Interesting Facts. "snow queen" - analysis of archetypes in a fairy tale How the author relates to gerda

Go around almost the entire Earth in search of your best friend? For the heroine of a fairy tale, this is not at all difficult. Bold and courageous Gerda will overcome any trials in order to save a loved one. And what kind of obstacles can we talk about if a sincere faith in goodness lives in the heart.

History of creation

In 1844, the collection New Tales. Volume one." The book included a story about the adventures of a girl named Gerda, who was desperately looking for her missing friend.

Scientists claim that "The Snow Queen" is the longest fairy tale of the writer. Hans Christian Andersen himself called the work "the fairy tale of my life." Such a statement is justified. Most of the acting heroes of the fascinating story are not fictional - they are real people who accompanied Andersen on the path of life.

The prototype of the brave Gerda was a girl named Lisbeta. The future heroine of the fairy tale lived not far from little Hans and often came to visit. Over time, the children became so friendly that they began to call each other "sister" and "brother". Lisbeta is the first listener of Andersen's still uncertain, but already interesting stories.

There is a theory that in the confrontation between Gerda and the Danish writer displayed the struggle between religion and science. This idea did not take root in the Soviet Union. It is not surprising, because the fairy tale reached the USSR in a stripped-down version. Mandatory censorship, through which foreign works passed, crossed out religious motives from the fairy tale - in the original version, memories of .

Biography

Gerda was born into a poor family. Despite the difficult financial situation, parents and grandmother tried to give the child a happy childhood. The family lives under the roof of an apartment building. The young heroine has an attractive appearance:

“The hair curled, and the curls surrounded the girl’s fresh, round, like a rose, face of the girl with a golden glow.”

Mom and dad built a flower garden for Gerda, which the girl looked after with the neighbor boy Kai. The guys have been friends since childhood and spent a lot of time together.

The relationship changed when Kai became a hostage to the fragments of the magic mirror, distorting the perception of the world. Having hit the boy in the eye and in the heart, the fragments turned Kai against Gerda.

The girl's best friend goes missing, the adults decide that the boy is dead. Only Gerda does not accept such a truth and, with the onset of spring, goes in search. The first person the girl addresses is the local river. Gerda offers the elements an exchange: the river returns Kai to her, and the heroine gives her the only value - new red shoes. The river does not help the girl, but takes her to the old witch's house.

The naive Gerda allows herself to be bewitched and carelessly lives in the old woman's house at the end of spring and all summer. Randomness reminds the girl of the goal of her journey. After consulting with local flowers and finding out that Kai is not buried in the ground, Gerda returns to the search.

The road leads the brave girl to a beautiful castle. The questions of the talking raven confirm the guess - Kai lives in the palace and is quite happy with the local princess. The girl persuades the raven to lead her inside. Alas, another boy turns out to be the princess' fiancé.

Kind rulers listen to the sad story and give the girl warm clothes and a golden carriage. The gifts came in very handy. Gerda again sets off on a difficult journey. Bandits attack an expensive carriage in the nearby forest.

Gerda is saved from death by a little robber who decided to take the girl into her collection of curiosities. At night, when the robber falls asleep, white doves tell the girl where to look for Kai. Delighted, Gerda shares what she has learned with the jailer. Despite the environment, the heart of the young robber has not yet hardened. The thief releases Gerda, giving her reindeer as her escort.

So, on the back of a mighty animal, the heroine gets to Lapland. The duo makes their first stop at the house of an old Laplander. The woman, having learned the fate of the deer and Gerda, gives the heroes a strange message written on dried cod for their journey. The old woman asks to convey a message to a familiar Finn.

Having reached Finnmark, Gerda finds the old woman's dwelling. While the heroes are warming up after a long journey, the Finn carefully examines incomprehensible letters. The reindeer, who during the journey has taken a liking to his companion, begs his new acquaintance to help Gerda. But the Finn, seeing the character traits of the girl, has a different opinion on this matter:

“Don’t you see how great her power is? Don't you see that both people and animals serve her? After all, she walked around half the world barefoot! It's not for us to borrow her strength! The strength is in her sweet, innocent baby heart. If she herself cannot penetrate into the halls of the Snow Queen and extract the fragments from Kai's heart, then we will not help her even more!”

