Andersen's Fairy Tales Characters

Younger Sister SyndromeHope you weren't expecting Disney's spunky, self-possessed heroine, because that's sure not what you'll find here. In Andersen's tale, the little mermaid starts out as a quie...

Gerda is Good, Gerda is GreatGerda is one sweet kid. She likes to sing psalms, and when Kai is pricked by the mirror shards, she "cried out of sympathy" (29.23). When Kai disappears, she's the one...

One Brave Little DudeThis little soldier isn't dealt a good hand in life. He's different from the other tin soldiers in his set because he's missing a leg: He had been the last one to be cast and t...

Humble and HomelyThe ugly duckling gets a raw deal: he's actually a baby swan, but nobody knows that, so everyone thinks he's the ugliest duckling to ever walk the earth. The other ducks' abuse of...

We have a feeling that Andersen woke up every morning, looked at his reflection in the mirror, and came up with ways to instill fear in the hearts of vain little girls.Not convinced? Just have a lo...

Andersen loves little girl characters who are innocent, faithful, and good. Like, almost as much as he hates proud girls. The girl in "The Little Match Girl," for instance, suffers during the winte...

Andersen's stories are chock-full of boys who are honest and kind. The kinds of dudes you'd want to bring home to your mother or enjoy a long, meaningful chest bump with, you know? However, despite...

Apparently common sense is not a requirement to be a ruler in Andersen's tales. (Or in real life, we want to say. But you know, there are some good ones…) Take, for instance, the emperor in "The...