The Snow Maiden is in her own way a unique, unusually interesting character. She is a good hero of New Year's mythology.
As a character, she found reflection in art, literature, cinema, music. And the images of the fairy tale “The Snow Maiden” in the painting became the personification of the external image of the girl.
Snow Maiden: the origin of the heroine
Only Russian New Year mythology has in its composition a positive female hero. Despite its uniqueness, its origin is shrouded in mystery. There are three most popular theories that are not only not interconnected, but also contradict each other.
The images of the fairy tale “The Snow Maiden” in the visual arts clearly describe all three theories.
Different companions are attributed to the young companion of Santa Claus. She and the daughter of Big Spruce, appeared out of nowhere: getting out from under a sprawling spruce branch. She is the daughter of Frost and Spring. Also, her appearance is associated with childless old people who, at sunset, thought about children. Ivan da Marya made a little girl out of the snow, so the Snow Maiden was born.
Snow-blazed girl
IN AND. Dahl wrote that in Russia snowfinches, snowmen and bullfinches were called birds (birds) that wintered in the forests. In addition, he noted that these are “idiots made of snow”. According to V.I. Dahl, these boobs had the image of a man.
It is noteworthy that Dahl's words generically characterize all the images of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden" in the visual arts.
The image of a girl blinded by old people from the snow appeared after the baptism of Russia.
“Snow Maiden” is Ostrovsky's fairy tale, it is the most popular reflection of the character we are considering. However, the work is not single and unique.
The Russian folk tale "Snow Maiden" shows us a heroine who was born from direct contact with the stove: grandmother and grandfather ...
IN AND. Dal in his fairy tale "Girl the Snow Maiden" presents the birth of the heroine in this way:
Mythologized image of frozen winter waters
Zharnikova S.V., ethnologist, believes that the image of the Snow Maiden was first reflected in the god Varuna. Svetlana Vasilyevna explains this simply: Snegurochka is a faithful companion of Santa Claus, and he originates in the time of Varun. Therefore, Zharnikova suggests that the Snow Maiden is the embodiment of frozen (winter) waters. Her origins are matched by her traditional attire: white robes combined with silver ornaments.
Snow Maiden - a prototype of Kostroma
Some researchers associate our heroine with the Slavic rite of funeral Kostroma.
What is common in the images of Kostroma and the Snow Maiden? Seasonality and external image (in one interpretation).
Kostroma is portrayed as a young woman in white robes, in her hands she holds an oak branch. Most often shown surrounded by many people (round dance).
It is this face of Kostroma that unites her with the Snow Maiden. However, the straw man of the woman (the second image of Kostroma) also has much in common with the snow maiden. It is believed that the games end with the burning of a scarecrow: this means that winter is over - spring is coming. Similarly, the Snow Maiden ends her annual cycle: melts, jumping over the fire.
What else does the Snow Maiden and Kostroma have in common? Kostroma is not only a female folklore image, but also a city of the Central Federal District of Russia, which is the birthplace of the granddaughter of Santa Claus.
Tale-play Ostrovsky A.N. "Snow Maiden"
In the estate "Shchelykovo", located in the Kostroma region, is the small homeland of the playwright, who wrote the work "The Snow Maiden".
Tale of Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich "The Snow Maiden" reveals the image of a girl on a slightly different side than the works of Russian folklore.
Ostrovsky tests his heroine:
- others do not understand it (Sloboda residents);
- Bobyl and Bobylikha, unlike the grandfather and grandmother from a folk tale, do not like a daughter, but use her for one purpose only: gain.
Ostrovsky puts the girl to the test: she goes through mental anguish.
Images of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden" in the visual arts
The "Spring Tale" by A.N. Ostrovsky came to life and gained its melody thanks to the composer, whose name is N. Rimsky-Korsakov.
After the first reading of the play, the composer was not inspired by its drama, but already in the winter of 1879 he thought about creating the opera The Snow Maiden.
For the first time on stage, the opera Snegurochka was presented to a large audience on January 29, 1882.
Here the images of the fairy tale “The Snow Maiden” in the visual arts begin their journey.
The first artist to capture the image of a fabulous Russian beauty can be called V.M. Vasnetsova. It was he who performed the scenery for the opera N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov "The Snow Maiden", staged at the Bolshoi Theater.
Inspired by the opera, Viktor Mikhailovich not only created the scenery for the production, but also became the author of a separate work: the painting “The Snow Maiden” (1899).
Vasnetsov is not the only artist who has embodied the images of the fairy tale “The Snow Maiden”. Sketches of costumes and decorations belong to N.K. Roerich. He was involved in the design of the play “The Snow Maiden” four times.
The first versions of the design (1908 and 1912) N.K. Roerich transferred the viewer to the world of ancient pre-Christian Russia, when paganism reigned in society and recklessly believed in fairy tales. And the production of 1921 was distinguished by a more modern (for those years) vision of the plot.
To create the image of the Snow Maiden put a brush and M.A. Vrubel.
V.M. Vasnetsov, N.K. Roerich, M.A. Vrubel - painters, thanks to whom the Snow Maiden “found” her snowy image: a radiant-white long sundress, a bandage on her hair (summer image); light snow vestments, belted with ermine fur, a short fur coat.
The image of a snow girl was captured on their canvases by artists: Alexander Shabalin, Vasily Perov, Ilya Glazunov, Konstantin Korovin.
V.M. Vasnetsov - images of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"
When creating his works, V.M. was inspired in decorative and applied art. Vasnetsov. He used the motifs of Russian embroideries and wood paintings, performing decorations for the royal chambers.
Viktor Mikhailovich created the image of the Snow Maiden, consisting of a sundress and a hoop on his head. It is noteworthy that the artist himself was engaged in painting the maiden robes. His brushes belong to many parts of the scenery. Later, art critics will say that V.M. Vasnetsov became a full co-author of the play.