The Nutcracker Prince Ornament is about 5½ inches tall. The Prince is wearing a gold crown with red center cap, red and gold striped uniform with purple stripes in the upper part of the sleeve, gold buttons and white collar with gold trim and ivory and gold cuffs. His trousers have red and gold stripes and his black boots have white tops and gold decorations on the front. The Prince is holding his gold and silver scepter in his right hand and his cutlass is in a leather sheath attached to his left side. Select this link to view our Nutcracker Ornaments.
The History of Nutcrackers
According to German folklore, nutcrackers were given as keepsakes to bring good luck to your family and protect your home. The legend says that a nutcracker represents power and strength and serves like a trusty watch dog guarding your family from evil spirits and danger. A fierce protector, the nutcracker bares its teeth to the evil spirits and serves as the traditional messenger of good luck and goodwill. Select this link to view our Wooden Nutcracker Ornaments.
Nutcrackers reflect ancestral dining customs where amusing or unusual nutcrackers were part of the social setting adding a whimsical conversation piece as guests linger over the dessert course which included treats such as pecans and hazelnuts. Select this link to view our Royal Prince with Scepter.
Writers, composers and artists sang and danced the praises of the legend of the Nutcracker beginning with the novel “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice,” written sometime between 1776 and 1822, by E.T. Amadeus Hoffman. This novel became the basis for Tchaikovsky’s magnificent “Nutcracker Suite”, which debuted as a ballet in St. Petersburg in 1892 and lives on as a holiday tradition throughout the world. Select this link to view our Miniature Prince Nutcrackers.
The Kurt Adler Nutcracker Fable.
Once upon a time, in the mountains of Germany, there lived a young boy with his mother and father. The boy’s father woke up very early every day and went to work in the mines. The little boy was scared to stay at home without his father, whom he loved very much. Select this link to view our Majestic King.
So that his son would not be frightened, the father carved him a wooden nutcracker which had fierce eyes and teeth. He told the boy that he should not be afraid because he was safe from harm with the nutcracker there to protect him. The boy was still afraid, so every night, when the father came home from the mines, he worked on carving a new nutcracker for his son. He gave his son a different nutcracker….a guard, a painter, a clock maker, etc. These nutcrackers protected the boy and kept him company while his father was away. The boy always felt safe and when he was older and had a son of his own, he passed on the nutcrackers to him, so that he would always be protected from harm. And as the nutcrackers were passed on, the collection grew bigger and bigger as each generation added its own special touch.
The End.