Having reached the entrance to the Snow Queen's garden, Gerda is left alone - the reindeer is waiting for her at the entrance. Prayers help the girl reach the castle. The angels who came to help drive away the guards of the Snow Queen from the heroine and do not allow them to harm Gerda.

The house of the evil mistress of the snow fascinates the girl, although during the journey the castles ceased to amaze Gerda. Seeing Kai, the heroine throws herself on her friend's chest. Warm tears rolling from the girl's eyes melt the ice in the boy's heart, and the mention of Christ in his favorite psalm makes Kai himself burst into tears. So fragments of the cursed mirror came out of the body of a young man.

Happy heroes set off on their way back and, having reached their home, they realize that they have matured a lot during the journey. Only their hearts remained the same kind and pure.

Screen adaptations

The first cartoon about the adventures of a brave girl was filmed in the USSR in 1957. The cartoon "The Snow Queen" has received international awards and has been translated into six foreign languages. The actress became the voice of Gerda.

In 1967, the film studio "Lenfilm" released a fairy tale film "The Snow Queen". In the film, in addition to living people, puppets are involved, and elements of animation are inserted. She played the role of Gerda.

The premiere of the New Year's musical of the same name took place on December 31, 2003. She performed the role of Gerda. In addition to the original plot, there are other Andersen stories in the musical film.

Inspired by a Danish writer's fairy tale, Osamu Dezaki created an anime about the adventures of a brave girl. The cartoon almost does not depart from the original source. The image of Gerda was created by Akio Sugino, and the voice was given by Ayako Kawasumi.

In 2012, a new animated film "The Snow Queen" was released. Later, the fairy tale was continued - "The Snow Queen 2: Refreeze" (2015) and "The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice". In the first and second parts, Gerda was voiced by the singer (Anna Shurochkina), in the third - by Natalia Bystrova.

• The name "Gerda" came from Scandinavia, the meaning of the name is the protector of people.
• A polar bear named Gerda lives in the Novosibirsk Zoo. In August, the animal toiled from the heat, and the servants brought real snow to the aviary. The video of Gerda enjoying the snow has spread all over the world.
• The poetess Stefania Danilova dedicated a verse to Gerda, in which the heroine enters the halls of winter. The work ends unexpectedly: Gerda confesses her love not to Kai at all, but to the Snow Queen.

The writing

The queen is depicted by the author in a fairy tale with a certain irony: “In the kingdom where we are with you, there is a Queen, so smart that it’s impossible to say! She has read all the newspapers in the world and has already forgotten everything she read - how smart!” Such an event as the choice of a groom happened through a boring life: “One day she was sitting on the throne - and there is little fun in this, as people say - and she sang a song: “Why don't I get married? ” “And indeed!” - she thought, and she wanted to get married. The queen is the mistress of the world into which Gerda has fallen. In order to understand this world, one should learn more about its mistress. The author emphasizes that, unlike Gerda, who is looking all over the world for her named brother, the princess does not even need to rise from the throne to find her betrothed. Although, unlike the heroines of the work of S. Ya. Marshak, Gerda and the Queen do not come into conflict, on the contrary, the Queen sincerely sympathizes with Gerda and helps her.

While working on a fairy tale play by S. Ya. Marshak, one can pay attention to this fact and propose to conduct an analytical study and find out what is the secret of the fact that heroines from such different worlds in one fairy tale come into conflict, in another, on the contrary, they find mutual language? Author's intention: It is important for S. Ya. Marshak to show the conflict between the "artificial" world and the light of natural harmony, in the fairy tale of H. X. Andersen, the author's attention is directed to Gerda's inner strength, her ability to change people for the better, awaken Goodness and Love in their hearts.

The heroine sincerely loves her named brother, considers the best, and the young man described by the raven is smart and witty, he conveniently differs from other contenders for the princess’s hand: “He was generally very free and sweet and said that he had come not to woo, but only to listen smart talk princess. “

Gerda lives only in search of Kai, this is the purpose of her life, this is the main reason that the girl immediately believed the raven. Gerda came barefoot, which means that she is not a noble person and cannot interest the princess.

