Prince

The Prince is the young palace resident whom Gerda initially mistakes for Kay, and his encounter with her turns a mistaken identification into practical kindness. First encountered through the Forest crow’s account of a bold young man at court, he is ultimately revealed as a different person: young and handsome, but like Kay only in the shape of his neck. Once he and the Princess understand Gerda’s search, he helps her recover strength and leave the palace equipped to continue it.

Identity and Introduction

The Prince first appears indirectly in the Forest crow’s account of a young man who enters the palace and approaches the Princess. The Forest crow has heard the story from the Tame crow, who was present. The visitor passes the guards and gold-clad servants without embarrassment; his boots creak as he walks through the bright rooms, and he is not unsettled by the grandeur around him. Gerda recognizes the detail of the new boots from Kay’s earlier visit to her Grandmother’s room and concludes that the visitor must be Kay.

At the Princess’s audience, the young man speaks confidently and agreeably. He says he has come not to woo her but to hear her wisdom, and the Forest crow reports that the Princess is as pleased with him as he is with her. This account gives the Prince an entrance shaped by Gerda’s hope: the story sounds like evidence that she has found Kay, though the crows’ report is indirect and the resemblance proves misleading.

The Palace Encounter

When Gerda reaches the bedroom, she searches among the two flower-shaped beds for Kay. The Princess lies in the white bed; the red one holds the young man Gerda takes for her lost friend. She pushes aside a red leaf, sees his neck in the lamplight, calls Kay’s name, and wakes him. The Prince is only like Kay in that one feature. The moment overturns Gerda’s expectation, but it also brings her into the presence of people who can hear what has happened to her.

The Princess wakes and asks what is wrong. Gerda weeps and tells her story, including the help the crows have given her. The Prince and Princess respond with sympathy, praise the crows, and say that although the crows’ actions must not be repeated, they are not angry and will reward them. The Prince’s part in this response is not presented as a separate speech or decision; the narrative places him beside the Princess in their shared reception of Gerda and their joint judgment of the crows’ assistance.

Kindness and Practical Aid

The Prince’s clearest individual action follows that welcome. He rises from his bed and gives it to Gerda, doing what he can to provide for her immediate need. Gerda folds her hands and reflects on the kindness she has received from people and animals alike before falling asleep. In this episode, the Prince’s generosity is concrete: he yields his own place to rest rather than merely expressing sympathy.

The next day, the Prince and Princess invite Gerda to stay at the palace for a few days and enjoy herself. She declines the extended comfort because she still wants to search for Kay, asking instead for boots, a little carriage, and a horse. The palace provides more than she requests: silk and velvet clothing, a muff, and a coach of pure gold bearing the Prince and Princess’s coat of arms. The Prince and Princess help her into it and wish her success. His generosity therefore supports Gerda’s purpose without redirecting it; the palace offers shelter, but he helps her set out again.

Character and Narrative Role

The Prince is characterized through ease in a ceremonious court and generosity toward a stranger. In the crows’ account, he moves through richly appointed rooms without being intimidated by rank or display, and he approaches the Princess through conversation about her wisdom rather than a conventional pursuit of marriage. In Gerda’s presence, that composure is matched by compassionate action: he gives up his bed and helps send her on her way.

His resemblance to Kay briefly makes him the answer Gerda hopes to find, but the mistaken identity does not become a source of conflict. Once the difference is clear, the Prince and Princess become helpers rather than substitutes for Kay. His narrative importance lies in that turn: the palace cannot end Gerda’s search, yet the Prince’s welcome gives her rest, supplies, and a golden coach for continuing it.