The Snow Queen's Gifts: A Poem in Seven Stanzas, By Kelly Jarvis

I 

You do not have a Godmother 

To plait your hair with hues of dappled sunshine, 

Or sew a dress of scented roses 

That sings of summer each time you spin  

At the Prince’s Solstice Ball.  

 

II 

No kindly crone will comfort you  

In the creases of the forest 

While you wait for walnuts to fall like tears upon your mother’s grave. 

Their wrinkled shells won’t spill forth gowns threaded thick with autumn’s dying light. 

No wish will soothe your weathered wounds of grief. 

 

III 

An orphan of the Northern Realm,  

You must hitch your sled to ravens’ wings, 

And pay with heated copper pennies for your passage through the sky. 

You must journey, barefoot, through storms of ice, 

Clad in the skin of a beast you have slain, 

Its bloodied fur forcing you forward, 

Its death a sacrifice. 

You may encounter winter witches,  

You may cling to the backs of bears, 

You may let reindeer lick your salty tears  

and kiss you with their soft, pink tongues, 

But, in that barren landscape you will find yourself, alone, 

With nothing but the Northern Lights to guide your wandering way. 

 

IV 

Let your breath become a crystal prayer 

That echoes through the night 

Drawing down the silver light  

of December’s waning moon. 

Follow swarms of milk white bees. 

Find the Queen in frosted blooms, 

Beautiful, terrible, exquisite, cold.  

A glimmer of hope in winter’s white gloom.  

 

V 

If you solve her puzzles, she will gift you a glorious gown 

Stitched from ten-pointed stars and the black velvet of night. 

Shards of frost, clear as glass, become a crown for your hair, 

And snowflakes become slippers that slide over ice. 

Her sleigh, pulled by white chickens, will whisk you away 

Through dark billowing clouds that breathe windstorms of fright, 

Until you arrive where you started, in the Realm of the North, 

At the Ball that rejoices in the return of the light.  

 

VI 

Your beauty will shatter into thousands of pieces 

As you glide past gilded mirrors lining the walls. 

Shards, hard as diamonds, will lodge in the eyes  

Of the Prince, seeking his soulmate at the Solstice Ball. 

In you he will see the spheres of the heavens, 

Hear the songs of creation, 

Feel the romance of death. 

He will wish to possess your enchanted beauty far more 

Than you wish for a Prince or a safe place to rest.  

 

VII 

Strong from your trials, you will leave long before midnight,  

Your slippers of snowflakes still firm on your feet. 

You will laugh as the wind whisks the stars from your dress, 

And your slippers of snowflakes melt back into sleet. 

An orphan of the Northern Realm,  

You will hitch your rags to eastern skies, 

Let the dappled sunrise warm the seeds 

That barely breathe beneath the blackened soil, 

Knowing that soon, 

Snow-quenched roses will bloom, 

Each petal  

A gift from  

The Snow Queen.  

Yule, By Lissa Sloan

 

I am the time that was.

Famine, feast, birth, death.

I am the truth of it.

Endings, beginnings, and passing through

All written in my rings.

I am the time that is.

I burn away

The fever, the failure

Sobs and songs

Warm skin, every blink and breath

Words and deeds

Heartbeats and heartbreaks

Sear blue to white to gold and crimson

Black and white and gray

Mingle in the hearth,

Bitter and sweet

All crumbled into ash.

I am the time that will be.

Seeds sleeping under earth

Waiting for the sun and the dark

The wind and the rain and the ax.

 I will return.

Faery Feast, By Deborah Sage

 

The faery-folk come to sing and sup

Of mulled cider in an acorn cup.

 

Round laden table of birch and pine

They come at dusk to dance and dine

 

On wood-ear stem and chanterelle cap.

Toffee pudding and maple sap,

 

Roasted squash and toasted seed.

Golden pumpkin and honeyed mead.

 

Walnut cake and ginger bread,

Mincemeat scone with hawthorn spread.

 

Savories of rosemary and silver sage;

Succulent sweets from an ancient page.

 

Vanilla, clove and cinnamon bark

Tempt to taste as descends the dark.

 

From mossy branches in pale moonlight,

Spruce and cedar scent the night.

 

For the faery feast on midwinter’s eve,

In a woodland realm by Titania’s leave.

"Candle": Daughter of Snow and Honey, By Sara Cleto

When the bees fell in

Love with the 

Queen of Winter, I was

Born from

Honey, pine, snow, wax,

The sound of bells on a

Cold, clear night

Pierced with stars and wishes

And when I caught fire,

I was her mirror,

Redolent of

Lemon when her 

Fingers tapped,

Peppermint for her mornings,

Salt when tears

Froze on her cheeks,

Roses for her

Dreams of the hive.

We burn, ice and flame,

Through winter, and

In the spring, our

Dreams wake in the 

Honey on your tongue.