Why did the Queen, who sat on the throne all her life and was not particularly imbued with the fate of others, helped Gerda? Maybe love changed her. The author constantly emphasizes how great the power of this feeling is. Sophistication, elegance, idleness - on the one hand, and savagery, self-will, cruelty - on the other: “In the middle of a huge hall with dilapidated smoky walls and a stone floor, a fire was burning ...”

How did Gerda's story affect the little robber? Why exactly? They won't kill you even if I get mad at you. “I’d rather kill you myself!” The little robber for the first time saw real sincere feelings with her own eyes, saw how a fragile girl is ready to give her life for the one she loves. The soul of the little robber begins to awaken for Good. Animals for the little robber are only living toys, she keeps them for fun. The little robber feels lonely, doves and deer are her only consolation, and she behaves cruelly with them because no one taught her to take care of her neighbors.

The little robber was as tall as Gerdu, but stronger, broader in the shoulders and darker. Her eyes were completely black, but somehow sad.” The little robber from the outside is the complete opposite of Gerda, who is blond, with a delicate pink face, and this dissimilarity in appearance leads the reader to the conclusion that the inner world of the heroines is diametrically opposed, nevertheless, the sad eyes of the little robber (students single out this word as a key word in the description appearance) speak rather about the fact that we have before us an unfortunate girl who once did not meet with love, kindness and mercy. The maternal “caresses” of the old robber cannot be an example of a loving relationship. Before the last, most difficult test of her heroine, the author leads the reader to understand his own author’s position, which is real power: the warmth of a loving heart or a cold soulless mind? (antithesis again!)

What happened in the Snow Queen's castle and what happened afterwards. “Cold, deserted, dead!” This world, which is dominated by order and cold, is dead, there are no feelings, no warmth, no life, even such an amazingly beautiful phenomenon as the northern lights flashes “... so correctly that you can ... accurately calculate at what minute the light will increase and into which it will weaken.”

In Scandinavian mythology, one can find a description of the oldest of the worlds: “Niflheim is one of the nine worlds of the Scandinavian mythological universe, a country of cold that existed before the beginning of creation. Poisonous icy streams of Niflheim filled the abyss of the world. The country of cold has always existed, Gerda belongs to fight the original evil. The palace is a symbol of its world, it is not just a building where its rulers live, it is a space in which everything that this world lives is concentrated: the luxury of the princess’s palace, where barefoot is not allowed, the dilapidated castle of robbers with wolves and ravens and the dead ice palace of Snezhnaya queens.

The old world is locked, it is only her world, it does not affect the lives of other people, because the grandmother conjures only for her own satisfaction, and therefore instead of the palace there is a small hut, nevertheless surrounded by a wall. And the small houses of the Lapland and the Finns are oases in the middle of the icy desert of the Snow Queen. In the middle of the lake stood the throne of the Snow Queen; on it she sat when she was at home, saying that she was sitting on the mirror of her mind; as she believed, it was the only and best mirror in the world. The connection is obvious - a frozen lake, the ice on which has cracked for “a thousand shmats, for a miracle of equal and correct ones” - a twin brother to the devil's mirror with its splinters. In this cold and dead world, such a mirror that turns human hearts into a piece of ice is the only correct one.

composition feature. A fairy tale is a work of one hero, the reader meets the heroes of the fairy tale only when Gerda meets them, and gets to one or another world when the heroine gets there. Little has changed in Kai's life since his heart turned to ice: an icy heart cannot feel pain, happiness, inspiration, love. “Cold, deserted, dead…” - this can be said about the soul of Kai.

The reader has already seen the power of Gerda's tears in the world of her grandmother, who knew the spell - Gerda raised roses from the ground, also revived the flowers with a certain measure. In Gerda's tears, not just sincere feelings, now, in the world of cold and death, Gerda's strength reaches its climax - in the heroine's tears, all the love for Kai, for the living world, for warm human relationships. In Gerda's tears - non-perception of what the world of the Snow Queen brings. Gerda radically changed the life of the little robber, the world of robbers was “alien” for the little robber, and now she is in search of “her” world, meeting with Gerda and Kai only supports the girl in her search; “Then she set off on her way, and Kai and Gerda on theirs.”

