The Snow Queen (Andersen)
Short Summary
In a large town, two children lived in neighboring houses with connecting rooftop gardens. When an evil demon's magic mirror shattered, its fragments spread across the world, making everything good appear bad to those affected.
After Kay was struck by mirror fragments in his eye and heart, he became cold and cruel. The Snow Queen appeared and took him away to her ice palace. Gerda embarked on a journey to find him, encountering various characters who either helped or hindered her quest.
During her search, Gerda visited an old woman who could conjure, a prince and princess, and was captured by robbers. A little robber-girl helped her escape and gave her a reindeer to travel north. With help from Lapland and Finland women, she finally reached the Snow Queen's palace, where Kay sat frozen, trying to solve an ice puzzle spelling 'eternity.'
Then little Gerda wept hot tears, which fell on his breast, and penetrated into his heart, and thawed the lump of ice, and washed away the little piece of glass which had stuck there.
Freed from the spell, Kay recognized Gerda, and they returned home together. The reindeer and the Lapland woman helped them on their journey back. They met the robber-girl one last time, who had decided to travel the world. Upon reaching home, they found they had grown into adults, though they remained children at heart, and it was warm, beautiful summer.
Detailed Summary by Stories
Story 1: The Mirror and Its Pieces
A wicked demon created a magical mirror that distorted reality - everything good and beautiful appeared worthless and ugly when reflected in it, while evil things became more prominent.
The demon said this was very amusing. When a good or pious thought passed through the mind of any one it was misrepresented in the glass; and then how the demon laughed at his cunning invention.
The mirror eventually shattered into millions of pieces that scattered across the world. When these fragments got into people's eyes or hearts, they made them see only the bad in everything and turned their hearts to ice.
Story 2: A Little Boy and a Little Girl
In a large city lived two close friends, Kay and Gerda, who were not siblings but loved each other dearly. They lived in adjacent houses with connecting rooftop gardens where they spent happy times together among the roses.
Poor little Kay had also received a small grain in his heart, which very quickly turned to a lump of ice. He felt no more pain, but the glass was there still... and his heart became cold like a lump of ice.
One day, Kay was struck by splinters of the demon's mirror in his eye and heart. His personality changed dramatically - he became cruel and cold, mocking everything and everyone, including Gerda. During winter, while sledding in the town square, Kay attached his sled to a mysterious white sleigh. The sleigh belonged to the Snow Queen, who took Kay away with her after kissing him, making him forget about Gerda and his home.
The Snow Queen kissed Kay again, and by this time he had forgotten little Gerda, his grandmother, and all at home... 'Now you must have no more kisses,' she said, 'or I should kiss you to death.'
Story 3: The Flower Garden
Gerda set out to find Kay, first going to the river where she offered her precious red shoes in exchange for information about him. Her boat drifted downstream until she reached a cottage with a beautiful garden. The old woman who lived there was a sorceress who enchanted Gerda to forget about Kay and stay with her among the flowers. However, seeing a rose made Gerda remember Kay, and she escaped to continue her search.
Story 4: The Prince and Princess
Continuing her journey, Gerda met a crow who told her about a princess who had recently married a clever young man. Hoping it might be Kay, Gerda went to the palace. The prince and princess weren't Kay but were touched by her story and gave her warm clothes and a golden coach to continue her search.
Story 5: The Little Robber Girl
Robbers attacked Gerda's golden coach in the forest. The robber girl, daughter of the robber woman, took a liking to Gerda and saved her from death. She kept Gerda as her companion and showed her a reindeer who knew about the Snow Queen's palace. The robber girl eventually freed both Gerda and the reindeer to help them find Kay.
Story 6: The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman
The reindeer carried Gerda to Lapland, where they met the Lapland woman. She directed them to the Finland woman, who could give Gerda the power of twelve men to defeat the Snow Queen. However, the Finland woman revealed that Gerda already possessed all the power she needed in her innocent heart.
I can give her no greater power than she has already... don't you see how strong that is? How men and animals are obliged to serve her... which consists in her own purity and innocence of heart.
Story 7: The Snow Queen's Palace
In the Snow Queen's vast ice palace, Kay sat alone, trying to solve an ice puzzle that would spell 'eternity' and grant him his freedom. He was completely frozen in heart and memory, unable to feel or remember his past life. When Gerda finally found him, her warm tears melted the ice in his heart, and her song made him remember their shared childhood.
Roses bloom and cease to be, But we shall the Christ-child see... Then Kay burst into tears, and he wept so that the splinter of glass swam out of his eye. Then he recognized Gerda.
The splinter of glass washed out of Kay's eye with his tears, and he recognized Gerda at last. Together they left the Snow Queen's palace, helped by the words of eternity that formed themselves in the ice. They journeyed home, assisted by the Finland woman, the Lapland woman, the robber girl, and the reindeer. When they reached their old home, they found they had grown up, but their hearts remained those of children.
They both sat there, grown up, yet children at heart; and it was summer,—warm, beautiful summer... 'Except ye become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God.'