ONCE upon a time,
in the middle of winter when the snow-flakes were falling like feathers
on the earth, a Queen sat at a window framed in black
ebony and sewed. And as she sewed and gazed out to the white landscape,
she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell on
the snow outside, and because the red showed out so well against the white
she thought to herself:
'Oh! what wouldn't
I give to have a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black
as ebony!'
And her wish was
granted, for not long after a little daughter was born to her, with a skin
as white as snow, lips and cheeks as red as blood, and hair as black as
ebony. They called her SnowWhite, and not long after her birth the Queen
died.
After a year the
King married again. His new wife was a beautiful woman, but so proud and
overbearing that she couldn't stand any rival to her beauty. She possessed
a magic mirror, and when she used to stand before it gazing at her own
reflection and ask:
'Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land's most fair?'
it always replied:
'You are most fair, my Lady Queen,
None fairer in the land, I ween.'
Then she was quite
happy, for she knew the mirror always spoke the truth.
But SnowWhite
was growing prettier and prettier every day, and when she was seven years
old she was as beautiful as she could be, and fairer even than the Queen
herself. One day when the latter asked her mirror the usual question, it
replied:
'My Lady Queen, you are fair, 'tis true,
But SnowWhite is fairer far than you.'
Then the Queen
flew into the most awful passion, and turned every shade of green in her
jealousy. From this hour she hated poor SnowWhite like poison, and every
day her envy, hatred, and malice grew, for envy and jealousy are like evil
weeds which spring up and choke the heart. At last she could endure SnowWhite's
presence no longer, and, calling a huntsman to her, she said:
'Take the child
out into the wood, and never let me see her face again. You must kill her,
and bring me back her lungs and liver, that I may know for certain she
is dead.'
The Huntsman did
as he was told and led SnowWhite out into the wood, but as he was in the
act of drawing out his knife to slay her, she began to cry, and said:
'Oh, dear Huntsman,
spare my life, and I will promise to fly forth into the wide wood and never
to return home again.'
And because she
was so young and pretty the Huntsman had pity on her, and said:
'Well, run along,
poor child.' For he thought to himself: 'The wild beasts will soon eat
her up.'
And his heart
felt lighter because he hadn't had to do the deed himself. And as he turned
away a young boar came running past, so he shot it, and brought its lungs
and liver home to the Queen as a proof that SnowWhite was really dead.
And the wicked woman had them stewed in salt, and ate them up, thinking
she had made an end of SnowWhite for ever.
Now when the poor
child found herself alone in the big wood the very trees around her seemed
to assume strange shapes, and she felt so frightened she didn't know what
to do. Then she began to run over the sharp stones, and through the bramble
bushes, and the wild beasts ran past her, but they did her no harm. She
ran as far as her legs would carry her, and as evening approached she saw
a little house, and she stepped inside to rest. Everything was very small
in the little house, but cleaner and neater than anything you can imagine.
In the middle of the room there stood a little table, covered with a white
tablecloth, and seven little plates and forks and spoons and knives and
tumblers. Side by side against the wall there were seven little beds, covered
with snow-white counterpanes. SnowWhite felt so hungry and so thirsty that
she ate a bit of bread and a little porridge from each plate, and drank
a drop of wine out of each tumbler. Then feeling tired and sleepy she lay
down on one of the beds, but it wasn't comfortable; then she tried all
the others in turn, but one was too long, and another too short, and it
was only when she got to the seventh that she found one to suit her exactly.
So she lay down upon it, said her prayers like a good child, and fell fast
asleep. When it got quite dark the masters of the little house returned.
They were seven dwarfs who worked in the mines, right down deep in the
heart of the mountain. They lighted their seven little lamps, and as soon
as their eyes got accustomed to the glare they saw that someone had been
in the room, for all was not in the same order as they had left it.
The first said:
'Who's been sitting on my little chair?'
The second said:
'Who's been eating my little loaf?'
The third said:
'Who's been tasting my porridge?'
The fourth said:
'Who's been eating out of my little plate?'
The fifth said:
'Who's been using my little fork?'
The sixth said:
'Who's been cutting with my little knife?'
The seventh said:
'Who's been drinking out of my little tumbler?'
Then the first
Dwarf looked round and saw a little hollow in his bed, and he asked again:
'Who's been lying on my bed?'
The others came
running round, and cried when they saw their beds:
'Somebody has lain on ours too.'
But when the seventh
came to his bed, he started back in amazement, for there he beheld SnowWhite
fast asleep. Then he called the others, who turned their little lamps full
on the bed, and when they saw SnowWhite lying there they nearly fell down
with surprise.
'Goodness gracious!'
they cried, 'what a beautiful child!'
And they were
so enchanted by her beauty that they did not wake her, but let her sleep
on in the little bed. But the seventh Dwarf slept with his companions one
hour in each bed, and in this way he managed to pass the night.
