All the girls, that were about to
turn sixteen, in the village were sad and frightened because of the tradition,
except one. This girl’s name was Snowdrop; she was called that because a lot of
snowdrop flowers bloomed on the day she was born. Ever since Snowdrop was a
little girl, she knew that one day she might be sacrificed to the mountain
demon. But she didn’t feel frightened, she actually felt grateful to the snow
demon. She was grateful because she knew that the snow demon was the one who
ruled over the land the village was built on. Every winter, whenever snowdrop
flowers grew, she would place snowdrop flowers just outside the mountain, as a
thank you gift to him.
One winter day it was now time for
the snow demon to be presented with a sixteen year old girl. A small temple lay
in the middle of the village and that was where the villagers would gather
round to choose what girl would be sacrificed to the snow demon. This year
Snowdrop was chosen. The vote was decided by her father. Snowdrop’s father was
a terrible man; he never wanted a daughter. Snowdrop’s mother died after giving
birth to her and he was not happy that he didn’t end up with a son. He thought
that giving her to the snow demon would be a way to get rid of her.
Snowdrop was dressed in white robes and she walked straight to the cave
in the snowy mountains where the snow demon lived. It was dark inside the cave
and Snowdrop couldn’t see anything at all. “Is anyone here?” she whispered.
“Step forward my pretty maiden” said a voice. Snowdrop bravely stepped forward
and then the snow demon appeared. He didn’t look like a monster; in fact he
nearly looked human. But he had horns on his head and his feat had big
toenails. Snowdrop bowed politely to the snow demon. The snow demon raised her
head with his fingers. “So beautiful and exquisite” he said, with a smile,
“come with me my dear”.
The snow demon brought snowdrop to a
room of the cave, where a big bed, with fury sheets and pillows, lay. He placed
snowdrop on the bed and raped her all night long. This is what the snow demon
always did; he would rape the village girls that are sent to him. Snowdrop did
feel pain from being raped, but did nothing to stop him just in case it would
make him angry enough to kill her.
The next morning, the snow demon sent
Snowdrop home. “You pleased me” he said, with a smile. Snowdrop curtsied to him
and went back to the village. The villagers were relieved that Snowdrop was
okay. “Now our village will be saved” they said.
For a while everything seemed normal
and during spring everything went well for the crops. But then Snowdrop began
to feel sick. When she visited the village doctor, she realized that she was
with child and Snowdrop knew that it was the snow demons child. She didn’t want
to tell anything, especially her father, just in case they would want to kill
it. One night, Snowdrop went up to the mountains, where she would place
snowdrops, and said; “Snow demon I wanted to let you know that I am carrying
your child”. What Snowdrop didn’t know was that she had been followed. The
village doctor, who told Snowdrop that she was with child, feared that it was
the snow demon’s child, since she was raped by him. So he followed Snowdrop and
heard her say that she was carrying the snow demon’s child.
The next day, Snowdrop was taken to
the temple. The doctor had told everyone that Snowdrop was carrying the snow
demon’s child. The villagers feared that Snowdrop’s child would mean trouble
for the village, so they wanted to kill it by making Snowdrop abort it.
Snowdrop didn’t want to abort it and kept on telling the villagers that she
wanted to keep her child. But the villagers ignored her pleas. “This is for the
sake of the village” they said. Snowdrop’s father was just about to beat her,
so Snowdrop would miscarriage, when suddenly he was turned into a block of ice.
“Don’t you dare harm my child!” a voice shouted.
It was the snow demon. He heard what
Snowdrop had said that night, and came to the village to retrieve her. “Come to
me my dear,” he said to Snowdrop, offering a hand to her “we will take our
leave”. Snowdrop gave her hand to him, then the snow demon put her to sleep and
then he held her in his arms. He turned to the frightened villagers. “I am
taking my bride back with me to the mountains,” he said “I do not want any more
girls given to me at winter time. What I do want is a big bundle of wheat every
month. My wife here will need it when the child is born. And further more I do
not want anyone trespassing on the mountains, and to give you a warning”. He
clicked his fingers and then Snowdrop’s father, still in a block of ice, broke
into a million pieces. “The same thing will happen to you if anyone disturbs me
and my family, and also if you refuse to give me wheat”. And then the snow
demon vanished with Snowdrop, still sleeping in his arms.
The villagers never saw Snowdrop
again, but they say that they hear her laughter in the mountains. They also
hear a sound that sounds like children laughing; which meant that Snowdrop had
given the snow demon a lot of children. And they say that she lived a happy life
with her snow demon husband and her snow demon children until she died.
