9 Tiny could, also, sing so softly and sweetly that nothing like her singing had

Transcription

1 Thumbelina Hans Christian Andersen THERE was once a woman who wished very much to have a little child, 1 but she could not obtain her wish. At last she went to a fairy, 2 and said, I should so very much like to have a little child; can you tell me where I can find one? 3 Oh, that can be easily managed, said the fairy. Here is a barleycorn of a different kind to those which grow in the farmer s fields, and which the chickens eat; put it into a flower- pot, and see what will happen. Thank you, said the woman, and she gave the fairy twelve shillings, which was the price of the barleycorn. Then she went home and planted it, and immediately there grew up a large handsome flower, something like a tulip in appearance, but with its leaves tightly closed as if it were still a bud. It is a beautiful flower, said the woman, and she kissed the red and golden- colored leaves, and while she did so the flower opened, and she could see that it was a real tulip. 4 Within the flower, upon the green velvet stamens, sat a very delicate and graceful little maiden. 5 She was scarcely half as long as a thumb, 6 and they gave her 1 Wished very much to have a little child: A common plight in folklore and fairy tales, it also hearkens back to many Bible stories, beginning with Sarah and Abraham in the Book of Genesis. It is also worth noting that there is no reference made to either a husband or a potential father. This woman seems determined to have a child alone. 2 At last she went to a fairy: There exist many kinds of fairies. In medieval French and Celtic literature, fairy women are tall, more beautiful than any mortal woman, and very richly dressed. They are also immortal and may usually be found in forests or near natural sources of water. In some translations the fairy is simply an old woman, or, more explicitly, a witch. The use of the term 'witch' thus suggests that this story could take a very sinister turn. 3 I should so very much like to have a little child; can you tell me where I can find one?: According to the Andersen biographer, Elias Bredsdorff, some nineteenth-century versions bowdlerized this passage to prevent children from asking where children came from. Bredsdorff quotes Mary Howitt s version, which began: 'Once upon a time, a beggar woman went to the house of a poor peasant and asked for something to eat'" (76). 4 Tulip is the Persian symbol of perfect love. The love in this case is a mother's love, and it is a mother's kiss that opens the flower and gives her a child. The idea of a kiss bringing a child into existence also exists in the (medieval) apocryphal tales of the Virgin Mary's conception. Anna, her mother, became pregnant when she and her husband Joachim kissed. The colors of the flower also have symbolic resonance. Red is the color of the pulsing blood and of fire, for the surging and tearing emotions. In other words, it is life. Gold corresponds to the mystic aspect of the sun and this resonates with Thumbelina's love of sunlight throughout her story. 5 Within the flower, upon the green velvet stamens, sat a very delicate and graceful little maiden: A similar image appears in E.T.A. Hoffmann s tale 'Prinzessin Brambilla' (1821) the name of Thumbelina, or Tiny, because she was so small. A walnut- shell elegantly polished, served her for a cradle; her bed was formed of blue violet leaves, with a rose- leaf for a counterpane. 7 Here she slept at night, but during the day she amused herself on a table, where the woman had placed a plateful o water. Round this plate were wreaths of flowers with their stems in the water, and upon it floated a large tulip- leaf, which served Tiny for a boat. Here the little maiden sat and rowed herself from side to side, with two oars made of white horse hair. It really was a very pretty sight. 8 Tiny could, also, sing so softly and sweetly that nothing like her singing had ever before been heard. 9 One night, while she lay in her pretty bed, a large, ugly, wet toad 10 crept through a broken pane of glass in 6 Scarcely half as long as a thumb: Some Andersen students have suggested that the mode for Thumbelina is Andersen s close friend Henriette Wulff, who was very small, frail, and slightl hunchbacked. No written evidence supports that theory. 7 A walnut-shell, elegantly polished, served her for a cradle; her bed was formed o blue violet-leaves, with a rose-leaf for a counterpane: A counterpane is a bed covering o an embroidered quilt/blanket. Thumbelina is consistently associated with natural objects particularly flowers, like the tulip in which she was 'born'.. The walnut shares with all nuts th symbolism of hidden wisdom, also fertility and longevity; it was served at Greek and Roman weddings as such and this symbolic value will have resonance as the story develops. The viole represents hidden beauty and virtue; modesty while the rose is perfection; completion; th mystery of life; the heart-center of life; the unknown; beauty; grace; happiness, but also voluptuousness; the passions and associated with wine, sensuality and seduction. At the start o the tale, these concepts may not be particularly relevant, but their value can be seen as i develops. 8 It really was a very pretty sight: Thumbelina's early life with her mother was idyllic In Individuation in Fairy Tales, Marie Von Franz describes this as follows: "[t]he beginning o the story is characterized by a kind of innocent childhood paradisiacal situation, the mother daughter paradise. Everything is all right, but a bit too beautiful. It would be marvelous if it wer like that!... But in the beginning the male element is completely lacking. There is no father... I is the feminine atmosphere which is described as ideal" (60-61). 