Thus, the author singles out Kai and Gerda as the main characters. In the German folk tale "Pani Metelitsa", the Ukrainian folk tale "Grandfather's daughter and the woman's daughter", the Russian folk tale "Morozko" and other characters also do not have names (stepmother, stepdaughter, sisters, grandfather, woman, etc.) . The folklore tradition in their work is continued by C. Perrault (“Cinderella or the Crystal Slipper”), A. Pushkin (“The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Bogatyrs”), S. Marshak (“The Twelve Months”) and others.

We all remember from childhood about the poor barefoot girl who defeated the powerful and rich snow beauty.
What is the psychological meaning of these fairy tale characters? What archetypes are hidden in the images created by the great storyteller Andersen?

This article is devoted to the psychological analysis of the heroes of the fairy tale, and how these archetypes can manifest themselves in real life.

The Snow Queen is beautiful, powerful, and cold—an archetype of narcissistic values.

This is the part of our psyche that is responsible for the “facade” of personality. She does not like failure very much and strives to always “be on top”. Always beautiful, always successful. However, this is possible only if a person is completely devoid of feelings, that is, frozen. At the heart of the formation of a narcissistic personality lies unconscious repressed shame. It is extremely unpleasant to experience it, and therefore such people try with all their might to hide from others, and even from themselves, the shadow aspects of their personality.

In life, the manifestation of this archetype can be seen in people who are striving with all their might to show their success to others. Their main message is: “Look how good I am.” Their pages on social networks will give the appearance of good relationships, beautiful children and joyful pastime. On the faces of the expression "mannequin from the store." At the same time, reality is often very different from what is put on display. However, it seems to them that if they manage to deceive others with what they show, then their life is not in vain.

Women often try to freeze their age with the help of plastic surgery or modern cosmetology. However, this does not add liveliness to faces, but only helps to replicate the same type of photos.

They carry many features of the archetype of the snow queen due to their emotional underdevelopment, since in this case sensual "frozenness" also appears.

Such a person has lost touch with his feelings, and therefore lives in a world of narcissistic illusions in a boring ice, but a palace.

If we talk about relationships, then such individuals can have a family and children, but at the same time have no idea about close cordial relationships. At best, this is mutual use, and most often manipulation and coercion. However, this does not mean an open manifestation of aggression. After all, the queen has no feelings, and therefore she achieves her goal with cold-blooded cunning manipulations or blackmail, but so that no one knows that she can somehow act ugly. Everything has to be perfect...

Let's remember how the Queen took Kai for herself. After all, he himself sat down with her in the sleigh. She did not force him to anything, at least through external actions.

Why, exactly, did snow magic affect Kai?

Let's go back to the beginning of the story. And it begins with how the evil trolls broke the magic mirror, and millions of fragments fell to the ground. One of these fragments hit Kai in the heart, and the other in the eye. Kind and open Kai has changed a lot after this incident. He became irritable towards Gerda, mocking and overly proud.

This situation symbolizes childhood narcissistic trauma.

After all, a fragment hit Kai's heart, and it hurt him, but after a while the pain went away, but the fragment remained inside, and Kai's behavior changed. This is a metaphor for the formation of a classic narcissistic defense against experiencing pain through depreciation, humiliation, or criticism of the other. The fragment is inside, but it does not feel pain, as it suppresses it and is protected by the mechanisms described above. It is very important that Kai could not take out this fragment on his own, which symbolizes the helplessness of the child's psyche in the face of some difficult situations that a child could get into.

As a result, such a person, growing up, has difficulty creating close relationships, and often creates, performing a dependent or counter-dependent position.

Namely, such a person is most susceptible to various influences and influences, since his sensual center of personality is blocked, which means that he is easy to control. He can be stubborn and stubborn, due to the active devaluation, but this only further prevents him from seeing his dependent situation in life.

This state of affairs is enjoyed with great pleasure by prudent “snow queens”, who do not believe that relationships can be alive and natural, and therefore strive to make them the way they know how, that is, through submission to their will.

Inside the snow queen is empty, there is one beautiful and shiny ice shell. She is afraid of loneliness, and she cannot build human relationships. Just nothing. And therefore, she acts against the will of others, in complete indifference to the feelings and pain of another person.

