Fifty Words for Snow

Snow. Every language has its own words for the feather-like flakes that come from the sky. In Japanese we find Yuki-onna - a 'snow woman' who drifts through the frosted land. In Icelandic falls Hundslappadrifa - 'big as a dog's paw'. And in Maori we meet Huka-rere - 'one of the children of rain and wind'. From mountain tops and frozen seas to city parks and desert hills, writer and Arctic traveller Nancy Campbell digs deep into the meanings of fifty words for snow. Under her gaze, each of these linguistic snow crystals offers a whole world of myth and story.