9 Tiny could, also, sing so softly and sweetly that nothing like her singing had ever before been heard: Thumbelina is here compared to a siren (a bird-woman) or a mermaid, both of whom possessed singing voices so sweet that they would enchant men to the point of causing their deaths. The mermaids would sing to sailors aboard ships, causing them to crash upon the rocks and drown. Thumbelina's voice attracts potential mates - the toad and the mole - albeit against her will. This recalls the age-old idea that women in general are seductive temptresses who can bring about the downfall of men as individual and as a race. Thumbelina is thus set alongside Eve. Thumbelina's beautiful singing voice reminds Andersen scholars of his crush on Jenny Lind, one of the most popular singer during his lifetime. While Lind was kind to Andersen and became his friend, she did no return his love. The two had many common qualities, such as their piety, plain physica appearances, and their individual rise to fame for their talents in the arts. Unlike Thumbelina, Jenny Lind was considered very plain, even rather ugly by some. Most of he audience, Andersen included, forgot her appearance when she sang. 10 A large, ugly, wet toad: In fairy tales, the toad is usually a malevolent creature, or a symbo of another character's evil. These ideas exist outside the fairy tale genre as well. In her articl 'The Truculent Toad in the Middle Ages', Mary Robbins describes how the creature "usuall

2 the window, and leaped right upon the table where Tiny lay sleeping under her rose- leaf quilt. What a pretty little wife this would make for my son, 11 said the toad, and she took up the walnut- shell in which little Tiny lay asleep, and jumped through the window with it into the garden. In the swampy margin of a broad stream in the garden 12 lived the toad, with her son. He was uglier even than his mother, and when he saw the pretty little maiden in her elegant bed, he could only cry, Croak, croak, croak. 13 Don t speak so loud, or she will wake, said the toad, and then she might run away, for she is as light as swan s down. 14 We will place her on one of the water- lily leaves out in the stream; 15 it will be like an island to her, she is so light and small, and then she cannot escape; and, while she is away, we will make haste appears as a symbol of either death or the pain of divine punishment, or both, in the literature and visual art of the Middle Ages" (Robbins 25). 11 'What a pretty little wife this would make for my son,' said the toad: This is the first time that Thumbelina is taken against her will, and it intensifies her association with Persephone, kidnapped by Hades and taken to his Underworld kingdom to be his wife. Both are taken from their idyllic lives on earth and removed to the dark sunless lands underground. Historically, women had little say in deciding whom they would marry until comparatively recently, and Thumbelina's kidnapping puts her in the ranks of these women. Andersen makes no further reference to Thumbelina's mother. 12 In the swampy margin of a broad stream in the garden: This is the first example of an alien locale in the story. As Andersen says, it is marginal, and therefore outside the understanding and codes of the everyday world. The swamp is an in-between place, neither in the water nor on land, and so it is the first of the various alien communities into which Thumbelina is taken before she finally finds a home. It is worth noting that none of her prospective or actual mates live in the same world as that into which she is born - she is further removed from her own world with each encounter. This description of the toad's home emphasizes Thumbelina's separation from the idyllic life into which she was born. Her trials begin here. 13 He was uglier even than his mother, and when he saw the pretty little maiden in her elegant bed, he could only cry, "Croak, croak, croak": The toad's son plays the part of the Loathly Bridegroom, although Thumbelina does not succeed in curing him or releasing him from a curse. As with his mother, he is defined primarily by his ugliness, but also by his inability to voice any thoughts and feelings that he may have. He is as unintelligent as he is hideous, and this is another way in which he is not a suitable match for Thumbelina. 14 She is as light as swan's down: Swans have a diverse history in various literary traditions. For example, in Greek mythology, Zeus assumes the form of a swan in order to seduce Leda. The bird is also an erotic symbol due to its association with Aphrodite and Venus, the Greek and Roman goddesses of love, respectively. Since the swan moves in the three elements earth, water, and air, it has traditionally been associated with shape-shifting, especially with the form of a beautiful young woman. Like storks, swans were sometimes thought to assume human form when they migrated to other lands. 