SANNA ANNUKKA + JEAN HERSHOLT TSQ-IV OFFICIAL TRANSLATION

(Illustrations by Sanna Annukka made for this translation - official SDU H.C. Andersen Centre translation, for Syddansk Universitet, Odense)




JEAN HERSHOLT

Fourth Story

The Prince and the Princess

In the kingdom where we are now, there is a Princess who is uncommonly clever, and no wonder. She has read all the newspapers in the world and forgotten them again - that's how clever she is. Well, not long ago she was sitting on her throne. That's by no means as much fun as people suppose, so she fell to humming an old tune, and the refrain of it happened to run:

"Why, oh, why, shouldn't I get married?"

Why, that's an idea!' said she. And she made up her mind to marry as soon as she could find the sort of husband who could give a good answer when anyone spoke to him, instead of one of those fellows who merely stand around looking impressive, for that is so tiresome. She had the drums drubbed to call together all her ladies-in-waiting, and when they heard what she had in mind they were delighted.

'Oh, we like that!' they said. 'We were just thinking the very same thing.'

Believe me, every word I tell you is true. I have a ladylove who has the run of the palace, and I had the whole story straight from her.

The newspapers immediately came out with a border of hearts and the initials of the Princess, and you could read an announcement that any presentable young man might go to the palace and talk with her. The one who spoke best, and who seemed most at home in the palace, would be chosen by the Princess as her husband.

Men flocked to the palace, and there was much crowding and crushing, but on neither the first nor the second day was anyone chosen. Out in the street they were all glib talkers, but after they entered the palace gate where the guardsmen were stationed in their silver-braided uniforms, and after they climbed up the staircase lined with footmen in gold-embroidered livery, they arrived in the brilliantly lighted reception halls without a word to say. And when they stood in front of the Princess on her throne, the best they could do was to echo the last word of her remarks, and she didn't care to hear it repeated.

It was just as if everyone in the throne room had his stomach filled with snuff and had fallen asleep; for as soon as they were back in the streets there was no stopping their talk.

The line of candidates extended all the way from the town gates to the palace. They got hungry and they got thirsty, but from the palace they got nothing-not even a glass of lukewarm water. To be sure, some of the clever candidates had brought sandwiches with them, but they did not share them with their neighbors. Each man thought, 'Just let him look hungry, then the Princess won't take him!'

But when did he come? Was he among those people?

We are just coming to him. On the third day a little person, with neither horse nor carriage, strode boldly up to the palace. His eyes sparkled, and he had handsome long hair, but his clothes were poor.

He had a little knapsack on his back.

When he went through the palace gates and saw the guardsmen in silver, and on the staircase the footmen in gold, he wasn't at all taken aback. He nodded and he said to them:

'It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs. I'd rather go inside.'

The halls were brilliantly lighted. Ministers of state and privy councilors were walking about barefooted, carrying golden trays in front of them. It was enough to make anyone feel solemn, and his boots creaked dreadfully, but he wasn't a bit afraid.

Oh, they creaked all right. But it was little enough he cared as he walked straight to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning wheel. All the ladies-in-waiting with their attendants and their attendants' attendants, and all the lords-in-waiting with their gentlemen and their gentlemen's men, each of whom had his page with him, were standing there, and the nearer they stood to the door the more arrogant they looked. The gentlemen's men's pages, who always wore slippers, were almost too arrogant to look as they stood at the threshold.

That must have been terrible! And yet he won the Princess?

They say he spoke as well as ... Or so my ladylove tells me. He was dashing and handsome, and he was not there to court the Princess but to hear her wisdom. This he liked, and she liked him.

... and here's a little loaf of bread for ... ...  found it in the kitchen, where they have all the bread they need, ... can't get into the palace ...  The guardsmen in silver and the footmen in gold would never permit it. But ... We'll find a way. My ladylove knows of a little back staircase that leads up to the bedroom, and she knows where they keep the key to it."