Solstice Sleights, By Heather Talty

It must be the festive atmosphere, the excitement of greeting new guests, the array of food and drink on the table, the coats to remove, the carols to sing, the gifts to exchange, unwrap, marvel over, the long year’s worth of events to catch up on, the biting cold to recover from, or any number of things, but no one has noticed. 

I sit at the very center of the table, surrounded on all sides by decadence: pies brimming with fruit and meat, golden potatoes piled high, glasses on glasses of creamy eggnog, spicy wassail, crisp winter wines. The glasses are moving fast among the guests, always replaced by another, and the pies require much attention, the potatoes much arranging, enough that I sit at the center of the table, and yet, no one has noticed. 

Soon, it will be time. Pleasantries exchanged, coats collected, glasses clinked, all the guests will join us at the table to feast. At such time, I too will join. It was easy enough for me to stand close to the oven to collect a layer of dark ash on my feathers, easy enough to sit still and stare straight ahead, easy enough to fool everyone into believing me a roasted goose. Soon though, I will stand, stretch my legs and wings wide, and join the party. Perhaps then, when it is too late to shoo me away, force me into the oven, or rescind my tacit invitation, then someone will notice.

Mistletoe Sprig, By Kim Malinowski

Hanging as if still on my Elm branch, tied with red ribbons and brass bell, I held vigil over giggling lovers meeting as if on accident and falling back in love for another year under my spell. I waited for two prone figures on either side of the hall. The man, broad shouldered, strong, stared at the shrinking woman. When her eyes raised and met his, both darted their chins down pretending the floor was more interesting than each other’s dimples. I was compelled by their awkwardness, their timidness, to gift them my magic. With a gust of wind from the door, I flung myself between them. The man instinctively jumped up to grab me and the woman leaned quickly to do the same. I felt both sets of fingers tugging at my leaves. My magic was already caressing them. The woman let go, sagging, thinking her chance to find love was gone. I watched the man deliberate as he held me in his palm, then finding the courage he needed in my leaves, he slid me gently into her hair, tucking me behind her ear. She blinked wide-eyed, overcome by my soft magic. Her chestnut hair and my green leaves and white berries reflected in his eyes. Entranced, he bent down, no longer towering over her, but leaning in closer. Eyes to eyes. Lips bumping lips. He clasped her, and I saw his shoulders gradually relax. They must have tasted honey in my magic because they never parted. Exchanging me back and forth between them, I found myself tucked in high and then lower crushed to his chest. Their lips brushed even as they danced—after all, it is bad luck for a woman not to kiss under the mistletoe and for the man not to ask her.

The Silver Fir of Nativity, By Carolyn Mack

 

The Eternal Mother of the evergreen bough, Druantia, Gaelic Fir Goddess, makes no reference to her own tree, making her the “Queen of the Druids,” and therefore mother of the tree calendar, contained in the “Cad Goddeu.” In this ancient poem, the silver fir has its station on the first day of the year, the extra day after winter solstice, commemorating the birth of the Divine Child. 

In Northern Europe and Anglia, her birth symbol, boughs of fir, were used in ritual cleansing, to sain with burning boughs the newborn. Palm fronds of Mediterranean ritual became fir boughs. In ancient Irish “ailm” stood for the palm, first tree of the sacred calendar, one of five vowels, “A” for “ailm.” Its significance is in contrast to the yew, sister tree at midwinter eve. They were yew, Saturn and lead; and  fir, Moon and silver. In ritual these represented the death of the sun god, birth of the Divine Child, secret symbols of the tree alphabet.

Pagan ritual practice represented the survival of nature in the lopped evergreens, and the lopping off of branches or fronds later became just horticultural practice. In medieval England, revelers played a midwinter game derived from the Gawain calendar poem, in which the poet of Gawain was descriptive of his battle with weather dragons as expressed in an allegory of war in a winter solstice game of ritual death of the old year: the Green Knight, his holly club, and momentarily severed head.

The ritual of cutting fir boughs, as well as trees, and bringing them indoors, also fell out of favor with the Church. Yet, the silver fir with interior decorations was to be widely popularized by Queen Victoria, when she and Prince Albert brought a gigantic tree into Buckingham Palace and made it public in published photographs, thus spreading the idea of the Christmas tree, still known and beloved to this day.

The Holly Leaf, By Marcia Sherman

The wreath on the table was square. At this late date there were no round wreaths to be found. It was rather dusty and sad. But. Somehow it was calling to everyone at the solstice celebration. When purchased for the event it was found pushed aside in a corner, marked down twice. It was all Holly could afford. The little old woman behind the counter assured Holly it was “just the thing” for a party. That was really strange, how did she know it was for a party?