15 One of the water-lily leaves out in the stream: The water lily functions as an island on which Thumbelina is marooned. It is an otherworldly or marginal setting. and prepare the state- room under the marsh, 16 in which you are to live when you are married. Far out in the stream grew a number of water- lilies, with broad green leaves, which seemed to float on the top of the water. The largest of these leave appeared farther off than the rest, and the old toad swam out to it with the walnut shell, in which little Tiny lay still asleep. The tiny little creature woke very early in the morning, and began to cry bitterly when she found where she was, for she could see nothing but water on every side of the large green leaf, and no way o reaching the land. Meanwhile the old toad was very busy under the marsh, decking her room with rushes and wild yellow flowers, to make it look pretty for her new daughter- in- law. Then she swam out with her ugly son to the leaf on which she had placed poor little Tiny. She wanted to fetch the pretty bed, that she might put it in the bridal chamber to be ready for her. 17 The old toad bowed low to her in the water, and said, Here is my son, he will be your husband, and you will live happily in the marsh by the stream. Croak, croak, croak, was all her son could say for himself; so the toad took up the elegant little bed, and swam away with it, leaving Tiny all alone on the green leaf, where she sat and wept. She could not bear to think of living with the old toad, and having her ugly son for a husband. The little fishes, 18 who swam abou in the water beneath, had seen the toad, and heard what she said, so they lifted their heads above the water to look at the little maiden. As soon as they caugh sight of her, they saw she was very pretty, and it made them very sorry to think tha she must go and live with the ugly toads. 19 No, it must never be! so they assembled together in the water, round the green stalk which held the leaf on which the little maiden stood, and gnawed i away at the root with their teeth. Then the leaf floated down the stream, carrying Tiny far away out of reach of land. 16 The state-room under the marsh: Thumbelina will be taken from her life in the sun and forced to live underground. This is the first time that she faces this unpleasant possibility. He happiness depends, at least in part, on being able to live in the light of the sun. Jacki Wullschlager, suggests that for Andersen the underlying theme is nature and the emotion versus the dark burrows of academic and social constraint. Hence Thumbelina s fleeing the mol is equal to Andersen and his thoughts about school. 17 he wanted to fetch the pretty bed, that she might put it in the bridal chamber to be ready for her: The idea of the walnut as a fertility symbol now has greater resonance, as it i here selected to be used as a marital bed. 18 The little fishes: Fish are one of the many kinds of creatures that usually admire and/or help the hero or heroine in some way; here, the fish rescues the heroine from a disastrous, unwanted marriage. H.E. Davidson says that "helpers in animal form include birds, fishes, and insects, and by the end of the story, Andersen will have introduced helpers from each of these categories. 19 They saw she was very pretty, and it made them very sorry to think that she mus go and live with the ugly toads: In fairy tales, the concepts of beauty and ugliness generall reflect the good or evil natures of people. Thumbelina is beautiful, kind, and good, while the ugl toad has no qualms about kidnapping her.

3 Tiny sailed past many towns, and the little birds in the bushes saw her, and sang, 20 What a lovely little creature; so the leaf swam away with her farther and farther, till it brought her to other lands. A graceful little white butterfly 21 constantly fluttered round her, and at last alighted on the leaf. Tiny pleased him, 22 and she was glad of it, for now the toad could not possibly reach her, and the country through which she sailed was beautiful, and the sun shone upon the water, till it glittered like liquid gold. She took off her girdle and tied one end of it round the butterfly, 23 and the other end of the ribbon she fastened to the leaf, which now glided on much faster than ever, taking little Tiny with it as she stood. Presently a large cockchafer flew by; 24 the moment he caught sight of her, he seized her round her delicate waist with his claws, and flew with her into a tree. The green leaf floated away on the brook, and the butterfly flew with it, for he was fastened to it, and could not get away. Oh, how frightened little Tiny felt when the cockchafer flew with her to the tree! But especially was she sorry for the beautiful white butterfly which she had fastened to the leaf, for if he could not free himself he would die of hunger. 25 But the cockchafer did not trouble himself at all about the matter. He seated himself by her side on a large green leaf, gave her some honey from the flowers to eat, and 20 The little birds in the bushes saw her, and sang: This is the first time that Andersen explicitly establishes a connection between Thumbelina and the birds. There have been many subtle expressions of this connection before this point. The birds, and other winged creatures, will be a recurring, important feature of the story, and she will in fact have wings herself by the end. The various elements that will contribute to Thumbelina's happiness are gradually appearing. 21 A graceful little white butterfly: The butterfly usually plays the part of the hero/heroine's helper. Its white color suggests that it may be a magical, otherworldly creature. Symbolically, the butterfly is an ancient emblem of the soul, an unconscious attraction towards the light. In psychoanalytic terms, it is a symbol of rebirth, which is apt, as the butterfly gives Thumbelina a second chance at life as it pulls her away from the toads. 22 Tiny pleased him: The idea of Thumbelina as a siren and enchantress of males is here reinforced - she attracts the butterfly and then ensnares him for her own purposes, to facilitate her escape. The butterfly is drawn to her by her beauty, and in the end, as she realizes, he may well die as a result of his attraction. 