Then they went into the garden and down the wide promenade where the leaves were falling one by one. When, one by one, the lights went out in the palace, ... led ... to the back door, which stood ajar.

Now they were on the stairway. A little lamp was burning on a cupboard, and there ...

"It seems to ... that someone is on the stairs behind us," ... Things brushed past, and from the shadows on the wall they seemed to be horses with spindly legs and waving manes. And there were shadows of huntsmen, ladies and gentlemen, on horseback.

Those are only dreams. They come to take the thoughts of their royal masters off to the chase. That's just as well, for it will give ... a good opportunity to see them while they sleep. 

Now they entered the first room. It was hung with rose-colored satin, embroidered with flowers. The dream shadows were flitting by so fast that one could not see the lords and ladies. Hall after magnificent hall quite bewildered ..., until at last they reached the royal bedroom.

The ceiling of it was like the top of a huge palm tree, with leaves of glass, costly glass. In the middle of the room two beds hung from a massive stem of gold. Each of them looked like a lily. One bed was white, and there lay the Princess. The other was red, and there ... saw the nape of a little brown neck. ... The dreams on horseback pranced into the room again, as he awoke-and turned his head-and ...

The Prince ..., but he was young and handsome. The Princess peeked out of her lily-white bed, and asked what had happened.

"Poor little thing," the Prince and the Princess said. They praised the crows, and said they weren't the least bit angry with them, but not to do it again. Furthermore, they should have a reward.

"Would you rather fly about without any responsibilities," said the Princess, "or would you care to be appointed court crows for life?"

The Prince got up, and let ... have his bed. It was the utmost that he could do. ... and thought, "How nice the people ... are."

The next day ... was dressed from ... head to ... heels in silk and in velvet too. They asked ... to stay at the palace and have a nice time there, but instead ... begged them to let ... have a little carriage, a little horse, and a pair of little boots, so that ... could drive out into the wide world ...

They gave ... a pair of boots, and also a muff. They dressed ... as nicely as could be and, when ... was ready to go, there at the gate stood a brand new carriage of pure gold. On it the coat of arms of the Prince and the Princess glistened like a star.

The coachman, the footman, and the postilions-for postilions there were-all wore golden crowns. The Prince and the Princess themselves helped ... into the carriage, and wished ... Godspeed. ... Inside, the carriage was lined with sugared cookies, and the seats were filled with fruit and gingerbread.

"Fare you well, fare you well," called the Prince and Princess. ... as long as ...  could see the carriage, which flashed as brightly as the sun.

FIFTH STORY

THE LITTLE ROBBER GIRL

The carriage rolled on into a dark forest. Like a blazing torch, it shone in the eyes of some robbers. They could not bear it.
"That's gold! That's gold!" they cried. They sprang forward, seized the horses, killed the little postilions, the coachman, and the footman, ...

SEVENTH STORY

...

WHAT CAME OF IT

Now the first little birds began to chirp, and there were green buds all around them in the forest. Through the woods came riding a young girl on a magnificent horse that ... recognized, for it had once been harnessed to the golden carriage.

...

But ... asked her about the Prince and the Princess.

"They are traveling in foreign lands," the girl told ... .



PS. INTERVIEW WITH SANNA ANNUKKA

Talk us through your creative process from getting an idea, to bringing it alive.

I start with loads of sketching. Quite a lot of time is spent experimenting with composition and trying to push the boundaries with it. It can be very easy to illustrate something quite literally.

So the key challenge is to be visually as inventive as possible so that it heightens intrigue and therefore enjoyment for the reader. Once there is a potential contender for the composition, I scan the drawing and construct the rest of the design on the computer using illustrator.

At the beginning of this project I also researched all other illustrated versions of the Snow Queen so that I wouldn’t end up illustrating the same kind of scenes. I also compiled Pinterest mood boards of all sorts of reference material from wintery settings to golden carriages.

What tools do you use?

Pens, paper, a scanner app on my phone and then many long hours using illustrator.