In the morning
SnowWhite awoke, but when she saw the seven little Dwarfs she felt very
frightened. But they were so friendly and asked her what her name was in
such a kind way, that she replied:
'I am SnowWhite.'
'Why did you come to our house?' continued the Dwarfs.
Then she told
them how her stepmother had wished her put to death, and how the Huntsman
had spared her life, and how she had run the whole day till she had come
to their little house. The Dwarfs, when they had heard her sad story, asked
her:
'Will you stay
and keep house for us, cook, make the beds, the washing, sew and knit?
and if you give satisfaction and keep everything neat and clean, you shall
want for nothing.'
'Yes,' answered
SnowWhite, 'I will gladly do all you ask.'
And so she took
up her abode with them. Every morning the Dwarfs went into the mountain
to dig for gold, and in the evening, when they returned home, SnowWhite
always had their supper ready for them. But during the day the girl was
left quite alone, so the good Dwarfs warned her, saying:
'Beware of your
step-mother. She will soon find out you are here, and whatever you do don't
let anyone into the house.'
Now the Queen,
after she thought she had eaten SnowWhite's lungs and liver, never dreamed
but that she was once more the most beautiful woman in the world; so stepping
before her mirror one day she said:
'Mirror, mirror, hanging there, Who in all the land's
most fair?'
and the mirror replied:
'My Lady Queen, you are fair, 'tis true,
But SnowWhite is fairer far than you.
SnowWhite, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.'
When the Queen
heard these words she was nearly struck dumb with horror, for the mirror
always spoke the truth, and she knew now that the Huntsman must have deceived
her, and that SnowWhite was still alive. She pondered day and night how
she might destroy her, for as long as she felt she had a rival in the land
her jealous heart left her no rest. At last she hit upon a plan. She stained
her face and dressed herself up as an old peddler wife, so that she was
quite unrecognisable. In this guise she went over the seven hills till
she came to the house of the seven Dwarfs. There she knocked at the door,
calling out at the same time:
'Fine wares to
sell, fine wares to sell!'
SnowWhite peeped
out of the window, and called out: 'Good-day, mother, what have you to
sell?'
'Good wares, fine
wares,' she answered; 'laces of every shade and description,' and she held
one up that was made of some gay coloured silk.
'Surely I can
let the honest woman in,' thought SnowWhite; so she unbarred the door and
bought the pretty lace.
'Good gracious!
child,' said the old woman, 'what a figure you've got. Come! I'll lace
you up properly for once.'
SnowWhite, suspecting
no evil, stood before her and let her lace her bodice up, but the old woman
laced her so quickly and so tightly that it took SnowWhite's breath away,
and she fell down dead.
'Now you are no
longer the fairest,' said the wicked old woman, and then she hastened away.
In the evening
the seven Dwarfs came home, and you may think what a fright they got when
they saw their dear SnowWhite lying on the floor, as still and motionless
as a dead person. They lifted her up tenderly, and when they saw how tightly
laced she was they cut the lace in two, and she began to breathe a little
and gradually came back to life. When the Dwarfs heard what had happened,
they said:
'Depend upon it,
the old peddler wife was none other than the old Queen. In future you must
be sure to let no one in, if we are not at home.'
As soon as the
wicked old Queen got home she went straight to her mirror, and said:
'Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land's most fair?'
and the mirror answered as before:
'My Lady Queen, you are fair, 'tis true,
But SnowWhite is fairer far than you.
SnowWhite, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.'
When she heard
this she became as pale as death, because she saw at once that SnowWhite
must be alive again.
'This time,' she
said to herself, 'I will think of something that will make an end of her
once and for all.'
And by the witchcraft
which she understood so well she made a poisonous comb; then she dressed
herself up and assumed the form of another old woman. So she went over
the seven hills till she reached the house of the seven Dwarfs, and knocking
at the door she called out:
'Fine wares for
sale.'
SnowWhite looked
out of the window and said:
'You must go away,
for I may not let anyone in.'
'But surely you
are not forbidden to look out?' said the old woman, and she held up the
poisonous comb for her to see.
It pleased the
girl so much that she let herself be taken in, and opened the door. When
they had settled their bargain the old woman said:
'Now I'll comb
your hair properly for you, for once in the way.'
Poor SnowWhite
thought no evil, but hardly had the comb touched her hair than the poison
worked and she fell down unconscious.
'Now, my fine
lady, you're really done for this time,' said the wicked woman, and she
made her way home as fast as she could.
Fortunately it
was now near evening, and the seven Dwarfs returned home. When they saw
SnowWhite lying dead on the ground, they at once suspected that her wicked
step-mother had been at work again; so they searched till they found the
poisonous comb, and the moment they pulled it out of her head SnowWhite
came to herself again, and told them what had happened. Then they warned
her once more to be on her guard, and to open the door to no one.
