“The Story of King Frost.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 209-212.
![The Story of King Frost](/projects/fairy-tales/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/yellowfairybook00lang02_0261.jpg?itok=lvIv3Z14)
Tale Summary
Once upon a time, there was a peasant woman who had a daughter, who got everything she wanted, and a stepdaughter, who had a hard time and was blamed for everything although she was good-hearted. Her husband (the girl’s father) gave in to the woman’s wishes to get rid of the girl, and placed his daughter in a sledge and left her in an open field to die. The girl heard a sound: it was King Frost. He asked her if she was warm, and although she was shivering, she said yes. He asked her twice more and still she replied that she was warm. King Frost took pity on her for her uncomplaining ways and he wrapped her up, giving her a beautiful embroidered robe, and stepped into his sledge with her. Her wicked stepmother was meantime imploring her husband to find his daughter's body and bury her, and just as he was leaving to do so, the little dog under the table began to speak:
“Your daughter shall live to be your delight;
daughter shall die this very night.”
The stepmother scolded the dog and promised him a pancake if he would say:
“Her daughter shall have much silver and gold;
His daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold.”
The dog ate the pancake and said:
“His daughter shall wear a crown on her head;
daughter shall die unwooed, unwed.”
To her dismay the dog repeated only these words. Suddenly, the door flew open and the girl entered dressed beautifully, and with her was a heavy chest. The stepmother commanded her husband to prepare the sledge to take her daughter to the exact spot the fair girl was left so that she also could reap a reward. After she was left there, King Frost came to her and asked if she was warm, and the unpleasant girl answered rudely that she was very plainly freezing. He asked her again and again and she became increasingly rude, and so he froze her to death. Back in the hut the wicked girl's mother grew impatient and told her husband to fetch her and bring her home. The dog again began to bark and said:
“Your daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold,
and shall never have a chest full of gold.”
the woman scolded the dog and promised a cake if he would say:
“Her daughter shall marry a mighty king.”
At that moment the door opened and the wicked woman went to meet her daughter, but was frozen to death as soon as she touched the cold corpse.
Fairy Tale Title
The Story of King Frost
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Andrew Lang
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Henry Justice Ford
Common Tale Type
The Kind and the Unkind Girls
Tale Classification
ATU 480
Page Range of Tale
pp. 209-212
Full Citation of Tale
“The Story of King Frost.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 209-212.
Original Source of the Tale
This tale is derived from a Russian story
Tale Notes
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener, 2023
Book Title
The Yellow Fairy Book
Book Author/Editor(s)
Andrew Lang
Illustrator(s)
Henry Justice Ford
Publisher
Longmans, Green, and Co.
Date Published
1906
Decade Published
1900-1909
Publisher City
London
New York
Bombay
Publisher Country
United Kingdom
United States
India
Language
English
Rights
Public Domain
Digital Copy
Book Notes
Though this book is written in prose with more difficult language than other books of fairy tales in the collection, the Preface says this book is written for children.