear as minor characters. *"The Cryomancer's Daughter (Murder Ballad No. 3)" by Caitlín R. Kiernan is a retelling of ''The Snow Queen''. *"The Player" (1992): Directed by Robert Altman, written by Michael Tolkin. Several traits of Greta Scachi's character, June Gudmundsdotir, seem to be references to The Snow Queen story. *''Winter's Child'' by Cameron Dokey (2009) is a young adult novel that closely follows the story of "The Snow Queen". *"The Snow Queen's Shadow", by
Jim C. Hines Jim C. Hines (born April 15, 1974) is an American fantasy and science fiction writer. Life and work Hines was a volunteer crisis counselor in East Lansing and worked as the Male Outreach Coordinator for the MSU Safe Place. In 2008, he donated ...
(2011), part of his Princess Series. Snow White is transformed into the Snow Queen when a spell goes wrong and her magic mirror shatters. *''Breadcrumbs'' by Anne Ursu is a children's book set in modern times that is heavily inspired by the plot of "The Snow Queen." * French artist Stéphane Blanquet illustrated a version of the Snow Queen published in France in 2010 by Gallimard Jeunesse () * '' Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy'' by Karen Foxleen is a children's book set in modern times featuring the Snow Queen and other elements from the fairy tale. *The book ''The Raven & The Reindeer'' by T. Kingfisher is a retelling of Andersen's tale where Gerta (Gerda) finds herself re-examining her attachment to the cold and selfish Kay (Kai) on her journey to rescue him. *''The Grimoire of Kensington Market'' by
Lauren B. Davis Lauren B. Davis (née Cargill) is a Canadian writer. She is best known for her novels ''Our Daily Bread'', which was named one of the best books of 2011 by '' The Globe and Mail'' and ''The Boston Globe''. and ''The Empty Room,'' a semi-auto ...
(2018) is a novel about the opioid epidemic and the effects of addiction on the family and community, inspired by ''The Snow Queen''. Media * The webcomic ''Demon's Mirror'' is a retelling of ''The Snow Queen''. *A first-season episode of ''
A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...
'', "Rudy and the Snow Queen" (1987), involves the character of Whitley Gilbert ( Jasmine Guy) retelling the story of the Snow Queen to ''
The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...
s Rudy Huxtable ( Keshia Knight-Pulliam), who has become so admiring of Whitley that she is ignoring Denise (
Lisa Bonet Lilakoi Moon (born Lisa Michelle Bonet; November 16, 1967), known professionally as Lisa Bonet (), is an American actress. She is known for playing Denise Huxtable on the sitcom '' The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992), for which she earned widespread ...
), the older sister that Rudy came to visit. In Whitley's version of the tale, Kai is Gerda's little sister, and Rudy envisions Whitley as the beautiful queen. The
crossover episode A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, unofficial efforts by ...
also includes a
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
by the creator of both series,
Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...
, in character as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable. *'' Sailor Moon S: The Movie'' (1994) The second movie of the popular
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
series ''
Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The se ...
'' 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 The fifth and final season of the ''Sailor Moon'' anime series, ''Sailor Moon Sailor Stars'' or simply ''Sailor Stars'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars'') was directed by Takuya Igarashi ...
'', also heavily borrows from the story for its opening arc;
Queen Nehelenia The are a group of fictional characters from the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. They serve as the main antagonists of the fourth arc, called ''Dream'' in the manga, ''Sailor Moon SuperS'' in its first anime adaptation, an ...
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 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The se ...
must travel there to rescue him. *A 2000 episode of '' Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child'', featuring
Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song " Santa ...
as the voice of the Snow Queen in an
Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territorie ...
setting. *The Ever After High animated movie, ''Epic Winter'' (2016) uses elements of the story. *'' The Huntsman: Winter's War'' (2016), a prequel and sequel to '' Snow White and the Huntsman'', is based on characters from the German fairy tale "Snow White" compiled by
the Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among th ...
as well as "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen. *"The Snow Queen" inspired Seohyun's concept photo for Girls' Generation's third studio album ''The Boys''. *In December, 2011, Blue Tea Games and Big Fish Games released '' Rise of the Snow Queen'', the 3rd instalment of their '' Dark Parables''
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program ...
. The storyline features elements from the
Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among th ...
's "
Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...
" and Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen". *The video game '' Revelations: Persona'' and its PSP remake made by
Atlus is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, arcade manufacturer and distribution company based in Tokyo. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is known for video game series such as '' Megami Tensei'', '' Persona'', '' Etrian Odyssey'' and ...
, 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. *The song ''Schneekönigin'' (''Snow Queen''), by the German folk metal group Subway to Sally, tells of the Snow Queen coming to get the narrator, presumably Kai, to bring him back to her land of ice and silence. *The 2013 3D computer-animated musical
Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...
film '' Frozen'' was inspired by "The Snow Queen", and closely followed the original Andersen story early in the film's development. The film has since been adapted to a successful Broadway musical, also produced by Disney.


References


External links


''The Snow Queen'' at the Hans Christian Andersen websiteFree audiobook
fro
LibriVoxSnowQueenBallet.comThe Snow Queen: A New Musical
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snow Queen, The 1844 short stories Danish fairy tales Short stories by Hans Christian Andersen Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities Fictional queens Female literary villains Fictional princesses Fictional Finnish people Fictional witches The Devil in fairy tales Fictional characters who use magic Witchcraft in fairy tales Literary characters introduced in 1845 Female characters in fairy tales