23 She took off her girdle and tied one end of it round the butterfly: The butterfly is drawn to Thumbelina, and the girdle is a physical manifestation of her power over the butterfly. According to Cooper, it is an ambivalent image, either binding to fate or death; or it can depict the circle of life, or sovereignty, wisdom, and strength. 24 Presently a large cockchafer flew by: the Cockchafer (or "May bug", as it is colloquially called) is a European beetle of the genus Melolontha, in the dung beetle family, the Scarabaeidae. The cockchafer is the second creature that abducts Thumbelina from a happy place and time in her life. 25 But especially was she sorry for the beautiful white butterfly which she had fastened to the leaf, for if he could not free himself he would die of hunger: She cares more about the fate of the butterfly than about what will happen to her. A selfless attitude is another key characteristic of the fairytale hero and heroine. told her she was very pretty, though not in the least like a cockchafer. After a time all the cockchafers turned up their feelers, and said, She has only two legs! how ugly that looks. She has no feelers, said another. Her waist is quite slim. Pooh! she is like a human being. Oh! she is ugly, said all the lady cockchafers, although Tiny was very pretty. Then the cockchafer who had run away with her, believed all the other when they said she was ugly, and would have nothing more to say to her, and told her she might go where she liked. Then he flew down with her from the tree, and placed her on a daisy, and she wept at the thought that she was so ugly that even the cockchafers would have nothing to say to her. 26 And all the while she was really the loveliest creature that one could imagine, and as tender and delicate as a beautiful rose- leaf. During the whole summer 27 poor little Tiny lived quite alone in the wide forest. She wove herself a bed with blades of grass, and hung it up under a broad leaf, to protect herself from the rain. She sucked the honey from the flowers fo food, and drank the dew from their leaves every morning. So passed away the summer and the autumn, and then came the winter, the long, cold winter. 28 Al the birds who had sung to her so sweetly were flown away, and the trees and the flowers had withered. The large clover leaf under the shelter of which she had lived was now rolled together and shriveled up, nothing remained but a yellow withered stalk. She felt dreadfully cold, for her clothes were torn, and she was herself so frai and delicate, that poor little Tiny was nearly frozen to death. It began to snow too and the snow- flakes, as they fell upon her, were like a whole shovelful falling upon one of us, for we are tall, but she was only an inch high. Then she wrapped hersel 26 She wept at the thought that she was so ugly that even the cockchafers would have nothing to say to her: Thumbelina is alone for the second time, but she is not relieved to have escaped; instead, she is more upset about the fact that they have found her ugly. Thi emphasizes the theme of rejection. Such concerns also plagued Andersen, who came to Copenhagen knowing nobody, and who then tried to make his way and find friends. Thumbelina questions her own beauty. Given that a fairy tale woman is represented primarily o uniquely through her beauty, she is in effect questioning her very existence. She needs others to accept her beauty and so to be part of a society - otherwise she is desolate. Although she feared the cockchafers, she seems to feel at least equally distraught by their rejection of her Thumbelina's quest is ultimately to find a family, a society, and she is willing, at least initially, to consider all beings that she encounters. 27 The whole summer: The summer represents a brief respite in Thumbelina's trials, although she is alone. She proves that she can take care of herself, living in an entirely natural world. He associations with flowers are once again brought to the fore, as she eats their nectar, and drink water from their leaves. All that she lacks to be truly happy is the right kind of companionship. 28 The long, cold winter: In this story, winter is a malevolent force, but it remains in th abstract, like all the seasons. Bachelard's suggests that cold corresponds symbolically to being in the situation of, or longing for, solitude or exaltation. In Thumbelina's case, she is living alone, and this is represented by the cold of winter, which in itself intensifies her misery.

4 up in a dry leaf, but it cracked in the middle and could not keep her warm, and she shivered with cold. Near the wood in which she had been living lay a corn- field, but the corn had been cut a long time; nothing remained but the bare dry stubble standing up out of the frozen ground. 29 It was to her like struggling through a large wood. Oh! how she shivered with the cold. She came at last to the door of a field- mouse, who had a little den under the corn- stubble. 30 There dwelt the field- mouse in warmth and comfort, with a whole roomful of corn, a kitchen, and a beautiful dining room. Poor little Tiny stood before the door just like a little beggar- girl, and begged for a small piece of barley- corn, for she had been without a morsel to eat for two days. You poor little creature, said the field- mouse, who was really a good old field- mouse, come into my warm room and dine with me. She was very pleased with Tiny, so she said, You are quite welcome to stay with me all the winter, if you like; but you must keep my rooms clean and neat, and tell me stories, for I shall like to hear them very much. And Tiny did all the field- mouse asked her, and found herself very comfortable. We shall have a visitor soon, said the field- mouse one day; my neighbor pays me a visit once a week. He is better off than I am; he has large rooms, and wears a beautiful black velvet coat. If you could only have him for a husband, 31 you would be well provided for indeed. But he is blind, so you must tell him some of your prettiest stories Near the wood in which she had been living lay a corn-field, but the corn had been cut a long time; nothing remained but the bare dry stubble standing up out of the frozen ground: Andersen specifies that Thumbelina was born from a barleycorn seed, and so the bare cornfield could be significant. There are no more of her kind to be found, at least not here, and she will remain alone. 