Knjigice
Fairy tale · Classic fairy tales
The Snow Maiden
A Russian fairy tale about a girl made of snow
Also in: Sneguročka (Slovenian) · Snehurôčka (Slovak)
At the edge of the village, in a wooden house, lived old Ivan and old Marya. They were good and hard-working, but the house was quiet: they had never had a child. That winter the snow rose to the windows. Through the glass they watched the village children laugh and throw snowballs. "Marya," said Ivan, "it is our own laughter we miss." Marya only nodded.
1
"Let us go outside," said Marya. "We shall make ourselves a daughter out of snow." They dressed warmly and went into the yard. They patted and smoothed until dusk: small feet, slender arms, a round face. For eyes they set in two pale grey pebbles, and for a mouth a red berry. Last of all they braided her two long snowy plaits.
2
The sun went down and the stars came out above the yard. All at once the snow girl's cheeks glowed. She blinked and opened her eyes — real, living, pale grey. Her arms moved, her braids trembled, snow slid from her shoulders. She stepped out of the drift and smiled. "Good evening, Father. Good evening, Mother," she said in a clear ringing voice.
3
Ivan and Marya were so astonished they could hardly hug her. They called her Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, because she was made of snow. They led her indoors — but she kept well away from the warm stove and sat by the window, where the frost whispered through a crack. Ivan took up his fiddle, Marya clapped, and all three sang and laughed late into the night.
4
All winter long the Snow Maiden was the joy of the whole village. Nobody could glide over the ice so lightly, nobody built a taller castle of snow. When she sang, the children stopped to listen. Ivan and Marya watched her from their own doorstep and felt richer than anyone. "What more could I ever wish for?" said Marya.
5
Then the days grew longer. Drops began to sing from the roof, the snow turned grey and ran away. The Snow Maiden grew quieter and quieter. She found a shadow behind the house, where it was cool and damp, and sat there alone. "What is the matter, daughter?" asked Marya. "Nothing, Mother," she answered. "Only the sun is so strong today."
6
Summer came. The meadows smelled of flowers, the bees hummed, the children ran barefoot over the warm earth. But the Snow Maiden hid in the coolest corner of the cellar and waited for evening. Only when the sun had set did she come out and take a deep breath. Ivan and Marya looked at each other and said nothing. They did not know how to help her.
7
On midsummer's eve the village girls came in bright skirts, with flower crowns in their hair. "Snow Maiden, come to the bonfire with us!" they called. "We shall dance and leap over the fire!" The Snow Maiden looked at her mother. Marya hesitated a moment, then said: "Go, daughter. Only do not stand too close to the flames." The Snow Maiden kissed her cheek and ran after them.
8
By the river a tall bonfire was burning. It was dark over the water now, and only the fire was bright. The girls joined hands and sang, and the sparks rose into the dark blue sky. Then they lined up: one after another they ran and leapt across the flame. They laughed and called out: "Snow Maiden, now it is your turn!" The Snow Maiden took a deep breath and ran towards the fire.
9
She leapt high over the fire — and she did not come down on the other side. In mid-leap she melted into a soft white mist and rose, quietly, quietly, above the flames. The girls gazed upward with wide-open eyes, and not one of them said a word. The mist floated over the river, over the woods, higher and higher — home, to the winter sky.
10
That evening Ivan and Marya stood long before their house, looking up; tears ran down the old woman's cheeks. But high above, something shone white, as though someone waved to them. "Look, Marya," said Ivan. Ever since, the village knows: the Snow Maiden did not vanish, she went home. And every winter, when the first snow falls, she comes back.
11The End
