ONE SNOWY DAY a queen sat sewing and pricked her finger. As the crimson
blood dripped upon the snow she longed for a child as white as snow, as red
as blood, and as black as ebony. Soon after giving birth
to a daughter who fulfilled all of these requirements, she died.
When the baby Snow White was one year old, her father married again. The new queen was even more beautiful than the old one, but proud and vain . She spent many hours gazing into a magic mirror and often asked it:
Knowing that the mirror never lied, her vanity was satisfied when it replied:
But as years passed Snow white grew to be beautiful too. By her seventh birthday she was even more lovely than her stepmother and in answer to the queen's usual question the honest mirror had to say:
"You, my queen, have a beauty rare, but Snow White is a thousand times more fair."
From that moment on the queen was tormented by hatred for the little girl. Her jealous heart knew no peace and finally she ordered her huntsman to kill Snow White in the forest and bring back her liver and lungs.
The man tried to obey, but when he pulled out his hunting knife he couldn't stab such a beautiful, innocent child. Instead, he left her to be eaten by wild beasts and returned to the queen with the liver and lungs of a young boar. Believing they were Snow White's organs, she had them boiled in salt and ate them.
Meanwhile the frightened girl was alone in the forest. She ran over sharp stones and through thorny bushes but it was almost night when she stumbled upon a sheltering cottage. Upon entering she found a neat table laid with seven small plates that held seven small dinners. The hungry girl, not wanting to take everything from just one place, ate a little from each plate. Then, laying down on one of the seven small beds, she slept.
Now the cottage belonged to seven dwarves who worked up an enormous appetite mining for gold all day. When they came home and saw how their dinners had shrunk they were furious and searched about to punish the greedy intruder. They quickly found the sleeping child but she was so beautiful they could not even bear to wake her.
When Snow White opened her lovely eyes the next morning she was startled to see seven little men staring at her. They were so kind, however, that she soon felt right at home and told them all about the wicked queen. Moved by her tale the dwarves said:
"If you'll keep the house for us, cook, make the beds, and keep everything neat and orderly, you can stay."
Snow White agreed to their terms and soon settled into her new home. Every morning the dwarves went off to the gold mines and returned after dark to a hot meal and a gleaming home. They loved Snow White dearly and, for her own protection, insisted that she always keep the cottage door locked and never, ever let anybody in. They were afraid of the wicked queen, and rightly so. For she very soon found out from the truthful mirror that her rival was alive and began to plot another murder.
This time she did not send the huntsman but went into the forest herself, disguised as an old peddler. Making sure the dwarves had left for the day she knocked on the cottage door and cried:
Pretty wares for sale, pretty laces for sale."
Peeping from a window Snow White thought 'Those laces are pretty and I really do need a new one for my bodice. Surely I can let this honest old lady in?'
And quick as a flash she unbolted the door. In came the peddler woman to help re-thread and tie the bodice, but she pulled so tight the the breath left Snow White's body and she sank to the floor as if dead.
"Well you used to be the fairest of all - but not now!"
Then the crone sped off. When the dwarves came home for dinner and saw their dear child laying on the ground they rushed to lift her up. Seeing that her bodice was pulled too tight they cut the lace in two and at once she began to breathe again.
The first thing the witch did upon returning home was consult her mirror:
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"
Of course, she didn't like the reply for Snow White was still alive and still fairest of all. This time, she vowed, I will really destroy her.
For her next attempt, using all her witchcraft, she made a poisoned comb, disguised herself as an old peddler, and went into the forest. Knocking on the cottage door she cried:
"Pretty wares for sale, pretty combs for sale!"
Peeping from a window Snow White thought. 'Those combs are pretty and I really do need a new one. Surely I can let this honest old lady in?'
Quick as a flash she had unbolted the door, bought a comb and let the peddler unbind her hair to comb it out. But as soon as the poison comb touched her pretty head she fell down as if dead.
"You paragon of beauty, now you are done for"
Said the wicked woman and away she went. Fortunately it was nearly evening and the dwarves soon came home. They pulled out the comb and instantly Snow White revived. Meanwhile the queen had returned home and asked the mirror her usual question
"Mirror,mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"
But once again the reply came:
"You, my queen, have a beauty rare: but Snow White is a thousand times more fair."
At this she trembled with rage and hid herself in a secret chamber. She emerged cradling a luscious apple On the outside it shone white and red but beneath the rosy part lurked a deadly poison.
Once again the queen disguised herself and entered the forest. But this time, when she knocked on the cottage door Snow White was more cautious. She refused to let the peddler in an wouldn't even take the apple as a gift.
Are you afraid it might be poisoned?" said the old woman placidly. "Look, I'll cut it in two. You have the half that's as red as your pretty lips and I'll eat the white bit." The apple looked so tasty that Snow white could no longer resist and, stretching her hand out of the window, she took the fruit. No sooner did she bite into it that she fell down dead. The queen laughed and danced a little dance before she left.
When the dwarves returned that evening they found Snow White laying on the ground and tried to revive her as they had before, but this time nothing worked. The dear child was turly dead and for 3 days they wept over her body. Unable to confine their lovely princess in the worm-eaten earth, the sad little men built her a coffin of clear glass. They lovingly wrote her name upon it, kept it bove ground and guarded it night and day. For many many years Snow White lay in her casket without rotting.
Now it happened one day that a prince came into the forest. He saw Snow White laying still red as blood, white as snow, and black as ebony, and promptly fell in love. Unable to live without her he tried to buy the coffin and its contents, but the good dwarves refused to sell. The prince was distraught and begged them to give him the beautiful girl. Eventually he made himself so pitiful that they gave in and handed her over.
The prince ordered his servants to carry it to his father's castle with the utmost care. But, while heaving the heavy casket up on to his sholder, one of the servants stumbled on a shrub and jolted the coffin so violently that a peice of poison apple lodged in Snow White's throat flew out. Opening her eyes, the beautifil corpse sat up and exclaimed:
"Oh Lord! Where am I?"
The overjoyed prince immediately proposed and the pair were wed at his father's castle with great pomp and circumstance. Now the wicked queen was still alive and stil proud and vain. She received an invitation to the wedding and arrived, dressed in her best, expecting to be greeted warmly. Truly, her reception was a hot one but not in any way she anticipated. A pair of iron slippers had been roasted until theyglowed red and she was forced to dance in them until she fell down dead.
The End