30 She came at last to the door of a field-mouse, who had a little den under the cornstubble: The characterization of the field mouse is ambiguous. At first, she is kind and good, taking Thumbelina in to live with her. They form a bargain, whereby Thumbelina may earn her keep by cleaning the house; the mouse thus functions (initially) as a benevolent version of Cinderella's stepmother. There is a second problem for Thumbelina in this new relationship. The mouse, like the toads, lives underground, and Thumbelina will once again be deprived of her beloved sunshine and warmth by joining her. 31 If you could only have him for a husband: The mouse plays the part of the mother figure and takes it upon herself to find Thumbelina a husband. Historically, it was not up to a woman to choose her own husband - her parents did this for her. Thumbelina risks losing her new family (the mouse) if she refuses to marry the mole. Thumbelina likewise could very well risk a return to her cold and hungry days. 32 But he is blind, so you must tell him some of your prettiest stories: A fairytale heroine normally attracts her suitors with her beauty, but Thumbelina does not have that option here. She must use her voice, and so Andersen reinforces the idea of Thumbelina as a siren, using her voice to enchant males and to bind them to her. But Tiny did not feel at all interested about this neighbor, for he was a mole. 33 However, he came and paid his visit dressed in his black velvet coat. He is very rich and learned, and his house is twenty times larger than mine, said the field- mouse. He was rich and learned, no doubt, but he alway spoke slightingly of the sun and the pretty flowers, because he had never seen them. Tiny was obliged to sing to him Lady- bird, lady- bird, fly away home, and many other pretty songs. And the mole fell in love with her because she had such a sweet voice; 34 but he said nothing yet, for he was very cautious. A short time before, the mole had dug a long passage under the earth, 3 which led from the dwelling of the field- mouse to his own, and here she had permission to walk with Tiny whenever she liked. But he warned them not to be alarmed at the sight of a dead bird 36 which lay in the passage. It was a perfect bird with a beak and feathers, and could not have been dead long, and was lying jus where the mole had made his passage. The mole took a piece of phosphorescen wood 37 in his mouth, and it glittered like fire in the dark; then he went before them to light them through the long, dark passage. When they came to the spot where lay the dead bird, the mole pushed his broad nose through the ceiling, the earth gave way, so that there was a large hole, and the daylight shone into the passage. In the middle of the floor lay a dead swallow, 38 his beautiful wings pulled close to hi sides, his feet and his head drawn up under his feathers; the poor bird had 33 He was a mole: A possible reference to Simon Meisling, Andersen s headmaster at th school in Slagelse, who was a classical scholar and a minor poet. In a portrait from the time, h does look like a mole, and the description of Meisling by the Andersen biographer, Cai M. Woel only reinforces the impression: 'below average height with a very round head... his mouth thin his nose bulbous. His body was plump with a protruding stomach, big flat feet and short arms.. Something about the man s appearance made you think about the underworld. His hands hardl ever touched water; they were so black that a quick glance would make you think he was wearin gloves. Only his finger tips were white; he licked them after every meal; or maybe it was becaus he pressed lemon into his punch every evening.' Meisling made life miserable for Andersen in many ways above all, perhaps, because he was blind to Andersen s talent. As an underground dweller the mole is chthonic and represents the powers of darkness; it is also the misanthrope Of Thumbelina's three prospective husbands, this is potentially the most monstrous. 34 The mole fell in love with her because she had such a sweet voice: Thumbelina i once again portrayed as a siren, a female figure whose voice attracts men to their deaths. If th mole has succumbed, this makes him her victim, which presents an interesting twist in the tale. 35 A long passage under the earth: The tunnel may be compared to the mythica underworld. It is representative of the living death awaiting Thumbelina if she marries the mole. 36 A dead bird: Thumbelina again encounters a being that has the ability to fly, like th butterfly and the cockchafer. Like her, it has fallen into the darkness. She will die there too unless she can escape. 37 Phosphorescent wood: Armillaria niellea (Honey Fungus) is a common fungus that cause wood to become phosphorescent. Luminous bacteria also sometimes cause wood to glow. 38 A dead swallow: The swallow represents hope, the coming of spring, and good fortune It i ironic that the bird is perceived as dead on its first appearance in the story, in light of it symbolic value and also because it becomes such a vital character in the story.

