Also called Snow Maiden, Snegurushka.
The tale
In the folk tale collected by Afanasyev, a childless old couple make a girl out of snow, and she comes to life. She shies away from the sun, and in summer she jumps over a bonfire with other girls and melts into a cloud of steam. Alexander Ostrovsky's play "The Snow Maiden" (1873) and Rimsky-Korsakov's opera (1882) gave her a richer story, and Soviet New Year festivities made her Ded Moroz's granddaughter.
When they are met
- New Year
- Maslenitsa (end of winter)
Staying on their good side
- a small snow figure made with love
- a story told to children
Honouring them, or keeping safe
- Build a snow figure with children and tell her story.
- Reflect on the beauty of things that do not last.
What their tales teach
- impermanence
- love for children
- the change of seasons
Symbols
- a girl made of snow
- a blue and white coat
- a bonfire
The tale is folk, but most of her modern image is literary and Soviet.
Sources
- Alexander Afanasyev, Narodnye russkie skazki ("Snegurushka")
- Alexander Ostrovsky, Snegurochka (play, 1873)
More Slavic folklore
- Baba Yaga The witch in the hut on hen's legs
- Domovoi The grandfather who lives behind the stove
- Leshy The master of the forest
- Rusalka The maiden of river and birch
- Kikimora The spinner in the dark corner
- Koschei the Deathless The sorcerer whose death is hidden
- Kostroma The straw maiden of spring and summer
- Dodola The rain-bringing girl of summer