The Snow Queen
0 comments | Posted by Monica Hu on 29 Oct 2009 in Children :: Food for Thoughts
When I was a child I learned about Hans Christian Andersen by his famous Little Mermaid and other fairy tales. Quite charming and fascinating were those stories. But, I had never read The Snow Queen, until yesterday.
This is the book I bought last year, meant to be a Christmas present for children. The illustrations are beautiful as they were done by Vladyslav Yerko, a famous Ukraine artist. The book was left in a box for a year as my daughter said it was a sad story which she didn’t like.
Yesterday, I screened through the collections of children books to find the ones that are suitable for my nieces and nephews and this book came to my sight again. I thought I should read the story before I give it away.
The Snow Queen is composed of seven stories, quite interesting in its structure. After I finished the book I was really touched by the message, “Faith, Hope and Love”, despite that the author of the book (who re-wrote the story) had removed all the references to God or the Scripture.
Story 1: A Sorcerer and His Mirror
Andersen painted this sorcerer (some English version translated it as devil) as a person full of wickedness and mischief, who had created an extra-ordinary mirror. This mirror made everything that was good and delightful appear evil and ugly. Everthing that was worthless appeared important, and eveything that was disgusting appeared noble. When the sorcerer was uncontented with just small groups of people seeing things negative, blighted and ugly, he got a grand idea. And, this grand idea finally ended up with the mirror smashing into hundreds and thousands of tiny pieces, falling into every corner of the earth.
This made the socerer smile, for he knew that every tiny fragment retained all the powers of the original mirror.
The window which was decorated with the mirror pieces showed only a souless and bleak world; the spectacles with lens made from the mirror pieces brought the wearer despair and sorrow; and the jewellery brought jealousy and vanity. When just a speck of glass flew into someone’s eyes, things would never look the same again. When the little pieces were swallowed with the food, the glass would get into the people’s heart which became cold and without feeling. The world had changed – cries, murders, wars, were everywhere.
This is such a scene that I can relate to our present world. How unfortunate that we have those tiny segments on our windows, spectacles, and even in our hearts. We have no hopes but despair. We have no appreciation on others and we don’t even enjoy the creation of our great God nor see the grace of Him on us! Then come Jesus whose love melts away the ice in our hearts, clears our vision of our eyes.
Story 2: Kay and Gerda
Kay and Gerda are good friends of each other, but Kay encountered the scary Snow Queen, then got a shard of the socerer’s mirror in his eyes and heart. He started to see things ugly, feel things unloving. He picked on everybody including Gerda. It was never Kay. Later he was even taken away by the Snow Queen.
Here, I can see that human beings are so vulnerable; without God’s protection how can we stand without falling?
Story 3: The Flower Garden
Gerda set off her journey to find Kay because she had a faith that Kay was still alive. She was almost imprisoned in the old lady’s flower garden due to the selfishness of the lady to keep Gerda as her companion. In today’s world, there are so many temptations that cause people to be addicted to without their awareness.
Story 4: The Prince and The Princess
Gerda continued her journey and met the noble raven and his lover, who helped her to find Kay. She touched the hearts of the Prince and Princess who gave her comfort and the things she need to continue with her journey. Andersen had not failed to instill the warmth and love of living creatures into this story.
Story 5: The Little Robber Girl
Gerda’s journey was disrupted by the robbers in the forest. She became the captive of the robber girl, who had a kind heart after all, and helped Gerda to escape. Gerda was given the reindeer, also a captive of the robber girl, to carry her to the north, into the territory of the Snow Queen. Gerda had not lost any hope to find Kay.
Story 6: The Lapp Lady and the Finn Woman
The Lapp Lady and the Finn Woman are another two characters to help Gerda. When the reindeer pleaded for the strength and weapon for Gerda to release Kay, who was wholly in the power of the Snow Queen and having the sorcerer’s mirror in his eye, the Finn Woman replied, “She is a weapon!” Yes, Gerda in only her dress and bare feet, had come a thousand miles through bitter experience, with only her innocence and belief to guide her. All this was due to the love in Gerda’s heart for her friend. And, at the final part of her journey, Gerda must complete it all by herself, without any help from others.
Story 7: The Snow Queen’s Palace
At the Snow Queen’s Palace, Kay did not feel that he was imprisoned because he had an ice heart that could feel nothing and a piece of sorcerer’s glass in his eye that caused him see not the truth. The Snow Queen promised to him that if he could form the word from the pieces of ice he would be his own master, and she would give him the whole world. But he could not find the word. Soon after the Snow Queen swept away, Gerda came into the central hall and saw Kay. With courage and determination, Gerda’s tears of love melted the ice in Kay’s heart and washed away the silver of the sorcerer’s mirror from his eyes. As they danced, laughed and sang, the letters of ice in Kay’s puzzle also danced about; and when they were tired and went to lie down, they found the ice had formed themselves into the letters of the word – ETERNITY, which the Snow Queen had said he must find out before he could be his own master, and have the whole world.
The message is so strong here, “Faith, Hope and Love”, and the “Eternity” that God gives us.
The whole story has this closing verse, read out loud from the Bible by Grandmother, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven”.
I admire the talents of Andersen who instilled God’s wisdom, strengths and love in his fairytales. Now, I’m an adult but still enjoy this lovely story wholeheartedly.
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