5 evidently died of the cold. It made little Tiny very sad to see it, she did so love the little birds; all the summer they had sung and twittered for her so beautifully. But the mole pushed it aside with his crooked legs, and said, He will sing no more now. How miserable it must be to be born a little bird! I am thankful that none of my children will ever be birds, for they can do nothing but cry, Tweet, tweet, and always die of hunger in the winter. Yes, you may well say that, as a clever man! exclaimed the field- mouse, What is the use of his twittering, for when winter comes he must either starve or be frozen to death. Still birds are very high bred. 39 Tiny said nothing; but when the two others had turned their backs on the bird, she stooped down and stroked aside the soft feathers which covered the head, and kissed the closed eyelids. Perhaps this was the one who sang to me so sweetly in the summer, she said; and how much pleasure it gave me, you dear, pretty bird. The mole now stopped up the hole through which the daylight shone, 40 and then accompanied the lady home. But during the night Tiny could not sleep; so she got out of bed and wove a large, beautiful carpet of hay; then she carried it to the dead bird, and spread it over him; with some down from the flowers that she had found in the field- mouse s room. It was as soft as wool, and she spread some of it on each side of the bird, so that he might lie warmly in the cold earth. Farewell, you pretty little bird, said she, farewell; thank you for your delightful singing during the summer, when all the trees were green, and the warm sun shone upon us. Then she laid her head on the bird s breast, but she was alarmed immediately, for it seemed as if something inside the bird went thump, thump. It was the bird s heart; he was not really dead, only benumbed with the cold, and the warmth had restored him to life. 41 In autumn, all the swallows fly away into warm countries, but if one happens to linger, the cold seizes it, it becomes frozen, and falls down as if dead; it remains where it fell, and the cold snow covers it. Tiny trembled very much; she was quite frightened, for the bird was large, a great deal larger than herself, she was only an inch high. But she took courage, laid the wool more thickly over the poor swallow, 39 Still birds are very high bred: The mouse is very clearly a snob. She looks up to the mole because he is wealthy, and she recognizes the bird's breeding. 40 The mole now stopped up the hole through which the daylight shone: Thumbelina loses all the ties to the life that she loves so much. With the bird's death, she loses the songs that she heard throughout the summer, and with the sealing of the hole, she loses the light that she relies upon. 41 He was not really dead, only benumbed with the cold, and the warmth had restored him to life: Andersen himself had a real fear of being assumed dead and buried alive. Next to his bed he had a sign which read, 'I only appear to be dead.'" The bird here functions as a symbol of Thumbelina's fate if she remains below ground. Her heart will become benumbed with the cold, as she needs the light and warmth of the sun in order to survive. She will surely die if she remains with the mole. and then took a leaf which she had used for her own counterpane, and laid it ove the head of the poor bird. The next morning she again stole out to see him. He was alive but very weak; he could only open his eyes for a moment to look at Tiny, who stood by holding a piece of decayed wood in her hand, for she had no other lantern. Thank you, pretty little maiden, said the sick swallow; I have been so nicely warmed, that I shall soon regain my strength, and be able to fly about again in the warm sunshine. Oh, said she, it is cold out of doors now; it snows and freezes. Stay in your warm bed; I will take care of you. Then she brought the swallow some wate in a flower- leaf, and after he had drank, he told her that he had wounded one of hi wings in a thorn- bush, and could not fly as fast as the others, who were soon fa away on their journey to warm countries. Then at last he had fallen to the earth and could remember no more, nor how he came to be where she had found him The whole winter the swallow remained underground, and Tiny nursed him with care and love. Neither the mole nor the field- mouse knew anything about it, fo they did not like swallows. Very soon the spring time came, and the sun warmed the earth. Then the swallow bade farewell to Tiny, and she opened the hole in the ceiling which the mole had made. The sun shone in upon them so beautifully, tha the swallow asked her if she would go with him; she could sit on his back, he said and he would fly away with her into the green woods. But Tiny knew it would make the field- mouse very grieved if she left her in that manner, so she said, No, cannot. Farewell, then, farewell, you good, pretty little maiden, said the swallow and he flew out into the sunshine. Tiny looked after him, and the tears rose in he eyes. She was very fond of the poor swallow. Tweet, tweet, sang the bird, as he flew out into the green woods, and Tiny felt very sad. She was not allowed to go out into the warm sunshine. The corn which had been sown in the field over the house of the field- mouse had grown up high into the air, and formed a thick wood to Tiny, who was only an inch in height. You are going to be married, Tiny, said the field- mouse. My neighbo has asked for you. What good fortune for a poor child like you. Now we will prepare your wedding clothes. They must be both woolen and linen. Nothing must be wanting when you are the mole s wife. Tiny had to turn the spindle, and the field- mouse hired four spiders, who were to weave day and night. Every evening the mole visited her, and was continually speaking of the time when the summer would be over. 42 Then he would keep his wedding- day with Tiny; but now the heat of the sun was so great that i burned the earth, and made it quite hard, like a stone. As soon, as the summer wa 42 Every evening the mole visited her, and was continually speaking of the time when the summer would be over. Then he would keep his wedding-day with Tiny: Summer is the time where Thumbelina is most alive, while winter means pain and suffering for her. It is no accident that her marriage, which will only exacerbate her distress, wil take place at this time.

