Snow White

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" redirects here. For the first full-length animated feature film,
see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film).
This article is about the traditional fairy tale. For the Disney character, see Snow White (Disney). For
other uses, see Snow White (disambiguation).

Schneewittchen (Snow White)

Schneewittchen by Alexander Zick

Folk tale

Name

Schneewittchen (Snow White)

Data

Aarne-Thompsongrouping

709

Country

Germany

"Snow White" is a German fairy tale known across much of Europe and is today one of the most
famous fairy tales worldwide. TheBrothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their
collection Grimms' Fairy Tales. It was titled in German: Sneewittchen(in modern
orthography Schneewittchen) and numbered as Tale 53. The Grimms completed their final revision
of the story in 1854.[1]

The fairy tale features such elements as the magic mirror, the poisoned apple, the glass coffin, and
the characters of the evil queen/stepmother and the seven dwarfs. The seven dwarfs were first given
individual names in the Broadway play Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1912) and then
given different names in Walt Disney's 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Grimm
story, which is commonly referred to as "Snow White", should not be confused with the story of
"Snow White and Rose Red" (in German "Schneeweichen und Rosenrot"), another fairy tale
collected by the Brothers Grimm.[2]
In the AarneThompson folklore classification, tales of this kind are grouped together as type 709,
Snow White. Others of this kind include "Bella Venezia", "Myrsina", "Nourie Hadig" and "Gold-Tree
and Silver-Tree".[3]
Contents
[hide]

1 Plot

2 Variations

3 From other European traditions

4 Modern uses and adaptations

5 Trademark

6 In art

7 See also

8 References

9 Further reading

10 External links

Plot[edit]

1. The Queen asks the magic mirror

2. Snow White in the forest

3. The dwarfs find Snow White asleep

4. The dwarfs warn Snow White

5. The Queen visits Snow White

6. The Queen has poisoned Snow White

7. The Prince awakes Snow White

8. The Queen arrives at the wedding

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 red blood to drip onto the freshly fallen
white snow on the black windowsill. Admiring the beauty of the resulting color combination, she says
to herself, "Oh how I wish that I had a daughter that had skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood,
and hair as black as ebony". Soon after that, the Queen gives birth to a baby girl who is as white as
snow, has lips red as blood and has hair as black as ebony. They name her 'Snow White', but sadly,
the Queen dies after giving birth to her.[1][4]
After a year has passed, the King takes a new wife, who is beautiful but also
unutterably wicked and vain. The new queen possesses amagic mirror, which she asks every
morning, "Magic mirror in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?" The mirror always replies, "My
queen, you are the fairest in the 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 more beautiful
each 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 times more
beautiful than you".[1][4]
This gives the queen a great shock. She becomes yellow and green with envy and from that hour
on, her heart turns against Snow White, and she hates her more and more each day. Envy and
pride, like ill weeds, grow in her heart taller every day, until she has no peace day or night.
Eventually, the Queen orders a huntsman to take Snow White into the deepest woods to be killed. As
proof that Snow White is dead, the Queen demands that he return 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.[1][4]
After wandering 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 of
their wine and then tests all the beds. Finally the last bed is comfortable enough for her and she falls
asleep. When the seven 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. [1][4]
Meanwhile, the Queen asks her mirror once again; "Magic mirror in my hand, who is the fairest in the
land?" The mirror replies; "My queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White beyond the
mountains at the seven dwarfs is a 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 her colorful, silky laced bodices and convinces the girl
to take the most beautiful bodice as a present. Then the Queen laces it so tightly 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 laces.[1][4]
The 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
comb as a present. She brushes Snow White's hair with a poisoned comb, and the girl faints again,
but she is again revived by the dwarfs. And the next morning the mirror tells the Queen that Snow
White is still "a thousand times more beautiful". Now the Queen nearly has a heart attack in shock
and rage. As a third and last attempt to rid herself of Snow White, 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) half and giving the red (poisoned) half 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 cannot find the source of Snow White's poor health, and
assuming that she is dead, they place her in a glass coffin.[1][4]
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 invite 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".[1][4]
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.[1][4]

Variations[edit]