Back at the party, Holly set the square wreath and some candles and a few other baubles in the middle of the main dining table.

It was then the magick happened. The wreath somehow revived – leaves lush and dark green, berries full and crimson. Every time someone commented on the square holly wreath, the leaves and berries became more colorful and lush.

By the time everyone was ready to go home, the wreath had grown and leaves were falling over the side of the table. Everyone took a cutting, and the solstice event lived on for years.

The Yule Log, By Kathryn Shailer

Little Eik lay quietly on the table, watching the bustle of Yuletide preparations in the big front room of the farmhouse. The scent of baking gingerbread and mulled cider filled the room as the children began attaching holly, pinecones and ribbons to his bark. It pinched and tickled, but the attention was welcome after a long, lonely year, wondering what would happen next.

Someone opened the front door and a frosty breeze wafted through the room. “Remember me, Little Eik?” whispered the breeze. And he did. He also remembered the warm summer breezes that surrounded his branches as he stretched toward the wide blue sky. “One day I’ll be as grand as Mother Oak,” he had thought. But then came the lightning strike that bored into the base of his trunk and the powerful wind that pushed him over with a wrenching crash. Next he heard the voices of a boy and his grandfather. “Look, Farfar, it’s perfect!” “It’s a gift,” said the old man. They cut a three-foot length from the young oak’s scorched trunk to haul back and season for next year. The rest they dragged  to the Mother Oak’s grove, laying it gently at her feet. “Giving back,” explained the grandfather.

Now as the family gathered by the hearth for songs and stories, Farfar lit the remaining piece of last year’s Yule Log and they lifted Little Eik onto the flame. “The Wheel of Life—the hweol—begins with the Winter Solstice. Our Yule Log will bring light through the long dark night until the sun returns tomorrow.”

But this is not the end of the story, for in the spring, an acorn dropped by Mother Oak onto the nurse log at her feet, took root and a new Little Eik was born.

Beyond the Castle: Beauty & The Beast On Film, By Amanda Bergloff

 

"Oh, Beast, how you frightened me!" she cried.

"I never knew how much I loved you until

just now, when I feared I was too late

to save your life."

"Can you really love such an ugly creature

as I am?" asked the Beast faintly.

◆ MADAME DE VILLENEUVE ◆ 

Out of all the fairy tales I've read, "Beauty and the Beast" is my favorite because at its core, the theme that outward appearances can be deceiving...and that one's heart can grow and change when love and understanding come into play is a timeless one. Beauty and her beast can be set in any time period and can work beyond any castle walls.

Many anthropologists believe that the story of B&B has roots going back over 4,000 years, since elements of the tale appear in many cultures- among them, the Greek myth, Cupid and Psyche, where Psyche is transported to a magical palace and not allowed to see Cupid's true form, all the while attended to by invisible servants.

The original print version in western culture of B&B is credited to French author, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, and was included in the story collection called, The Young American or Tales from the Sea, in 1740. (You can read Villeneuve's original story HERE.) However, in 1756, Villeneuve's rather lengthy tale was abridged, rewritten, and published by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in Magasin des Enfants, thus creating the version of B&B that is most commonly known and retold.

From a personal standpoint, every good Beauty and the Beast interpretation makes me cry in the end. Every. Single. Time.

So below, I've picked out eight adaptations of this classic tale in film, animation, and TV. If you're looking for more, you can find a list of B&B films HERE.

And share your favorite versions of this timeless tale in the comments section. We'd love to hear from you!

~LIVE ACTION FILMS~

La Belle et la Bête 

(1946)

Written by: Jean Cocteau

Directed by: Jean Cocteau

Starring: Jean Marais, Josette Day

This 1946 film from France is a real fan favorite whenever I take a poll of Beauty & the Beast movies on #FairyTaleTuesday. Stunning in black and white, this artistic re-telling of B&B blends Cocteau's interesting direction with surrealist imagery, magical special effects, and beautiful performances by the lead actors. This is the gold standard for fairy tale films of all kinds.

Click below to watch the full film:

La Belle et la Bête 

(2014)

Written by: Sandra Vo-Anh, Christophe Gans

Directed by: Christophe Gans

Starring: Lea Seydoux, Vincent Cassel

Another French adaptation, this 2014 film is visually stunning with its sumptuous costumes, settings, and scenery, that also blends the B&B tale with surrealistic touches. Lea Seydoux (Belle) and Vincent Cassel (Beast) give multi-layered performances that take the audience on the journey from fear and selfishness to courage, love, and redemption. A beautiful film well worth seeing for any B&B fan.

