Fifty Words for Snow

Book excerpt: Snow. In Japan it is Yuki-onna -- 'a goddess'. In Icelandic, Hundslappadrifa -- 'flakes as big as a dog's paw'. In Hawai'ian, snow is hau - 'mother of pearl', but also 'love'. Every language and culture has its own words for the feathery, jewel-like flakes that fall from the sky. From Iceland to Greenland, mountain top to frozen forest, school yard to park, snow is welcomed, feared, played with and prized. In this lyrical, evocative and beautiful book, Arctic traveller and award-winning writer Nancy Campbell digs deep into the meanings, etymologies and histories of fifty words for snow from across the globe. Held under her magnifying glass, each of these linguistic snow crystals offers a whole world of myth, culture and story.