6 over, the wedding should take place. But Tiny was not at all pleased; for she did not like the tiresome mole. Every morning when the sun rose, and every evening when it went down, she would creep out at the door, and as the wind blew aside the ears of corn, so that she could see the blue sky, she thought how beautiful and bright it seemed out there, and wished so much to see her dear swallow again. But he never returned; for by this time he had flown far away into the lovely green forest. When autumn arrived, Tiny had her outfit quite ready; and the field- mouse said to her, In four weeks the wedding must take place. Then Tiny wept, and said she would not marry the disagreeable mole. Nonsense, replied the field- mouse. Now don t be obstinate, or I shall bite you with my white teeth. 43 He is a very handsome mole; the queen herself does not wear more beautiful velvets and furs. His kitchen and cellars are quite full. You ought to be very thankful for such good fortune. So the wedding- day was fixed, on which the mole was to fetch Tiny away to live with him, deep under the earth, and never again to see the warm sun, because he did not like it. The poor child was very unhappy at the thought of saying farewell to the beautiful sun, and as the field- mouse had given her permission to stand at the door, she went to look at it once more. Farewell bright sun, she cried, stretching out her arm towards it; and then she walked a short distance from the house; for the corn had been cut, and only the dry stubble remained in the fields. Farewell, farewell, she repeated, twining her arm round a little red flower that grew just by her side. Greet the little swallow from me, if you should see him again. Tweet, tweet, sounded over her head suddenly. She looked up, and there was the swallow himself flying close by. As soon as he spied Tiny, he was delighted; and then she told him how unwilling she felt to marry the ugly mole, and to live always beneath the earth, and never to see the bright sun any more. And as she told him she wept. Cold winter is coming, said the swallow, and I am going to fly away into warmer countries. Will you go with me? You can sit on my back, and fasten yourself on with your sash. Then we can fly away from the ugly mole and his gloomy rooms, far away, over the mountains, into warmer countries, where the sun shines more brightly than here; where it is always summer, and the flowers bloom in greater beauty. Fly now with me, dear little Tiny; you saved my life when I lay frozen in that dark passage. Yes, I will go with you, said Tiny; and she seated herself on the bird s back, 44 with her feet on his outstretched wings, and tied her girdle to one of his strongest feathers. 43 "Nonsense," replied the field-mouse. "Now don't be obstinate, or I shall bite you with my white teeth": Thumbelina is one of many women throughout history and in literature who are being forced into an arranged marriage with a wealthy suitor. Then the swallow rose in the air, and flew over forest and over sea, high above the highest mountains, covered with eternal snow. Tiny would have been frozen in the cold air, but she crept under the bird s warm feathers, keeping he little head uncovered, so that she might admire the beautiful lands over which they passed. At length they reached the warm countries, where the sun shines brightly and the sky seems so much higher above the earth. Here, on the hedges, and by the wayside, grew purple, green, and white grapes; lemons and oranges hung from trees in the woods; and the air was fragrant with myrtles and orange blossoms Beautiful children ran along the country lanes, playing with large gay butterflies and as the swallow flew farther and farther, every place appeared still more lovely. At last they came to a blue lake, and by the side of it, shaded by trees of the deepest green, stood a palace of dazzling white marble, built in the olden times. 4 Vines clustered round its lofty pillars, and at the top were many swallows nests and one of these was the home of the swallow who carried Tiny. This is my house, said the swallow; but it would not do for you to live there you would not be comfortable. 46 You must choose for yourself one o those lovely flowers, and I will put you down upon it, and then you shall have everything that you can wish to make you happy. That will be delightful, she said, and clapped her little hands for joy. A large marble pillar lay on the ground, which, in falling, had been broken into three pieces. Between these pieces grew the most beautiful large white flowers; so the swallow flew down with Tiny, and placed her on one of the broad leaves. 47 But how surprised she was to see in the middle of the flower, a tiny little man, as white and transparent as if he had been made of crystal! 48 He had a gold crown on his head 44 'Yes, I will go with you,' said Tiny; and she seated herself on the bird's back: Thumbelina is rescued from her marriage at the last minute by the swallow whom sh earlier restored to full health. By rescuing him, it can be said that she ultimately rescues herself. 45 At last they came to a blue lake, and by the side of it, shaded by trees of the deepest green, stood a palace of dazzling white marble, built in the olden times: Latin for 'pleasant place', locus amoenus is a literary term which generally refers to an idealized place of safety or comfort. A locus amoenus frequently is a pastoral place, with connotations of Eden. The term originates from Aristotle's discussion of the pastoral in "Poetics (384 B.C.), but the concept is far older and is already found in Homer's works." 46 "This is my house," said the swallow; "but it would not do for you to live there you would not be comfortable": The swallow is the first creature that does not attempt to force Thumbelina to live in his world. He understands that she needs to find a setting that suit her. 47 Between these pieces grew the most beautiful large white flowers; so the swallow flew down with Tiny, and placed her on one of the broad leaves: This moment bring the story full circle. She was born in a flower, and now she returns to her native environment. 48 A tiny little man, as white and transparent as if he had been made of crystal!: Thumbelina finally meets someone very like herself. Step by step, she is finally coming home.