She wanted to take Kai to her palace, so she did, despite the feelings that the children had for each other.

Kai gets into the ice palace, he completely forgets about Gerda and those feelings that he once experienced for her. He likes to play with ice cubes, and he does not notice what is really happening to him:

“Kai turned completely blue, almost turned black from the cold, but did not notice this - the kisses of the Snow Queen made him insensitive to the cold, and his very heart was like a piece of ice. Kai fiddled with flat, pointed ice floes, laying them in all sorts of frets. After all, there is such a game - folding figures from wooden planks - which is called the Chinese puzzle. So Kai also folded various intricate figures, only from ice floes, and this was called an icy mind game. In his eyes, these figures were a marvel of art, and folding them was an occupation of paramount importance.”

However, the frozen heart starts to malfunction pretty soon. And in real life, such Kai eventually fall into depression, alcohol, sexual or other addiction.

And the only salvation can be only true warm love

Gerda is a symbol of true love and devotion. This is the resource of the liveliness that remains in us no matter what. This belief in goodness, in yourself and people. Yes, she is weak and defenseless against the magical power of the Snow Queen, however, the people around her help her go through all the trials and difficulties in search of her brother.

Another interesting fact is that Kai and Gerda were not siblings. However, in the tale, Gerda is looking for her named brother.

It is a symbol of heartfelt love, acceptance and friendship.

After all, it’s impossible to walk half the world barefoot on sexual attraction. :)

And from the queen, Kai receives cold kisses, which is perhaps a symbol of sexual relations without love.

The Snow Queen seems to be much older than Kai and Gerda, however, her size and age is in contrast to the childish naivety and openness. These are just different approaches to the worldview of our different parts of the psyche. Initially, in the fairy tale, the Snow Queen is big and powerful, and then she melts and disappears, which speaks of the spiritual development and transformation of the heroes.

Gerda goes through a series of trials, as a result of which she matures and becomes stronger. She finds many sympathetic friends who become her mainstay.

This symbolizes the healthy development and maturation of the psyche, when we learn to experience grief and loss through support, rather than devaluing the significance of what is happening, when we begin to fight for our happiness and take responsibility for what happens in our lives.

Gerda believed in true love between her and Kai, and this gave her the strength to continue on her way and fight for her happiness, even, it would seem, with an obviously stronger and more powerful enemy.

The Snow Queen is big and strong, however, inside her emptiness. Gerda is small and weak, but true love lives inside her!

What will be stronger?

Gerda manages to sneak into the castle and find Kai. However, the biggest battle is yet to come. And not with the Queen...

As it turned out, all her efforts were useless! Kai simply does not remember her and will not recognize her!

She had been looking for him for so long, she had missed him so much! She came barefoot to the ends of the world!

Tears of despair come right out of her heart and she begins to sob! Indeed, despite all the trials she overcame, she lost this battle with the snowy beauty.

And then something happened that is called an ordinary miracle ...

Her tears irrigate Kai, fragments fall out of his eyes and heart, he comes to life and remembers Gerda.

Only the living energy of real feeling was able to awaken Kai from a cold sleep.

“Gerda! Dear Gerda! Where have you been for so long? Where was I myself?

And he looked around. “How cold it is here, deserted!”

“Gerda kissed Kai on both cheeks, and they blushed again like roses; kissed his eyes, and they shone; kissed his hands and feet, and he again became cheerful and healthy.”

“Gerda immediately recognized both the horse - it was once harnessed to a golden carriage - and the girl. It was a little robber.

She also recognized Gerda. That was joy!

Look, you tramp! she said to Kai. “I would like to know if you are worthy of being chased to the ends of the world?”

Does an ordinary miracle happen in real life?

Were there people in your life for whom it was worth going to the ends of the world? After all, this can only be decided if the feelings and relationships were very valuable!

Do you appreciate real feelings, or do you prefer to freeze yourself in the appearance or self-deception that everything is in order?

I think it all depends on your belief in true love!

And if you don’t believe in her, then you risk freezing in the castle of the ice beauty! :)

And if you have already got there and want to get out, then choose the right eyes!

