Snegurochka
Snegurochka
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Snegurochka

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Snegurochka

Snegurochka (diminutive) or Snegurka (Russian: Снегу́рочка (diminutive), Снегу́рка, IPA: [sʲnʲɪˈɡurət͡ɕkə, sʲnʲɪˈɡurkə]), or Snow Maiden, is a Novy God character originating from Russian fairy tales.

She has no apparent roots in traditional Slavic mythology and customs, having made her first appearance in Russian folklore in the 19th century.

Since the mid-20th century under the Soviet period, Snegurochka is known for being depicted as the granddaughter and companion of Ded Moroz during the New Year.

Tales of the Snegurochka type are Aarne–Thompson type 703* The Snow Maiden. The Snegurochka story compares to tales of type 1362, The Snow-child, where the child's appearance is attributed to the mother swallowing a snowflake, as a deception to explain away her pregnancy.

A version of a folk tale about a girl made of snow and named Snegurka (Snezhevinochka; Снегурка (Снежевиночка)) was published in 1869 by Alexander Afanasyev in the second volume of his work The Poetic Outlook on Nature by the Slavs, where he also mentions the German analog, Schneekind ("Snow Child"). In this version, childless Russian peasants Ivan and Marya made a snow doll, which came to life. This version was later included by Louis Léger in Contes Populaires Slaves (1882). Snegurka grows up quickly. A group of girls invite her for a walk in the woods, after which they make a small fire and take turns leaping over it; in some variants, this is on St. John's Day, and a St. John's Day tradition. When Snegurka's turn comes, she starts to jump, but only gets halfway before evaporating into a small cloud. Andrew Lang included this version as "Snowflake" in The Pink Fairy Book (1897).

In another story, she is the daughter of Spring the Beauty (Весна-Красна) and Ded Moroz, and yearns for the companionship of mortal humans. She grows to like a shepherd named Lel, but her heart is unable to know love. Her mother takes pity and gives her this ability, but as soon as she falls in love, her heart warms and she melts. This version of the story was made into a play The Snow Maiden by Aleksandr Ostrovsky, with incidental music by Tchaikovsky in 1873.

In 1878, the composer Ludwig Minkus and the Balletmaster Marius Petipa staged a ballet adaptation of Snegurochka titled The Daughter of the Snows for the Tsar's Imperial Ballet. The tale was also adapted into an opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov titled The Snow Maiden: A Spring Fairy Tale (1880–1881).

The story of Snegurochka was adapted into two Soviet films: an animated film with some of Rimsky-Korsakov's music, called The Snow Maiden (1952), and the live-action film The Snow Maiden (1968). Ruth Sanderson retold the story in the picture book The Snow Princess, in which falling in love does not immediately kill the princess, but turns her into a mortal human, who will die.

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