“Snegorotchka.” Edmund Dulac's Fairy Book: Fairy Tales of the Allied Nations, Edmund Dulac, New York: G.H Doran, 1916, pp. 1-6.

Tale Summary

There was a woman, named Marusha, and her husband, Youshko, who very much wanted a daughter. One winter day they watched their boys happily build a snowman and decided to go make one for themselves. They sculpted a small one, not much bigger than a baby, and when they stopped to admire their work they saw it come alive. They cried for joy when they looked at the pretty little maiden and pinched each other in case it was a dream. The couple carried the little girl home and cared for her, calling her Snegorotchka. The next morning they saw that she was growing quickly, her hair was twice as long, and prepared to have a big feast that night. All the children of the village were invited and they enjoyed themselves all night, and all the boys went home thinking of the snow girl. She was much loved, and showed all the other children how to make snow castles and dance like snowflakes. Winter moved on, and Youshko came home to find her pale and sad, complaining that she missed the snow. The next day she was even worse off, and her parents took her for a walk to see all of the beautiful flowers in the hopes of cheering her up. They were not gone long when a bright ray of sunlight fell on the girl and she melted. Marusha gathered a flower on which a tear-drop had fallen, and gave it to her husband silently.