Snow White
At the beginning of the story, a queen sits sewing at an open window
during a winter snowfall when she pricks her finger with her needle,
causing three drops of blood fall onto the snow on the ebony
window frame. Admiring the beauty of the resulting color combination,
she says to herself: "Oh, how I wish that I had a daughter that is as
white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as that wood of the window
frame". Soon after, the queen indeed gives birth to a baby girl as white
as snow, as red as blood, and with hair as black as ebony. They name
her Snow White, and not long after, the queen dies.
After a year has passed, the King takes a new wife, who is beautiful but also unutterably wicked and vain. The new Queen possesses a magical mirror,
which she asks every morning: "Magic mirror in my hand, who is the
fairest in that land?". The mirror always replies: "My Queen, you are
the fairest in that land." The Queen is always pleased with that,
because the magic mirror never lies. But, when Snow White reaches the
age of seven, she becomes as beautiful as the day and even more
beautiful than the Queen and when the Queen asks her mirror, it
responds: "My Queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White is
a thousand time more beautiful than you."
This gives the queen a great shock, and she becomes yellow and green
with envy, and from that hour her heart turns against Snow White, and
with every following day she hates Snow White more and more. Envy and
pride, like ill weeds, grow in her heart taller every day, until she has
no peace day or night. The Queen orders a huntsman to take Snow White into the deepest woods to be killed. She demands as proof that Snow White is dead, he returns with her lungs and liver.
The huntsman takes Snow White into the forest. After raising his knife,
he finds himself unable to kill her as she sobs heavily and begs him:
"Oh, dear huntsman, don´t kill me! Leave me with my life, I will run
into the forest and never come back!". The huntsman leaves her behind
alive, convinced that the girl would be eaten by some wild animal. He
instead brings the Queen the lungs and liver of a young boar, which is prepared by the cook and eaten by the Queen.
After meandering through the forest for days, Snow White discovers a tiny cottage belonging to a group of seven Dwarfs.
Since no one is at home, she eats some of the tiny meals, drinks some
wine and then tests all the beds. Finally the last bed is comfortable
enough for her and she falls asleep. When the Dwarfs return home, they
immediately become aware that someone sneaked in secretly, because
everything in their home is in disorder. During their loud discussion
about who sneaked in, they discover the sleeping Snow White. The girl
wakes up and explains to them what happened and the Dwarfs take pity on
her, saying: "If you will keep house for us, and cook, make beds, wash,
sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay
with us, and you shall have everything that you want." They warn her to
be careful when alone at home and to let no one in when they are away
delving in the mountains.
Meanwhile, the Queen asks her mirror once again: "Magic Mirror in my
hand, who is the fairest in that land?" The mirror replies: "My Queen,
you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White beyond the mountains at
the seven Dwarfs is thousand times more beautiful than you."[1]
The Queen is horrified to learn that the huntsman has betrayed her and
that Snow White is still alive. She keeps thinking about how to get rid
of Snow White, then she disguises herself as an old peddler. The Queen then walks to the cottage of the Dwarfs and offers colourful, silky stay-laces
and convinces the girl to take the most beautiful stay-lace as a
present. Then the Queen laces it so tight that Snow White faints,
causing the Queen to leave her for dead. But the Dwarfs return just in
time and Snow White revives when the Dwarfs loosen the lace.
Next morning the Queen consults her mirror anew and the mirror
reveals Snow White's survival. Now infuriated, the Queen dresses as a comb
seller and convinces Snow White to take a beautiful one as a present.
She brushes Snow White's hair with a poisoned comb and the girl faints
again, but she is revived by the Dwarfs. And the next morning the mirror
tells the Queen, that Snow White is still 'thousand times more
beautiful' than its mistress. Now the Queen nearly has a cardiac arrest
in shock and rage. As a third and last try, she secretly consults the
darkest magic and makes a poisoned apple,
and in the disguise of a farmer's wife, she offers it to Snow White.
The girl is, at first, hesitant to accept it, so the Queen cuts the
apple in half, eating the white (harmless) part and giving the red
(poisoned) part to Snow White. The girl eagerly takes a bite and falls
into a state of suspended animation,
causing the Queen to triumph. This time, the Dwarfs are unable to
revive the girl, because they can´t find the source of Snow White's poor
health and, assuming that she is dead, they place her in a glass coffin.
Time passes, and a Prince traveling through the land sees Snow White.
He strides to her coffin, and enchanted by her beauty, instantly falls
in love with her. The Dwarfs succumb to his entreaties to let him have
the coffin, and as his servants carry the coffin away, they stumble on
some roots. The tremor caused by the stumbling causes the piece of
poisoned apple to dislodge from Snow White's throat, awakening her. The
Prince then declares his love for her, and soon a wedding is planned.
The couple invites every Queen and King to come to the wedding party,
including Snow White's stepmother. Meanwhile, the Queen, still believing
that Snow White is dead, again asks her magical mirror who is the
fairest in the land. The mirror says: "You, my Queen, are fair so true.
But the young Queen is a thousand times fairer than you."
Appalled in disbelief and with her heart full of fear and doubts, the
Queen is, at first, hesitant to accept the invitation, but she
eventually decides to go. Not knowing that this new queen was indeed her
stepdaughter, she arrives at the wedding, and her heart fills with the
deepest of dread when she realizes the truth. As a punishment for her
attempted murders, a pair of glowing-hot iron shoes are brought forth
with tongs and placed before the Queen. She is forced to step into the
burning shoes and to dance until she drops dead
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