The Snow Baby – Part One

Far off, in the land of the midnight sun; in the northernmost part of the North Pole was a kingdom of snow and ice and an ancient Eskimo tribe led by a terribly tyrannical chief called Angry Bear.

And angry bear had a wife called Snow Blossom; his second wife because his first wife, Bitter Frost had been unable to bear him a child and, after being with Snow Blossom for some time she became pregnant and her husband said to her, “I am going on a hunting trip and, when I get back, I want to see my son. If you fail to bear me a child then I will be very angry and you will be banished to the snowy wilderness, do you understand me?”.

All of Snow Blossoms neighbours thought it awful that she was put under so much pressure by her husband and that he would banish her for failing to bear him a child but they feared her husband as much as she and dared not say anything against him, at least not openly.

But then, sadly, while her husband was away, Snow Blossom’s baby died during child birth.

“What am I to do now?”, asked Snow Blossom, weeping over her dead baby, “My husband will banish me for certain and my beautiful baby boy is dead. I do not know if I want to live anymore”.

But then one of Snow Blossoms neighbours; an old widow called ‘Has walked far’ said to Snow Blossom, “Take your baby to the mystic Evergreen; the sacred tree that grows on the other side of the snowy hills. It will know what to do”.

And so, wrapping her baby up in soft furs, Snow Blossom went out into the ice and snow and she walked for many days and nights, crossing over the snowy hills that lay in the east of her kingdom and then, finally, she saw a tall pine tree; as tall as a mountain, who she knew was the mystic Evergreen and, laying her baby down in front of the tree she asked its advice.

“Bury your baby in the snow”, said the tree in a deep, booming voice, “And, from the snow upon the grave, make a baby boy. Then sprinkle the snow baby with my pine needles and you shall see”.

And so, following the Evergreen’s instructions, Snow Blossom dug a hole near the foot of the tree and placed the dead body of her son into it; then, covering it up with a deep layer of snow, she used her hands to fashion the snow into a likeness of her son, giving it a cheerful smiling face and using a drop of her own blood to paint its lips red, then, taking a handful of pine needles from the tree she scattered them over the snow baby.

And as she was doing so, a tear fell from her right eye that melted a tiny scar upon the snow babies left cheek but, fortunately, before she could weep any more, something miraculous happened.

When the last pine needle had been scattered, to her amazement, she suddenly saw the eyes of the snow baby begin to blink and then, from its mouth she heard her baby start to make a sound. It was laughing.

“Within the snow baby is the soul of your son. Now take it and go but remember always that your child is made of snow and will melt if he comes in contact with fire”, said the tree.

Picking up the snow baby gently in her arms, Snow blossom thanked the tree and carried the magical infant back towards her village.

But then, from behind another tree, emerged Bitter Frost, the first wife of Angry Bear who was very jealous of Snow Blossom and had followed her all the way to the mystic evergreen.

“My son, if he had been born, would have been the chief of the tribe but now her Snow baby shall be Angry Bears rightful heir, unless the child dies”, she said to herself.

When Snow Blossom got back to the village, she was just in time to meet her husband coming home from his hunting trip and when he saw his son, he was happy.

“He looks just as handsome as his father”, said Angry Bear, “And I know that he will become a great chief and a mighty hunter”.

And, that night, they celebrated the Snow baby’s arrival with an enormous feast and, holding the infant up to the stars of Heaven, Snow Blossom gave it the name “Star of the North”.