The Snow Queen by Edmund Dulac #history #art #painting

[HistorybyMae]

The Snow Queen comes from a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen (1844) and is the source material for the movie Frozen.

The devil, in the form of a troll, has made a magic mirror that distorts the appearance of everything that it reflects. The troll's minions take the mirror all over the world to distort everything, then carry it up to heaven to mock God and the angels. As they approach heaven, the mirror trembles and falls, shattering into billions of pieces.

The story follows the lives of Kai and Greda, two childhood friends. On a summer day, splinters of the troll's mirror get into Kai's heart and eye. Kai becomes cruel and aggressive. He destroys their window-box garden, he makes fun of Gerda's grandmother, and he no longer cares about Gerda, since everyone now appears bad and ugly to him.

Gerda, motivated by love and affection for her friend Kai, embarks on a journey to rescue him from the Snow Queen’s icy palace. It is Gerda’s love and warmth that ultimately break the Snow Queen's spell and restore Kay to his true self.

[MGMG-lcfe]

Blue blurred, light shattered to flakes, the world hazy and difficult to navigate. Squinting until the sharpest piercing shards reflection reveals the devil hiding inside humanity all along. Another fantastic selection thank you Ms. Mae ✨

[brihapuristudy]

Honestly, the way with cold tones, particularly blues the "detached" vibe is portrayed excellently. But what catches our eye? The warm golden-yellow in the houses...it shows how much the warmth of family and friends means in times of cold, lonely despair.

[FlorianMark]

I forgot this was a story my mother read to me when I was kid. She died in 2019 of cancer. Thankfully the ice splitter in my heart is slowly melting.
Thank you for remembering me of this story.

[midnightdragon]

I can't help but be oddly reminded of the witch in Narnia Chronicles, more of the movie where Edmund(?) met her for the first time.

[El_Madroño]

For those who are wondering this wonderful song is Carol of the bells but this version is the choir of St. George’s Chapel
Very beautiful song

[PujaSingh-cdqy]

The blue tone of the entire picture is perfect to show how sorrowful life can be without any loved one around. The blue haziness and cruelty of the winters are only to go away if you have the warmth of another person with you ❤

[Lumosnight]

I didn’t get the point of the mirror or the story as a child, and now I understand. The distorted mirror is how people who have a mental issue (depression, anger, bulimia) see the world and themselves. They retreat into solitude (the ice kingdom) until someone will show them love and heal them with kindness (Gerda hugging her brother)

[Ziad]

Edmund Dulac is such a beautiful artist. His illustrations of Rubayyat of Omar Khayyam are incredible too.

[marylizabetha]

My favourite fairytale. I would always take the picture book out of the library when I was a kid

[Squib-pu]

This art, along with the story, is so ethereal and nostalgic, and I feel like I've seen it in a childhood storybook

[danielleidulvstadpereda]

My mother used to tell me this story when I was a small child, and my father read stories from a Norwegian copy of the original brothers grim's stories.
Maybe thats why I had insomnia for the next few years....

[kashvigarg]

I remember there was a show i used to watch when i was a child, i think its name was Ever After High.. there was an episode about this.. amazing how shows you watch as a kid somehow make their way back to you

[laclaire]

Instead to watch Frozen I suggest you The Snow Queen of 1957, a wonderful russian animated movie who tells the meaning of the original fairy tale. Mae as always you show us such a gem like this painting who are not so known with the perfect music

[CalypsoBeebee]

Elsa was based on this story. I recently watched both Frozen 1 and 2 again. I love them. Also, I'm LOVING the Snow Queen in this artwork 😭 so magical and beautiful and terrifying. 💙🩵💙✨️

[Theaphilius_Mythology_Channel]

The most epic christmas song - Carol of the Bells.

(there is also a version for H.P. Lovecraft - The Carol of the Old Ones
)

[Krasov]

There's soviet animation Snow Queen. The queen herself animated and portrayed really beautifully.

[JD-sxuw]

This is one of my favourite fairy tales. My grandma used to read to me. Especially in winter times, snow falling by the window.
Such good song-choice, captures the pictures atmosphere so good 🌟.

[Chilldude]

Honestly I love the painting the queen perfectly blends in the blue and snowy atmosphere. ❤

[shannaracanto]

The way she looks like she's part of the falling snow. Like she's a figment of a child's imagination while the snow falls.😍😍😍