KidLit Forum

The Snow Maiden or Snegurochka is a well-known character of Russian fairy tales. I cannot find a connection with the Slavic mythology but the first known appearance of Snegurochka was in the 19th century. Now in Russia the Snow Maiden is the daughter of Ded Moroz and they bring gifts to children on the 31st of December.

The fairy tale was first collected by Alexander Afanasyev and published in The Poetic Outlook on Nature by the Slavs (1869).In 1897 Andrew Lang included this version as "Snowflake" in The Pink Fairy Book.

According to Aarne-Thompson-Uther Classification of Folk Tales the Snow Maiden is found at Other Tales of Supernatural 700-749: AT 703 The Artificial Child (The Snow Maiden).

The story begins by presenting the struggle of the woodcutter and his old wife. The woodcutter would work all day long so he could make a living. As the time passed they grew sadder and sadder because they were childless. One day they both went to the forest and the wife had an idea, to make a girl by using snowballs and they created a beautiful snow maiden, a Snegurochka so pretty they were even sadder. "If only the good Lord had sent us a little girl to share our old age!" said the old woman. But she barely had finished her prayer that the girl came to life. Until now we have the image of poverty, every detail is to emphasize their strive but when the Snow Maiden appears, not only that she is the girl they never had but she brings richness and here’s the description of the girl: ’a diadem studded with precious stones sparkled like fire on her head; a cape of brocade covered her shoulders; embroidered boots appeared on her feet.’ Up to now there’s the Christian motif, the man and wife mention a few times ’God will not abandon us’, ’ If only the good Lord had sent us a little girl to share our old age!’. So people would have to keep the faith and must not lose it. After the girl woke up they thought they were dreaming but the girl told them she would be a good girl and she would honour them as mother and father.
They all went home to their wooden hut and the girl began her life as the daughter of the woodcutter and his wife. She was the kindest and beautiful girl, she never contradicted them and she was respectful. Her parents could not be happier but they noticed that Snegurochka was shy and not very talkative and they began to worry. There’s the simple reminder that girls should listen to their parents and not disobey them and she must always be happy, if not this would make their parents sad or worry. And we wouldn’t want that, would we?. Her mother told her to go out, and make friends because she could not always stay indoors with her parents but the girl said she was happy there. Her mother’s advice is to make girls realise they have to make a destiny of their own, even though they were adoptive parents they wanted her to fulfil her destiny. But by the time the Carnival arrived she could no longer resist. Snegurochka is the image of a pure soul, kind and magic comparing the another girl that is described in the tale. Kupava was a very beautiful girl with hair as black as a raven’s wing, skin like blood and milk and arching brows. We know raven is associated with the dead and lost souls, or a mediator animal between life and death. In Sweden, they are known as the ghosts of murdered persons. One day Mizgir came to town and saw Kupava and he fell in love with her. Kupava was not at all shy; she was saucy and never turned down an invitation to stroll. Kupava was said to be the beauty of the town and she and Mizir soon became lovers. On Snegurochka’s first day in town she met Kupava who introduced all her friends. Our pure girl met a boy too, a young shepherd named Lel and soon they became inseparable. But soon Snegurochka was noticed by another boy and this was Mizgir and from now on Kupava no longer pleased him. Girls can learn from this that not everytime boys can be trusted. Kupava didn’t know what to do because she was jealous. Rumor has it that he even asked Snegurochka’s hand in marriage but instead of asking her if that was true she ran to her home and insulted her, called her a viper, a traitor, made such a scene that they had to force her to leave.

Kupova went to the Tsar and told him that the girl stole her lover. The Tsar ordered that Snegurochka be brought before him but Tsar Berendei was a good and gracious one who loved the truth so when Snegurochka arrived to the palace he asked her to tell the truth. The girl told him she has nothing to do with Kupava’s lover and that she never accepted his hand in marriage. The Tsar said : "I see in your eyes, lovely maiden, that you speak the truth, that you are nowhere at fault. Go home now in peace and do not be upset!" But when Kupava found out what happend she threw herself in the well. Snegurochka felt guilty and she no longer went out, or for a stroll not even when Lel insisted. Meanwhile spring had returned and she went with Lel to the edge of the forest. She told him: "Lel, oh my Lel, play your flute for me alone!" While she listend to her favourite song she began to cry and suddenly she vanished into the thin air.

I think we have more than one moral here. Even though the parents wanted a child they had one but not through normal ways and we can learn from this that we can’t have something by pushing things and if it’s not meant to be, than there is a reason. Second we have to be careful who we trust. Even the greatest of love can be fake. Third real friends they never try to hurt us. Kupava was blinded by jealousy and she though Snegurochka wanted to steal her lover and we have to keep of our feelings.

Vladimir Propp (1895-1970) identifies in his book “Morphology of the Folk tales” 8 types of characters. We definitely have a hero who is the Snow Maiden but cannot say we have a typicall villain. We could say Kupova is the villain but she dies in the end. Of course there’s the father but he did not give her a task only her mother told her to go out and make friends. The donor could be the Tsar even though he didn’t give her a magical object he listend to her side of the story and knew she told the truth and in this way Snegurochka was not punished. Mizgir is certainly the false hero. He came as the saviour for Kupova but she pushed her away when he met the Snow Maiden and because he no longer loved Kupove the girl threw herself in the well.

Propp also divides the tales into four spheres where each and every one has a few sequences, altogether 31. In this story we have few of this sequences. From the first sphere there’s the initial situation in which the woodcuter and his wife's situation is presented. The abstentation is when they both leave home and they create the snowballs girl. We don’t have an interdiction because the wife tells the girl to actualy go out am have fun because she can stay with the old folks forever. The sequence when Kupova and Mizgir appear could be the trickery part but only from the point of view of Mizgir. He tricks Kupova not the hero. In the third sphere we have the testing when Snegurochka has to go to the Tsar and prove she has done nothing wrong. The struggle in the third sphere is the confruntation between Kupova and the Snow Maiden but it’s rather a indirect one because Kupova killed herself. The tale ends not with a marriage but with the death of Snegurochka.