- Snegurochka
Snegurochka ( _ru. Снегурочка), or the "Snow Maiden", is a character in Russian fairy tales.
In one story, she is the daughter of Spring and Frost, who yearns for the companionship of mortal humans. She grows to like a shepherd named Lel, but her heart is unable to know love. Her mother takes pity and gives her this ability, but as soon as she falls in love, her heart warms up and she melts.
This version of the story was made into a play by
Alexandr Ostrovsky , withincidental music byTchaikovsky .Other Versions
In 1878 the composer
Léon Minkus and the BalletmasterMarius Petipa staged a ballet adaptation of "Snegurochka" titled "The Daughter of the Snows " for theTsar 'sImperial Ballet . The tale was also adapted into anopera byNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov known as "The Snow Maiden ". The story itself was adapted into two Soviet films: an animated film in 1952 with some of Rimsky-Korsakov's music, also called "The Snow Maiden", and a live-action film in 1969 directed byPavel Kadochnikov , with music byVladislav Kladnitsky .Ruth Sanderson retold the story in the picture book "The Snow Princess", in which falling in love does not immediately kill the princess, but turns her into a mortal human, who will die.In a different version, such as the one collected by
Louis Leger in "Contes Populaires Slaves", an old couple make a girl out of snow, who turns into a living being. She grows up quickly. A group of girls invite her for a walk in the woods, after which they make a small fire and take turns leaping over it; in some variants, this is onSt. John's Day , and a St. John's Day tradition. When Snegurochka's turn comes, she starts to jump, but only gets halfway before evaporating into a small cloud.Andrew Lang included this in "The Pink Fairy Book ".Nowadays she is known as the granddaughter and helper of
Ded Moroz , the 'Russian Santa'.See also
* Christmas in Russia
Links and references
* [http://live-artist.com/fairytales/snegurochka.html Snegurochka]
* [http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/413.htm "Snowflake"] , Lang's version
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