As soon as the
Queen got home she went straight to her mirror, and asked:
'Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land's most fair?'
and it replied as before:
'My Lady Queen, you are fair, 'tis true,
But SnowWhite is fairer far than you.
SnowWhite, who dwells with the seven little men,
Is as fair as you, as fair again.'
When she heard
these words she literally trembled and shook with rage.
'SnowWhite shall
die,' she cried; 'yes, though it cost me my own life.'
Then she went
to a little secret chamber, which no one knew of but herself, and there
she made a poisonous apple. Outwardly it looked beautiful, white with red
cheeks, so that everyone who saw it longed to eat it, but anyone who might
do so would certainly die on the spot. When the apple was quite finished
she stained her face and dressed herself up as a peasant, and so she went
over the seven hills to the seven Dwarfs'. She knocked at the door, as
usual, but SnowWhite put her head out of the window and called out:
'I may not let
anyone in, the seven Dwarfs have forbidden me to do so.'
'Are you afraid
of being poisoned?' asked the old woman. 'See, I will cut this apple in
half. I'll eat the white cheek and you can eat the red.'
But the apple
was so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisonous. SnowWhite
longed to eat the tempting fruit, and when she saw that the peasant woman
was eating it herself, she couldn't resist the temptation any longer, and
stretching out her hand she took the poisonous half. But hardly had the
first bite passed her lips than she fell down dead on the ground. Then
the eyes of the cruel Queen sparkled with glee, and laughing aloud she
cried:
'As white as snow,
as red as blood, and as black as ebony, this time the Dwarfs won't be able
to bring you back to life.'
When she got home
she asked the mirror:
'Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land's most fair?'
and this time it replied:
'You are most fair, my Lady Queen,
None fairer in the land, I ween.'
Then her jealous
heart was at rest -- at least, as much at rest as a jealous heart can ever
be.
When the little
Dwarfs came home in the evening they found SnowWhite lying on the ground,
and she neither breathed nor stirred. They lifted her up, and looked round
everywhere to see if they could find anything poisonous about. They unlaced
her bodice, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but all in
vain; the child was dead and remained dead. Then they placed her on a bier,
and all the seven Dwarfs sat round it, weeping and sobbing for three whole
days. At last they made up their minds to bury her, but she looked as blooming
as a living being, and her cheeks were still such a lovely colour, that
they said:
'We can't hide
her away in the black ground.' So they had a coffin made of transparent
glass, and they laid her in it, and wrote on the lid in golden letters
that she was a royal Princess. Then they put the coffin on the top of the
mountain, and one of the Dwarfs always remained beside it and kept watch
over it.
And the very birds
of the air came and bewailed SnowWhite's death, first an owl, and then
a raven, and last of all a little dove.
SnowWhite lay
a long time in the coffin, and she always looked the same, just as if she
were fast asleep, and she remained as white as snow, as red as blood, and
her hair as black as ebony. Now it happened one day that a Prince came
to the wood and passed by the Dwarfs' house. He saw the coffin on the hill,
with the beautiful SnowWhite inside it, and when he had read what was written
on it in golden letters, he said to the Dwarf:
'Give me the coffin.
I'll give you whatever you like for it.'
But the Dwarf
said: 'No; we wouldn't part with it for all the gold in the world.'
'Well, then,'
he replied, 'give it to me, because I can't live without SnowWhite. I will
cherish and love it as my dearest possession.'
He spoke so sadly
that the good Dwarfs had pity on him, and gave him the coffin, and the
Prince made his servants bear it away on their shoulders. Now it happened
that as they were going down the hill they stumbled over a bush, and jolted
the coffin so violently that the poisonous bit of apple SnowWhite had swallowed
fell out of her throat. She gradually opened her eyes, lifted up the lid
of the coffin, and sat up alive and well. Image available
'Oh! dear me,
where am I?' she cried.
The Prince answered
joyfully, 'You are with me,' and he told her all that had happened. adding,
'I love you better than anyone in the whole wide world. Will you come with
me to my father's palace and be my wife?'
SnowWhite consented,
and went with him, and the marriage was celebrated with great pomp and
splendour.
Now SnowWhite's
wicked step-mother was one of the guests invited to the wedding feast.
When she had dressed herself very gorgeously for the occasion, she went
to the mirror, and said:
'Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land's most fair?'
and the mirror answered:
'My Lady Queen, you are fair, 'tis true,
But SnowWhite is fairer far than you.'
When the wicked
woman heard these words she uttered a curse, and was beside herself with
rage and mortification. At first she didn't want to go to the wedding at
all, but at the same time she felt she would never be happy till she had
seen the young Queen. As she entered SnowWhite recognised her, and nearly
fainted with fear; but red-hot iron shoes had been prepared for the wicked
old Queen, and she was made to get into them and dance till she fell down
dead.
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