Snegurochka

This drawing is based on a traditional Russian New Year's tale about the Snow Maiden. She is the daughter of Spring the Beauty and Spirit of Winter, and yearns for the companionship of mortal humans, but her heart is unable to know love. Snow Maiden calls on her mother: "Oh grant me the gift of love, for I wouldlove or die!" Spring-Beauty, who appears from a lake surrounded by flowers, places the crown upon Snow Maiden's forehead, a garland that gives her this ability, but as soon as she falls in love, her heart warms and she melts.This version of the story was made into a play The Snow Maiden by Aleksandr Ostrovsky, with incidental music by Tchaikovsky in 1873.