7 and delicate wings at his shoulders, and was not much larger than Tiny herself. 49 He was the angel of the flower; 50 for a tiny man and a tiny woman dwell in every flower; and this was the king of them all. Oh, how beautiful he is! 51 whispered Tiny to the swallow. The little prince was at first quite frightened at the bird, who was like a giant, compared to such a delicate little creature as himself; but when he saw Tiny, he was delighted, and thought her the prettiest little maiden he had ever seen. He took the gold crown from his head, and placed it on hers, and asked her name, and if she would be his wife, and queen over all the flowers. 52 This certainly was a very different sort of husband to the son of a toad, or the mole, with my black velvet and fur; so she said, Yes, to the handsome prince. Then all the flowers opened, and out of each came a little lady or a tiny lord, all so pretty it was quite a pleasure to look at them. Each of them brought Tiny a present; but the best gift was a pair of beautiful wings, which had belonged to a large white fly 53 and they fastened them to Tiny s shoulders, so that she might fly from flowe to flower. Then there was much rejoicing, and the little swallow who sat above them, in his nest, was asked to sing a wedding song, 54 which he did as well as he could; but in his heart he felt sad for he was very fond of Tiny, and would have liked never to part from her again. You must not be called Tiny any more, said the spirit of the flowers to her. It is an ugly name, and you are so very pretty. We will call you Maia. 55 Farewell, farewell, said the swallow, with a heavy heart as he left the warm countries to fly back into Denmark. There he had a nest over the window of a house in which dwelt the writer of fairy tales. The swallow sang, Tweet, tweet, and from his song came the whole story. 56 Andersen, Hans Christian. Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales. Mrs. Henry H. B. Paull, translator. London: Warne & Co., [1875]. 49 He had a gold crown on his head, and delicate wings at his shoulders, and was not much larger than Tiny herself: As in many fairy tales, the heroine marries a prince. An ordinary man is just not a suitable mate. The fact that he has wings means that he has to be with her - one of the central motifs of Thumbelina is the heroine's association with winged beings. 50 The angel of the flower: Another winged creature enters Thumbelina's life, and, like the swallow, and to a lesser extent the butterfly, saves her. The use of the term 'angel' imputes to him divine origins and possibilities. The mention of angels makes it clearer still that Thumbelina is no longer in the ordinary world. 51 Oh, how beautiful he is!: Beauty and ugliness in fairy tales are often synonymous with the ideas of good and evil. Good characters, in particular the heroines and heroes, are beautiful. Beauty may also signify innate nobility, deserving of an elevated social position in the fairytale world. Thus unparalleled beauty sets the hero and heroine apart from the common man and woman. If a central character is ugly, it is usually either a temporary state of affairs, or a symbol of their evil nature. The prince is clearly Thumbelina's match because she finds him beautiful. The two mirror one another, in height and beauty, and are so destined to be together. As she looks into him, she looks into a mirror (arguably literally, for he is after all "transparent as if he had been made of crystal") and sees a reflection of her own beauty. It is a very different moment from that in which she expresses despair at her own ugliness, having been rejected by the cockchafer. Her other potential husbands have been ugly in her eyes, and she could never have loved them. Andersen sends a clear message here that people need to be with those of their own kind. Elias Bredsdorff draws attention to Andersen's understanding of his own ambivalent attitude towards the nobility, and his fear of his own social class. Bredsdorff quotes from Andersen's diary: 'A nasty vagabond stood near the spring. I had a feeling that he might know who I was and might tell me something unpleasant, as if I were a pariah moved up into a social caste.' (279). 52 He took the gold crown from his head, and placed it on hers, and asked her name, and if she would be his wife, and queen over all the flowers: Thumbelina finds both love and an affirmed social position in one moment. Again, this is a common resolution to stories in the fairy tale genre. Women are married and raised to a superior position in society through their marriage. This is a particularly noticeable trend in the fairy tales whose heroine has a lowly social status, either from birth or as a result of having been stripped of her position and wealth at some point in her life. 53 A pair of beautiful wings, which had belonged to a large white fly: It is tempting to speculate that these wings came from the poor white butterfly that Thumbelina tied to her lily pad boat earlier in the tale. In receiving her wings, she becomes one of the angels herself. Sh was never really human, that was clear, and now she becomes divine. 54 Sing a wedding song: This is a singular occasion upon which Thumbelina does not sing and, more importantly, is not coerced into singing. This time, the music is in celebration of her The change of singer is representative of the change in Thumbelina's circumstances. She can sing, and will surely continue to do so, but on her own terms. The fact that the bird sings in celebration of the wedding also makes very clear the difference between this bridegroom Thumbelina's perfect match, and the mole, who dismissed so brutally the very same bird who i here invited to sing. 55 We will call you Maia: Thumbelina's transformation into Maia signifies in the stronges possible terms that she is now truly herself. Her previous incarnation, as Thumbelina and/o Tiny, emphasized her difference in the human/animal/ mortal world, and she leaves all tha behind. Maia is, "in Greek mythology, the daughter of Atlas and mother of Hermes". Zeus, th ruler of Olympus and of all the gods, was father of Hermes. He saw Maia and immediately fell in love with her - this encounter is a parallel to that of Thumbelina and her King, who immediately falls in love with her. The month of May is named after her as well - it is no wonder tha Thumbelina loved the spring and summer best. Her character is more easily understood if she i called Maia. 56 The swallow sang, "Tweet, tweet," and from his song came the whole story: During his first trip to Italy, Andersen felt that he had come to life; he called the date of his arrival in Rome, October 18, 1833, his Roman birthday. His first novel, The Improvisatore, is set in Italy. According to Jackie Wullschlager, the north to south journey is "Andersen's own interpretation of his Italian journey. In Signs and Symbols in Christian Art, the swallow was a Renaissanc symbol of Christ's incarnation. Because in Thumbelina, he acts as the link between the story and the storyteller, it could be said that he has adopted Christ's role as the intermediary between Man and God. Andersen, then, is the God of Thumbelina's fictional world. He is the creativ force that brings that world into being.