Source
The source for the story was a widely popular woodcut illustration by the Danish artist Johan Thomas Lundbye depicting a poor child selling matches printed in a calendar for 1843; several illustrations had been sent to Andersen by the editor of an almanac requesting him to write a story around one.
Another known inspiration for the story is the well-known fairy tale The Star Money previously recorded by the Brothers Grimm. It is a story of an impoverished young girl who gives away everything that she has to the needy and ends up with nothing but her love for God. Her selflessness is later rewarded by stars falling from the sky towards the earth, proven to be silver coins. The Grimms' variation differs, ending with the girl remaining alive and receiving divine gifts (money that falls from the stars) for her charity.
Read more about this topic: The Little Match Girl
Famous quotes containing the word source:
“The source of our actions resides in an unconscious propensity to regard ourselves as the center, the cause, and the conclusion of time. Our reflexes and our pride transform into a planet the parcel of flesh and consciousness we are.”
—E.M. Cioran (b. 1911)
“Anti-Semitism is a horrible disease from which nobody is immune, and it has a kind of evil fascination that makes an enlightened person draw near the source of infection, supposedly in a scientific spirit, but really to sniff the vapors and dally with the possibility.”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)
“If I have been the source of pain, O God;
If to the weak I have refused my strength;
If, in rebellion, I have strayed away;
Forgive me, God.”
—Janet W. May (20th century)