The Flying Dutchman and Other Folktales from the Netherlands

Copyright © 2008 by Theo Meder

A captain came home after a sea voyage of some four or five years. At home, he found his family extended with a little son, so instead of four children he now had five.

The captain asked his wife where this son came from, and she answered, "Well, my dear husband, it seems to be some kind of divine intervention. About two years ago I was taking a walk in the forest, thinking about you, and a snowflake fell into my lap. On that day I became pregnant, and I gave birth to this son."

The captain swallowed the story. A few years later he went on a long journey again, and took his son along, but returned home without him. Immediately, his wife asked where her son was, whereupon the captain answered, "Well, my dear wife, it seems to have been some kind of intervention indeed, and it is now confirmed that the boy was made of snow, for when we passed the equator, he melted at once."

This version of ATU 1362, The Snow-Child, was collected by G. J. Boekenoogen, found in a small jest book dating from 1859 called Knollen en Citroenen. An even older Dutch version has been found in a jest book from 1554 called Een nyeuwe clucht Boeck. The translation is based on T. Meder and C. Hendriks, Vertelcultuur in Nederland (Amsterdam, 2005), p. 471.