The story starts with a description of the deep sea, where the sun can only be seen when the weather is good and forests of strange plants grow, visited by myriads of fish. At the deepest spot, the splendid castle of the Sea King can be found. However, he was a widower and his mother played an important role in the empire. He had six daughters, most of them happy with their lives and what they can find from the wracks of the sea. The youngest, however, never went to the wracks; she only cherished a marble statue of a handsome young human, planting a sun shaped garden around it. The story tells that when a princess turns 15 she is allowed to visit the surface and see what humans see every day. The youngest one could not wait.
The years passed and one after the other sister was allowed to go to the surface, bringing stories of the world back. These stories of forests and bustling cities, ice bergs and humans playing in the sun made the youngest sister yearning ever so much stronger. When the youngest sister finally reached her 15th year, she observed a birthday party of a beautiful prince on a ship. However, when night fell a storm started, finally toppling the ship. And because the princess knew that humans could not live underwater she risked her own life to save the drowning prince. That he did not know that she saved him saddened her and she returned to her father's castle, where one sister knew who the prince was and told the little mermaid about his castle.
Over some time the little mermaid watched the castle and became ever fonder of the human world. She asked her grandmother of what happens to humans when they die, and the grandmother tells her of humankind's immortal soul, unlike the mermaids eternal death. Now the little mermaid wishes to obtain such a soul, which is only possible, according to her grandmother, when a human man gifts her his love and shares his soul through marriage. This, however, was impossible due to her fish tail.
This did not leave the princesses mind and even a splendid ball could not take her mind to more joyful things. So she decided to visit the sea witch, who lives beyond the dangerous whirlpools in a field of ugly polyps, that only care to kill all that comes close. Her house is maid of the bones of the drowned. The witch knew what the mermaid wanted and offered a painful draught that would give her legs and human beauty, but also pain with every step. She explained that when the prince would marry someone else her quest for a soul would end in sorrow and she would die like a mermaid, in sea foam. The witch asked for her voice as payment and once the mermaid agreed went to mix the draught.
She did as asked and drank the potion on the beach the next morning, where the prince found her naked body. She was indeed unable to speak anymore, but more graceful than any other human. Every step pained her and she won the affection of the prince. However, his affection was more that of a father than that of a lover and he cherished her dearly, but did not intend to marry her. He only spoke of the young maiden that saved him that day on the beach. Time goes by and the prince and the mermaid are together most of the time and very fond of each other, but no talk of marriage comes up. One day the prince is called to visit another kingdom to see if he wants to marry the princess there. He says he would not, as he only wanted to girl from the beach.
However, once he lays eyes on the princess from the other kingdom, he realizes that she is the one who picked him up on the beached and nursed him back to health and a big celebration on the day of their marriage is planed. The little mermaid is full of sorrow and knows of her impending death. On the day of the wedding, a short time before sunset, and her death, her sisters come to her, bearing a knife from the sea witch. They explain that they have given their hair so she can become a mermaid again, when she kills the prince and drenches her legs in his blood. However, the little mermaid is unable to do so and turns into sea foam.
Thinking that this was her death, she is surprised to be transformed into a daughter of the air. A creature that is able to float unseen throughout the world and earn her soul over 300 years. Every time she slips into a house and sees a child listening to its parents her time till heaven shortens.
The Emperor's New Suit
The story starts with a vain emperor who cares for nothing but his wardrobe and is always keen to fill it with new clothes. This fact reaches a group of clever swindlers who come to town proclaiming they will weave the most extravagant cloth with magical abilities. No one who is unfit for office or simply too stupid should be able to see it.
Being sure in his position the emperor immediately orders a new suit made from the cloth, planing to use it to see who in his court is unfit to his elevated position. During the process of the creation, however, he became curious and sent his most trusted minister to investigate. The minister came upon the swindlers working diligently on empty looms. Not willing to look stupid or unfit, he proclaimed the beauty of the cloth. The same happened to the chamberlain who was sent next. Nobody was willing to admit that they could not see the cloth.
Finally, the emperor himself approached with a big retinue, and again nobody was willing to admit that they could not see a thing. So, the emperor ordered a beautiful gown to be made from the cloth that did not exist and was dressed in it with big ceremony. He looked at himself in the mirror, only seeing his naked body and proclaimed that all in his kingdom should see this beautiful dress.
A big parade was planned and the now naked emperor strutted through his town with every citizen proclaiming the beauty of his new dress. No one in the whole city was willing to admit to their own stupidity or that they were unfit for their position. This went on till suddenly a child screamed laughing that the emperor was in fact naked. The emperor looked down on himself and had to admit that he was, however, the parade had to continue as if nothing happened.