Proud emptiness in bright eyes
Shines bright cold light
Silent depth in dark eyes
Beckons with a warm familiar plot

Will cold dissolve in heat?
Or kill all living things in the darkness,
Just to shine
Among the gloomy hell of false people?

Only a facade covers evil
Only calculation controls fate
Only deceit surrounds the whole house

How to find the way of love
Among the terrible power of cold lies?

Do not call the Sun clear?
Can't you kindle a beautiful heart?
But it can burn!
No problem!
After all, it can no longer endure!

In the fairy tale “The Snow Queen”, the main character, the girl Gerda, is the personification of goodness and light.

Gerda has an unusual character, combining kindness and tenderness with courage, determination and masculinity.

Going in search of Kai, Gerda could not imagine what trials she would face. But she was guided by the belief that her friend was alive, and for the sake of his salvation, it was worth forgetting weakness and fear.

Thanks to her kind nature, the girl found many friends and helpers along the way. The princess and the prince were fascinated by the story of Gerda, so they equipped her for the journey with warm clothes and a golden carriage. And the little robber, herself distinguished by remarkable strength and courage, was so impressed by Gerda's courage that she saved her from death and gave her her beloved pet, the Reindeer, to help her. Although, it is worth noting that Gerda did not immediately manage to win the trust of the robber, but she was able to show her that love and kindness are stronger than anger and aggression.

Even animals and nature help Gerda. The river and the rose suggest that Kai is alive, the raven and the crow help to get to the princess's palace, and the Reindeer accompanies to the Snow Queen's domain and does not leave until the girl returns with a victory.

The Lapland and the Finn selflessly provide shelter and help find the way to the snow castle.

Only the old sorceress did not want to help Gerda, and even then, not out of malice, but because she was too lonely, and was used to thinking only about herself.

The biggest evil in the way of a little girl is, of course, the Snow Queen. All life freezes under her gaze. Her prickly army is invincible. But true love cannot be destroyed. Gerda's faith is so strong that the army retreats, and the evil spell is dispelled by her hot tears.

Gerda saves Kai only on her own, because he himself does not understand that he is in trouble and has long forgotten not only Gerda, but also simple human feelings - love, friendship, affection. This speaks of her generosity and ability to forgive insults.

The main lesson that many generations learn from this tale is that love and faith endow a person with incredible strength. And if even in difficult circumstances a person continues to love the world and treat it with trust, then the world helps him achieve his goal.

Composition on the theme of Gerd

The place of one of the main characters of Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" was taken by a little girl Gerda. This desperate girl seems to have every positive quality imaginable. She was not afraid of possible dangers and went to save her friend Kai, who was in trouble for her, like a brother. For his sake, she was ready for anything and did a lot of brave deeds. Gerda is the owner of an exceptional character, which has absorbed boundless kindness and brave masculinity.

Going to look for Kai, Gerda did not even imagine what difficulties she would face. But she was driven by determination, hope and faith that her close friend was alive, and for the sake of getting him out of danger, it was necessary to forget all fears and fears.

Thanks to her sensitive nature, Gerda found many good helpers on her way to Kai. The prince and princess were delighted with the story of Gerda, so they provided her with everything necessary for a long journey, they gave her warm clothes and a golden carriage. The kind heart of Gerda even subdued the evil robber, who constantly walked with a knife.

The conquered robber saves Gerda from death and gives her her dear Reindeer to help her. Natural forces also help the little girl in everything. A river and a rose assure that Kai is alive, a raven with a crow helps to get into the princess's palace, and the Reindeer delivers Gerda to the queen's icy possessions and waits until the girl turns around with Kai. Only the old sorceress did not want to help Gerda, not even out of anger, but from her own loneliness and the habit of thinking exclusively about herself. But the biggest danger on the way of Gerda was carried by the Snow Queen, who could freeze all living things with one glance. But the great love and hot tears of the little girl managed to melt the icy forces of evil.

Gerda, on her own, rescues Kai, who did not even realize that he was in trouble and in a short time was able to forget his girlfriend.

Throughout the tale, the image of Gerda runs as the opposite of the soulless queen. This image is able to serve as a worthy example of disinterested friendship and exemplary behavior.

Some interesting essays

• The role of the landscape in the story Poor Liza Karamzina essay