Gerda

What does this mean for you? There is warmth to you that draws others in. You have a resilient love for others that shines through your every action. Optimism defines you who finds beauty and compassion for humanity. 

The fairytale goes something like this: Once upon a time, a mirror created by the Devil fell from the skies, shattering into millions of pieces. Much could be seen though this cursed mirror, but none of it good. It allowed one to look into the hearts and minds of others and see their bitter nature. Some of these shattered pieces were large enough to create windows, others small as a grain of sand. It was these grainy pieces that settled into many unfortunate souls on the earthly plane. Hearts that housed the mirror grew dark and cold, happiness dissolving as their very heart chilled to ice. This would be the unfortunate fate of a young boy. 

On earth, winter reigned this season, where a little boy and little girl played in their small town. He was named Kay, and her name was Gerda. Brother and sister, they loved each other dearly and were inseparable. But while they played, the snow fell in soft clumps from the gray skies, and one very large snowflake transformed into a young maiden made entirely of ice and snow. Frightened of her, Kay ran back inside. Little did he know the Snow Queen had made her entrance. 

By the next day, spring came and Kay thought little of it until the following winter. Just as the town’s clocktower struck five, something fell into his eye, a small piece of the cursed mirror. Once he blinked, however, he seemed perfectly fine, and little Gerda didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But the tiny splinter of the mirror slowly caused his heart to grow terribly cold. He became irritable, cruel, and insufferable, for now he saw all the horrors and lies humanity spewed. He could no longer look upon anyone with kindness, nor could he trust anyone. 

Gerda could tell something was wrong, but Kay waved her off, calling her tears of compassion silly and her face ugly. Though he remained beautiful on the outside, his heart was cold, chilled from the frosty nature of the cursed mirror. 

One winter’s day, he encountered the strange Snow Queen again. While playing with his sled, he accidentally flew farther than he intended. As it turned out, all the snow that accumulated on his sled had been the Snow Queen herself–she’d driven the sled, in fact–and led him astray. Since he was cold, she offered him her coat, but this only made Kay colder still. Then she started to kiss his cheeks, and the cold krept further into his heart, solidifying it. Not only that, but the Snow Queen was incredibly beautiful and her call to her court compelled him to leave with her. Mesmerized, he forgot all about his home and sister Gerda and disappeared thereafter. 

This is where Gerda’s side of the story comes into play. Once she learned Kay disappeared, she sought to find him. The first place she went to look was the nearby river. The local townspeople assumed that Kay had drowned in the river, but Gerda wasn’t too certain about this and decided to ask the river this question directly. In return, she offered the river her favorite red shoes. The river, however, did not know where Kay was, but nonetheless helped Gerda, giving her a small boat to find someone else more knowledgeable than he. He even returned her little red shoes to her. Along the way, she was found by a humble witch who housed and took care of her for a season and although she was a good witch, she made Gerda forget all about Kay with her magic. Many months past before she remembered her long lost Kay and immediately set out. 

Next she came to a palace which housed a sleeping prince and princess. From afar, Gerda was struck by the sight of the prince, for he looked so much like Kay! But once he awoke, she found this false and couldn’t help but cry. Pitying young Gerda, the prince and princess gave her many gifts to help her with her journey, including a beautiful dress, a carriage, horses, and coachmen. But when she resumed her journey on the road once more, she was stopped by a family of robbers, who took all her belongings and killed her coachmen! Terrified, she found herself defenseless against the youngest daughter of the robbers, whose knife she bore down on her neck. But even she too took pity upon Gerda upon hearing her story. The robber-girl gave Gerda her reindeer, and told them to find Kay post-haste.

Then they happened upon an old sorceress who knew all about the Snow Queen and directed them towards her frozen palace. As it turned out, the old sorceress was able to see the good within Gerda’s heart, remarking that it was her heart of gold that compelled friends and strangers alike to assist her along the way. Such was her innocent charm and grace. But most importantly, there was a selfless love and optimism in Gerda that never went out. A candle of warmth amid the desolate lands of ice, Gerda made people instantly care for her plight for her heart was true. 

And it would be this lovely part of her that would save Kay. 

So Gerda and her reindeer embarked upon a grand ride to the queendom of Lapland, home of the Snow Queen. As the days went by, the colder the land became. A white desert land wasted away in a kind of deathly beauty of ice pillars and snow towers. They had arrived. 

It was there, within the cold palace of wonders and ice, isolated and silent, that young Gerda found Kay, situated just before the very throne of the Snow Queen. Though the Snow Queen was off in a different country, Kay was still bewitched by her spell. He was oh so cold, lips blue, almost black, just like his heart at this moment. He sat upon the icy floor, playing with flat pieces of ice, creating patterns and collages even as his fingers numbed. Though he tried and tried, none of his works could create what he wanted, or more accurately, what the little shard of ice in his eye, wanted–Eternity. Ice can be eternal, lifeless as it is, and to be lifeless is to be eternal–elemental and archetypal–no longer human. The Snow Queen even promised that if he made the figure of Eternity, she would forever be a part of her court of eternal winter. 

And finding him there, Gerda ran to him. “Kay!” she cried. “Finally, I’ve found you!” She held him there amid the icy palace of eternal winter, and her hot tears of love melted the ice, first in his eye, then his heart. Kay too burst into tears, normal and warm and back to himself. 

And hand in hand, laughing and together, joyful and merry, they ran home. 

So ends the tale of the Snow Queen.  

Ultimately, this fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen is about faith in mankind. While there is always wickedness in the world, there is also kindness. While Kay grew cold and desolate in heart, Gerda never forgot the love of her brother. It kept her going through the seemingly endless winter.

It should be noted that the actual story is filled with many, many symbols showing the contrasting nature of literal and metaphorical warmth and cold. There is a reason why Gerda’s shoes are red, after all, symbolizing charity and love. The color is stark and a sharp contrast in the white desert lands of snow in which Andersen tells the story. Furthermore, Gerda willingly gave away her shoes to try and find Kay, a loving and generous sacrifice. Meanwhile, Kay, once the mirror lands in his eye, becomes a cold, mindless captive of the Snow Queen, the very embodiment of winter. While Gerda stands as a model for faith, love, warmth, and optimism, Kay stands as the personified archetype of a desolate, corrupted, cold, and pessimistic world. As a result, it is clear that Andersen heavily favored Gerda as a character, undermining the primary message of the story: faith and love can conquer even the coldest of winters. 

By the end, Gerda encountered many trials, determined to find Kay despite everyone’s assumptions. She encountered witches, magic animals, and helplessness, but also many helpers. Unlike Kay, she never let the warmth of her heart stray from the power of love and faith. Where the very land around her was cold and desolate the more north she went, her heart remained true. She considered giving up many times, falling into despair, but people nonetheless found compassion in her story, and helped her numerous times. Time and time again, she pressed on, a kind of natural optimism that drew people to her. 

But what does this mean for you, dear reader and established Gerda? You have these very same qualities. You are optimistic and have a loving heart that aims for compassion and warmth. You are a springtime flower amidst the winter. While you may feel helpless at times, others are inevitably drawn to you, and you will always find help, sometimes even in the most unlikely of places! Gerda found a friend in a young robber, after all! Perhaps you can too. All this in mind, you may also be subject to compassion exhaustion if you spread yourself too thin. Additionally, while your optimism may be a bright light in some respects, it is still good to retain a healthy amount of skepticism and realism without losing your faith in others. Ultimately, it’s a balancing act to remember. 

So, dear reader and established Gerda, remember your power, for even the coldest hearts can melt with your love.