Frost Fairies and Fireflies

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King Frost, who lives in a great ice palace, wishes to send his hoard of precious jewels and treasure to Father Christmas, to be used as gifts for children.  The King tasks his fairies with carrying large glistening jars of the jewels across the land.  But fairies being fairies, they are distracted along the way, and hide the jewel-filled jars in trees and bushes whist they run and play.  Mr Sun then sends his fireflies after the jars, cracking and and breaking them.  The jewels melt out across the land, like shimmering raindrops, causing the leaves to change to ruby, bronze, sapphire and emerald, bejewelled autumn and winter colours. The Frost King, initially cross, sees the beauty created, and forgives the fairies, tasking them to repeat the transformation of the seasons each year.

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This story is based on Margaret T. Canby's The Frost Fairies, also written in a different form by Helen Keller.  You can find out more about the origins of the story here.

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