Fairy-Tale Files, published once weekly, feature three variations of a fairy tale chosen by one of Fairy Tale Review’s editors.

Jadis, the White Witch, in C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series, is similar to Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen. Both possess the elemental ability to control snow and ice, and both lead a young boy astray from their siblings.

Frozen, the 2013 animated hit, is inspired by the tale of the Snow Queen. Here, the character Elsa is a force for good, though somewhat unsure of her abilities. The movie’s sibling subplot exists between Elsa and her sister Anna. Whereas Gerda saves Kay from the Snow Queen in the original tale, the film depicts Anna saving Elsa from herself.

Jenny Lind (1820-1887) was a Swedish Opera singer that Andersen met, and quickly fell in love with, in 1840. Lind’s rejection of him served as the inspiration for the Snow Queen.

“…She was also highly acclaimed in neighbouring Copenhagen, where she captivated Hans Christian Andersen with her sincerity and fine grey eyes. She inspired at least partly two of his best-known children’s stories, The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor’s Nightingale, but when she rejected him as a suitor she became the Snow Queen, whose heart was made of ice…”

History and fairy tales remember her well.

This edition of Fairy-Tale Files is brought to you by Fairy Tale Review intern Jared Hughes and poetry editor Jon Riccio.