Sue’s presentation is called “The Way of the Heart in Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Snow Queen’: An Ecofeminist Interpretation”
Han Christian Andersen’s tale “The Snow Queen” shows us the power of the heart when it has a deep connection to the natural world. It can melt the icy grip of hyper-rationality, divorced from all feeling. The character Gerda can be seen as an early ecofeminist, able to communicate with rivers, flowers, ravens. and reindeer. Hers is a heroine’s journey in the tradition of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth inspired by love and aided by spiritual powers, both pagan and Christian.
The Snow Queen herself and her palace represent the triumph of Enlightenment values: the cold, utilitarian, left hemispheric outlook that is even more prevalent today. In my presentation we will look at this fairy tale through the lens of ecofeminism, Iain McGilchrist’s hemisphere theory, and the science of heart neurology.
The Snow Queen contrasts the values of cultural creatives (originally those of the Romantics) with the materialist, exploitative mindset that is destroying our planet and our communities. We need the power of the heart to restore our relationship with the Earth and with each other. As a child I loved this story and it inspired me to choose the way of the heart. It can inspire us today.
About Sue
Sue Bayliss is a poet, writer, holistic therapist and trainer. She has always been fascinated by mythology and has written a book entitled The Hero’s Path: Changing the Story of the World by Reclaiming our True Selves, which encourages us to see our lives through the lens of the hero’s journey. She is also an activist who cares passionately about our beautiful planet and about social justice.