Click below to watch the "dark waltz" scene:

~ANIMATED FILMS~

THE SCARLET FLOWER

(1952)

Written by: Sergey Aksakov

Directed by: Lev Atamanov

Starring: Nina Krachkovskaya, Mikhail Astangov

This Russian version of B&B, from 1957, is an example of the Socialist Realism period in Russian animation which focused on adapting traditional Russian folk tales. The film also used the animation technique known as rotoscoping, where live actors and animals were filmed first and then traced by the animators, resulting in exceptional animation. A wonderful movie everyone will love, which shows the traditional fairy tale from a Russian point of view.

Click below to watch the full film:

BEAUTY & THE BEAST

(1991)

Written by: Linda Woolverton, Brenda Chapman, Chris Sanders

Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Starring: Paige O'Hara, Robbie Benson, Angela Lansbury

Probably the most famous animated take on Beauty and the Beast, this musical Disney version was the first animated movie to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1991. In this film, the message of "don't judge a book by its cover" is both figurative and literal, as Belle's love of reading and books is a strong plot point. I mean, who wouldn't want an entire castle library gifted to them by a good-hearted Beast? Enjoyable, fun, and ultimately moving, this B&B take is magical, indeed.

Click below to watch the "library surprise" scene:

And of course, we have to mention the live action re-make of this animated film, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens,

so click below to watch the official trailer:

~ON TELEVISION~

BEAUTY & THE BEAST

(1987 - 1990)

Created by: Ron Koslow

Starring: Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, Roy Dotrice

Did you know there was a television series in the late eighties that set B&B in modern day New York? This American fantasy/drama series had the Beast ("Vincent" Ron Perlman) living in a secret subterranean community of social outcasts while Beauty ("Catherine" Linda Hamilton) was an Assistant District Attorney whose life was saved by Vincent. Sound strange? Well, maybe, but this series gained TV cult status for mixing a modern day romantic love story with a procedural crime drama twist, along with the fairy tale-like chemistry between Perlman and Hamilton.

"...for we have a bond, stronger than friendship or love, and although we cannot be together, we will never, ever be apart..." says it all.

Click below to watch the opening credits to the show:

BEAUTY & THE BEAST:

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre

(1984)

Written by: Robert C. Jones

Directed by: Roger Vadim

Starring: Susan Sarandon, Klaus Kinski, Anjelica Huston

In 1982, Shelley Duvall created Faerie Tale Theatre which was an American live-action fairy tale anthology series that featured prominent actors and directors of the time. Originally airing on Showtime, this series introduced a generation of kids to fairy tales that they could watch again and again on tape when it was released on VHS. The "Beauty and the Beast" episode was a straightforward re-telling of the fairy tale that starred Susan Sarandon as Beauty, Klaus Kinski as the Beast and was directed by renowned French film director, Roger Vadim. This version was the only Faerie Tale Theatre episode to be shot on video for the interior shots and on 35mm film for the exterior and location scenes. Actor Klaus Kinski agreed to play the Beast in this version because he was a fan of the 1946 Cocteau B&B film. Kinski's costume and makeup in this episode were inspired by that film, also.

Click below to watch the full episode:

~VARIATIONS on B&B~

SHREK

(2001)

Written by: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio (based on the book by William Steig)

Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson

Starring: Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy

Yes, Shrek....While this film features many fairy tale character mash-ups, at its heart, it's a Beauty and the Beast story. Like its "layers of onions" analogy, this movie makes you reconsider what beauty really is...the beast discovers his heart...the beauty changes to a beast...and they both save each other. Cue the laughter and tears.

Click below for the scene where Shrek & Fiona start to appreciate one another:

PRIDE & PREJUDICE

(2005)

Written by: Deborah Moggach (based on the book by Jane Austin)

Directed by: Joe Wright

Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Donald Sutherland

Again, another story with a B&B sentiment at its core. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett do the delicate dance of misunderstanding and indignation, all on the path to transformation. Mr. Darcy is considered "beastly" by Elizabeth, but he realizes earlier than she does, that beyond all reason, she has inspired him to find his heart, and he needs her love. Best of all though, they both ultimately transform each other in this adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. I am such a fan of this film, and it passes my B&B test of making me cry at the end. Every. Single. Time.

Click below to watch their mutual transformation scene:

MUSIC

to inspire your own

Beauty & the Beast tale...

And Beauties everywhere 

and their Beasts 

lived happily ever after...

Enchanted Conversation's contributing editor, Amanda Bergloff, writes modern fairy tales, folktales, and speculative fiction. Her work has appeared in various anthologies, including Frozen Fairy Tales, After the Happily Ever After, and Uncommon Pet Tales.

Follow her on Twitter @AmandaBergloff

Check out her Amazon Author page HERE

Join her every Tuesday on Twitter for #FairyTaleTuesday to share what you love about fairy tales, folktales, and myths.

Also, if you like sharing your #vss fairy tales on Twitter, follow @fairytaleflash and use #fairytaleflash so we can retweet!

Cover & Layout: Amanda Bergloff