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Snow

Winter Wonders

Dead, The (by Joyce, James)
Ethan Frome (by Wharton, Edith)
Snegurotchka: (The Snow Maiden); A Legen... (by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov)
Walden, or, Life in the woods (by Thoreau, Henry David)

Temperatures recently dipped to record-breaking levels as winter weather ushered quite a chill to many regions of the American Northeast, Britain, and parts of Western Europe.

Many people in America’s Northeast have already marveled at the first snowfall of the season, which casted a blanket of white on cityscapes, rural pastures, and even stretches of sand dotted with palm trees. For the first time in three decades, snow fell in the northern part of Florida—the Sunshine State.

Many writers and poets have drawn inspiration from the beauty, purity, tranquility, and romantic nature of snow. In “The Dead,” James Joyce wrote, “It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight.”

Snow also sets the scene in many literary works. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton wrote, “But at sunset the clouds gathered again, bringing an earlier night, and the snow began to fall straight and steadily from a sky without wind.

Many cultures have their own stories, traditions and legends about snow. Russian folklore tells the tale of Snegurochka—the Snow Maiden who brings gifts to children during Russia’s New Year’s celebration.

According to some legends, Snegurochka is the daughter of Father Frost and the Snow Queen, but other Russian fairy tales tell another story. In another version, a childless couple created a figure of a girl out of snow. The girl, Snegurochka, (also known as the Snow Maiden) soon came to life and fulfilled the role as the daughter they never had.

In yet another version, playwright Aleksandr Nikolaevich Ostrovsky is credited for bringing Snegurochka back into popularity. In the 19th century he wrote, Spring Fairytale, which is based on the legend. The play portrays Snegurochka as the daughter of Frost and Spring. An immortal beauty, she resides in a chilly winter forest. Eager to feel love, she is willing to relinquish her immortality to do so.

In Snegurotchka: (The Snow Maiden); A Legend of Springtide, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov writes, “When the first ray of sunlight and love touches her icy beauty, she must die, though while her heart is innocent of love, she is safe from the sungod’s fatal caress.”

Native American culture tells the legend about Pamola—a bird spirit believed to stir up winter winds and frigid weather. According to legend, Pamola (sometimes spelled Pomola) is the god of thunder and protector of Katahdin, which is Maine’s highest mountain.

“Pomola is always angry with those who climb to the summit of Ktaadn (this is the Indian spelling of Katahdin),” wrote Henry David Thoreau, who attempted to climb the mountain in 1846. Read more about his experience in Life in the Woods.

By Regina Molaro