The snow queen is told in seven different parts, each one being summarized in one paragraph as follows.
The first section starts with an evil hobgoblins invention of a mirror that distorted everything good into evil and magnified bad parts of the things reflected in it. The hobgoblin made sure everyone everywhere would see it which made humans want to see angels through the mirror. They flew up to the heavens but the cold made the glass slippery and it fell and broke into millions of tiny pieces, floating around. Some of them were stuck in peoples eyes, making them see only the vicious and cruel. Some even unluckier people got pieces stuck in their heart. The story explains what happened to one of those pieces.
The second section tell the story of a young boy and a girl, Kay and Gerda, who lived next to each other and spend all time they had with each other. They shared a garden outside the top window and played there often. Only in winter they could not meet, as the windows where frozen shut. They often listened to the stories of Kay's grandmother and were quite content. Till one day Kay was hit by one of the evil mirrors flakes in the heart, which became ice and one in the eye. He started to make fun of people and suddenly disliked the roses Gerda and Kay always cherished in their garden. One day he went out to race his sledge when a sledge with a beautiful woman came. He attached his sledge to hers and she left town with him, flying off into the winter night. Kay was not afraid of the snow Queen as her kiss made him forget Gerda and his previous life and he was content to sleep at her feet.
The third section starts with Gerda wondering if Kay was dead. She offered her new red shoes to the river if it would take her to Kay and the river agreed. However, the journey was long and Gerda almost drowned till an old women took her out of the river and took her to her flower garden. The old woman was an enchantress who did not want Gerda to leave again, so she made all the roses disappear into the ground, so Gerda would not be reminded of home. However, she forgot the rose in her headpiece and Gerda ran out into the garden and looked for roses. Her tears woke the roses up and they told her that Kay was not dead, as they have been in the home of the dead and did not see him. A lot of other flowers told their stories but none of them was related to Kay so Gerda got frustrated and finally left the garden.
The fourth section starts with Gerda meeting a wise crow. The crow tells her of the princess of this land and her aim for a partner. The crow is convinced that the one chosen was Kay, as the description fit and it tells the story of how he came to be in the castle. The princess, very well read, was sick of men only being handsome, she also wanted one who was eloquent and well spoken. Most who came trembled before the castle guards and could barely speak a word but one was unperturbed and satisfied the princess. Gerda then was taken by the crow to the castle and with help from the crows partner got into the bedroom of the royal couple. However, the prince was not Kay, just someone similar and Gerda wept. Moved by Gerda's story the princess gave her a carriage and fine clothing and allowed her to continue her search for her playmate. The two crows were allowed to become royal crows in the service of the crown.
The fifth section starts with Gerda's carriage being ambushed by robbers. The robber queen almost kills Gerda but her daughter stops her, as she wants a playmate. She is a wild child that is strong and has a whole group of pigeons that belong to her. She sleeps with a knife and regularly threatens Gerda to stab her. However, in her heart she is good and is moved by Gerda's story. After being brought to the robber barons castle and after two pigeons told her that they knew Kay was taken by the Snow Queen, Gerda was set free by the robber girl to pursue her friend. He was taken by the Snow Queen to the north, to Lapland, and the robber girl gifted Gerda with a Reindeer that should carry her there. The journey to Lapland is long and arduous and most of the food the robber girl provided was used up before they reached their destination.
The sixth section tells what happens in the north. Gerda and the reindeer first meet a woman from Lapland who sends them further to the north to a woman from Finland. The later one is beseeched to share her power to help Gerda in the fight against the Snow Queen. However, the woman says that Gerda's innocence and purity are already the strongest power anyone could ever have and nothing she has would be of any help. She tells them that the Snow Queen's garden starts just a few kilometres away and sends them off. Gerda forgets her warm clothes and is immediately met by the Snow Queen's guardians, a group of gigantic snow flakes in different shapes. She prays to God and a group of angels appear to help her. Of all this Kay has no idea.
The seventh section starts with a description of the enormous, empty castle of the Snow Queen. The queen sits at the center, amid a sea of ice, broken into a million pieces. She told Kay that if he managed to make sense out of the pieces he would be rewarded but even his strong mind was unable to. The Snow Queen leaves to bring her winter south and then Gerda enters. She sees Kay and her tears and kisses melt his heart. Then he cries and the splinter leaves his eye and they both leave the castle, talking of old times. The reindeer brought a friend and they travel south, meeting all of the people Gerda has met before. The robber girl promises to visit them sometimes and they arrive at home. No longer children, but always children at heart they enjoy the warm summer light.
