Dynamic Dreamer ~ Art Weaver » King of Pentacles http://lisahuntart.com/blog The Mythic, Tarot & Fairy Tale musings of Lisa Hunt Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:51:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 Frost King, stepmothers and keeping your cool http://lisahuntart.com/blog/2008/12/27/frost_king/ http://lisahuntart.com/blog/2008/12/27/frost_king/#comments Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:38:08 +0000 lisahuntart http://lisahuntart.com/blog/?p=1 The Frost King as King of Pentacles was a really fun painting to do partly because I love to draw spirits (and this one was done with some spontaneous flourishes—ice and snow are fun to paint using watercolors) and partly because I was eager to capture the resilience of the little girl who maintained decorum and courage in the face of impending doom. The Frost King is a Russian fairy tale that supports the evil stepmother stereotype of long ago. Given that there are “steps” within my own blended family dynamic, I’d like to think we’ve put old views of step parenthood to rest. But the stepmothers that occupy the older fairy tale traditions are usually depicted as cold, callous jealous interlopers bent on destroying an unwanted child’s life. While researching the Fairy Tale Tarot, I came across some interesting theories surrounding this phenomenon from a historic perspective. The tyrannical mother figure may have echoed the competitive environment in an era/s when women were dependent on men for survival (please don’t moan here, ‘tis the way things were). A younger woman may have been perceived as competition, as exemplified in stories such a Snow White.

(concept sketch)

(concept sketch)

In the Frost King, the story contrasts the virtuousness of the stepdaughter with the contemptuous “real” daughter (A similar theme also appears in the story Diamonds and Toads). Here the stepmother exploited the goodness of her stepchild before demanding that her husband, the father, take her to the wood and leave her for the Frost King. After an agonizing goodbye, the wretched girl was left by the stream without protective cover. It wasn’t long before the Frost King emerged from hiding, expecting to hear cold-induced moaning from his potential victim. But when he snapped his ice fingers and gnashed his teeth with tempting questions about the creeping cold, the girl responded sweetly that she was warm. The Frost King pulled back. He was so impressed with the girl’s uncomplaining nature that he covered her with a blanket and left her jewels.

Can you guess what happened next?
Well, the girl returned home with the treasure prompting her surprised stepmother to send her own daughter into the freezing wood. “Imagine what great gifts the Frost King will bestow on her!”
But when the Frost King approached the child, she was so miserable and ill tempered that he slowly froze her to death.
*******
Symbols

The resolute girl wears the color red, representing life. The hardness of the ice melts, echoing her own abilities to overcome the coldness of her surroundings. The Frost King is illuminated with warm spirals. He is there to summon respect and offer relief to a desperate situation. His bag contains the secrets of his power and wisdom. The crown, spiked with high-rising icicles is a symbol of his connection to higher thought processes. The tree is adorned with more spirals, symbols of hope for continuation.

~ Lisa

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