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The elf of the rose. In the midst of a garden grew a rose-tree, in full blossom, and in the prettiest of all the roses lived an elf. He was such a little wee thing, that no human eye could see him. Behind each leaf of the rose he had a sleeping chamber.
- The Beetle Who Went on his Travels. A bragging beetle sees the world, marries and leaves a beetle wife, and draws his own conclusions about the world and his place in it.
- The Brave Tin Soldier (1838) A toy soldier with a leg missing falls out a window, has adventures, admires a paper ballerina from afar, and is finally thrown into a furnace with the ballerina.
- The Buckwheat. A proud buckwheat refuses to yield and bow, so he gets destroyed by a storm.
- The Conceited Apple-Branch. An apple blossom is humbled when painted next to a despised dandelion.
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The Princess and the Pea
First published alongside three other fairy tales, The Princess and the Pea follows a young woman whose royal ancestry is established by testing whether she can feel a single pea under a large pile of mattresses. Ultimately, the princess goes on to marry a prince who had long searched for a suitable wife. It is likely that Andersen heard the story, which is possibly a folk tale originating from Sweden, as a child. Along with the other tales published in 1935, The Princess and the Pea was not...
Thumbelina
Thumbelina is about a tiny girl and her adventures amongst toads, cockchafers and moles, who all try and pursue her hand in marriage. Eventually, she falls in love with a flower-fairy prince who is the same size as her. Though Thumbelinais primarily Anderson’s creation, he was inspired by tales of miniature people such as the character Tom Thumb. Like The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelinawas not well received by critics because of its informal style and lack of clear moral narrative. It noneth...
The Emperor’s New Clothes
One of Andersen’s most famous tales, The Emperor’s New Clothesis known for its wit and powerful message about challenging authority. It follows an arrogant emperor who is convinced by conmen weavers that he should wear a magical new ‘invisible’ material, reserved solely for the elite. Ultimately, it takes the courage of a young boy to point out that the emperor is in the nude, and is exposing himself to his subjects. Andersen’s tale is likely inspired by a story from the popular Spanish 12th-...
The Little Mermaid
Perhaps Andersen’s most renowned work, The Little Mermaid follows the journey of a mermaidwho falls under the spell of a human prince, so becomes willing to give up her life in the sea to gain a human soul on land. It has been adapted many times for theatre, ballet, opera and film: however, most adaptations have a happier ending than Andersen’s original tale, which involves the mermaid planning on killing the prince with a dagger. Nonetheless, the popular tale is commonly referenced in popula...
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
This fairy tale follows a tin soldier’s love for a paper ballerina. The tin soldier only has one leg, while the ballerina is posed standing on pointe on one leg, which helps attract them to one another. The pair melt together while dancing close to the fireplace, and all that is left behind is a shiny spangle and a lump of tin in the shape of a heart. The touching story about the soldier and ballerina being unwavering in their love was the first of Andersen’s to not be based upon a folk tale...
The Nightingale
Possibly inspired by a trip Andersen took to a Danish pleasure garden in Tivoli, The Nightingalefollows an emperor of China who becomes obsessed with the sound of the nightingale. However, after he receives a mechanical trinket that imitates a nightingale, he turns his attention away from the real nightingale, and nearly dies as a result. Andersen’s story is commonly interpreted as a reminder to appreciate the simple pleasures of nature, rather than modern technology alone. It is thought that...
The Ugly Duckling
Published to great critical acclaim, The Ugly Duckling is perhaps Andersen’s most personal tale. He was reportedly inspired to write the tale when relaxing on the Danish island of Zealand, and also later told a critic that the story is a symbolic representation of his own early years, since he was teased for his appearance as a child, but later went on to become a refined and successful author. The story of The Ugly Duckling has been adapted numerous times, with derivates such as the stage sh...
The Snow Queen
This story centres on the struggle between good and evil through the characters of Gerda and her friend Kay. After being struck by shards of a magic mirror, Kay sees everything through the lens of negativity and hatred. After Kay is later captured by the evil Snow Queen, Gerda travels to her fortress to save her friend before he dies. One of his longest and most complex plots, the story is split up into seven chapters and has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times.
The Red Shoes
Perhaps the strangest of Andersen’s fairy tales, The Red Shoesfollows a poor young woman called Karen who is seduced by the beauty of a pair red shoes, and wears them in inappropriate places such as church. She is cursed to dance in the shoes against her own will, and eventually has to have her feet cut off to try and escape the curse. At the end of the story, she dies, possibly as a form of redemption. The story has been extensively analysed because of its questionable moral message, with so...
The Little Match Girl
One of the shortest Andersen’s stories, this story follows a little girl on New Year’s Eve who tries to sell matches, in vain, before succumbing to the cold and dying. While dying from the cold, she experiences visions of joy and kindness, and her grandmother eventually carries her to heaven, where it is implied that she is at last at peace. The story is both one of the saddest and most visceral of Andersen’s works, since it highlights the misery and plight of the impoverished. Furthermore, u...
Learn about the most famous and influential fairy tales by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, such as The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling. Discover the origins, themes and adaptations of these stories that have inspired generations of readers and viewers.
Dec 13, 2007 · Below is the complete list of Andersen’s 168 tales, in the chronological order of their original publication. Title variations and Danish equivalents may be found in the cross reference.
The Angel. Whenever a good child dies, an angel of God comes down from heaven, takes the dead child in his arms, spread out his great white wings, and flies….
Hans Christian Andersen translated by John Irons This complete edition from 2022 of all Andersen’s Fairy Tales and Stories seeks to provide a much-needed reliable English translation.
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May 9, 2024 · Hans Christian Andersen (born April 2, 1805, Odense, near Copenhagen, Denmark—died August 4, 1875, Copenhagen) was a Danish master of the literary fairy tale whose stories achieved wide renown. He is also the author of plays, novels, poems, travel books, and several autobiographies.
