The Snow Queen, part 4 · page 21 2101I will give you a few words from me, which I will write on a dried haberdine, for paper I have none; this you can take with you to the Finland woman, and she will be able to give you more information than I can.”102When Gerda had warmed herself, and had eaten and drunk, the Lapland woman wrote a few words on a dried haberdine, begged Gerda to take care of them, put her on the Reindeer, bound her fast, and away sprang the animal.103“Ddsa!104Ddsa!” was again heard in the air; the most charming blue lights burned the whole night in the sky, and at last they came to Finland.105They knocked at the chimney of the Finland woman; for as to a door, she had none.106There was such a heat inside that the Finland woman herself went about almost naked.107She was diminutive and dirty.108She immediately loosened little Gerda's clothes, pulled off her thick gloves and boots; for otherwise the heat would have been too great--and after laying a piece of ice on the Reindeer's head, read what was written on the fish-skin.109She read it three times: she then knew it by heart; so she put the fish into the cupboard--for it might very well be eaten, and she never threw anything away.110Then the Reindeer related his own story first, and afterwards that of little Gerda; and the Finland woman winked her eyes, but said nothing.111“You are so clever,” said the Reindeer; “you can, I know, twist all the winds of the world together in a knot.112If the seaman loosens one knot, then he has a good wind; if a second, then it blows pretty stiffly; if he undoes the third and fourth, then it rages so that the forests are upturned.113Will you give the little maiden a potion, that she may possess the strength of twelve men, and vanquish the Snow Queen?”114“The strength of twelve men!” said the Finland woman.115“Much good that would be!”116Then she went to a cupboard, and drew out a large skin rolled up.117When she had unrolled it, strange characters were to be seen written thereon; and the Finland woman read at such a rate that the perspiration trickled down her forehead.checked by a teacher118But the Reindeer begged so hard for little Gerda, and Gerda looked so imploringly with tearful eyes at the Finland woman, that she winked, and drew the Reindeer aside into a corner, where they whispered together, while the animal got some fresh ice put on his head.119“'Tis true little Kay is at the Snow Queen's, and finds everything there quite to his taste; and he thinks it the very best place in the world; but the reason of that is, he has a splinter of glass in his eye, and in his heart.120These must be got out first; otherwise he will never go back to mankind, and the Snow Queen will retain her power over him.”121“But can you give little Gerda nothing to take which will endue her with power over the whole?”122“I can give her no more power than what she has already.123Don't you see how great it is?124Don't you see how men and animals are forced to serve her; how well she gets through the world barefooted?125She must not hear of her power from us; that power lies in her heart, because she is a sweet and innocent child!checked by a teacher126If she cannot get to the Snow Queen by herself, and rid little Kay of the glass, we cannot help her.127Two miles hence the garden of the Snow Queen begins; thither you may carry the little girl.128Set her down by the large bush with red berries, standing in the snow; don't stay talking, but hasten back as fast as possible.”129And now the Finland woman placed little Gerda on the Reindeer's back, and off he ran with all imaginable speed.130“Oh!131I have not got my boots!132I have not brought my gloves!” cried little Gerda.133She remarked she was without them from the cutting frost; but the Reindeer dared not stand still; on he ran till he came to the great bush with the red berries, and there he set Gerda down, kissed her mouth, while large bright tears flowed from the animal's eyes, and then back he went as fast as possible.134There stood poor Gerda now, without shoes or gloves, in the very middle of dreadful icy Finland.135She ran on as fast as she could.136There then came a whole regiment of snow-flakes, but they did not fall from above, and they were quite bright and shining from the Aurora Borealis.137The flakes ran along the ground, and the nearer they came the larger they grew.138Gerda well remembered how large and strange the snow-flakes appeared when she once saw them through a magnifying-glass; but now they were large and terrific in another manner--they were all alive.checked by a teacher139They were the outposts of the Snow Queen.140They had the most wondrous shapes; some looked like large ugly porcupines; others like snakes knotted together, with their heads sticking out; and others, again, like small fat bears, with the hair standing on end: all were of dazzling whiteness--all were living snow-flakes.1 2← previousThe Snow Queen, part 3next →The Snow Queen, part 5↑ back to Andersen's Fairy TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/14/page/2/