In "The Ice-Maiden", written towards the end of his career, Hans Christian Andersen tells the tale of Rudy, a boy who lost both his parents and goes to live with his uncle.

[3] The reader is first introduced to Rudy as he sells toy houses made by his grandfather.

He has fallen in love with the miller's daughter, Babette; however, the miller does not approve of the union and gives Rudy the impossible task of climbing to the top of a dangerous mountain and bringing back a live baby eaglet.

While Babette was off visiting her godmother, she caught the attention of her cousin and flirted with him, which reveals in Rudy a growing jealousy.

[5] The 38, 39 and 40th episodes of anime television series Andersen Monogatari (1971) are an adaptation of the story.