Once upon a time in the middle of winter, snowflakes were falling like feathers. A queen sat by a window with frames of black ebony wood and sewed. And as she sewed and looked at the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle. Three drops of blood fell on the snow. Because the red looked so beautiful in the white snow she thought- “Oh, if I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood in the window frames…” Soon thereafter, she bore a daughter whose skin was as white as snow, with lips as red as blood, and with hair as black as ebony wood, and who was therefore named Snow White. As the girl was born, the queen died.

    After a year, the king took another wife. She was a beautiful woman, but was proud and arrogant. She could not bear that another be more beautiful than herself. She had a wonderful magical mirror that she spoke to, saying: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” The mirror answered: “Queen, you are the most beautiful of them all.”

    Snow White grew and became more beautiful until she was seven years old and as beautiful as a clear day- in fact, more beautiful than the queen herself. When the queen asked her mirror: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” it answered- “Queen, you are the most beautiful here. But have you seen Snow White as she has passed her seventh year? She is a thousand times more beautiful than you, I fear.”

    The queen was shocked and turned green and yellow with envy. From that time forth, when the queen saw Snow White, her heart tied up in knots from hatred. The envy and arrogance grew like a weed in her heart so that she had no peace day or night. She called a huntsman and said: “Take the child out in the woods. I do not want to see her again. Kill her and bring her liver and lungs as proof.”

    The huntsman obeyed and took the child out. But when he was about to stab through her innocent heart, she began to cry and said- “Oh dear huntsman, let me live. I will go into the woods and never return.” Because the child was so pretty, the huntsman had sympathy and said- “Go away, little child.” “The wild animals will soon eat you.” he thought. It was a great relief to him, because he did not want to kill Snow White. Then a young fawn came running by. He killed it and took out the lungs and liver to take as proof to the queen.

    The queen cooked the liver and lungs in salt. The hateful queen ate them and thought that she had eaten Snow White’s lungs and liver.

    Snow White was totally alone in the woods. She was so frightened that all of the leaves on the trees looked on and did not know how to help her. She began to run over stones and through thorns. The wild animals were all around, but did nothing to her. She went on as long as her feet could carry her until it became evening.

    Then Snow White saw a little house and went in to rest. Everything in the house was small, though wonderfully neat and orderly. There was a small table with a white cloth on which were set seven small plates, each of which had its own forks, knives, spoons and cups to go with them. By the wall were seven small beds with pure white blankets upon them. Because Snow White was so hungry and thirsty, she ate a little bit of vegetables and bread and drank a little wine from every cup. She did not want to take everything from one alone. After that, she went to the beds because she was so tired, but none pleased her. One was too long. One was too short. Finally, the seventh was just fine. She lied down and slept.

    When it became dark, the masters of the house, the seven dwarves who mined ore in the mountains, came back. They lit their seven candles and noticed that someone had been there, because things were not as orderly as they had left them. The first one said- “Who has sat on my chair?” the second “Who has eaten from my plate?”, the third- “Who took some of my roll?”, the fourth- “Who has used my fork?”, the fifth- “Who has eaten some of my vegetables?”, the sixth- “Who has cut with my knife?”, the seventh- “Who has drunk from my cup?” Then the first dwarf looked around and saw a small depression on his bed and said- “Who has been in my bed?” The others came by and said- “Someone has lain in my bed also.” The seventh dwarf came by and saw Snow White as she lay in his bed and slept. He called to the others, who came by and were astonished. They got their seven lights and illuminated Snow White. “Oh my, oh my!” they said, “The child is so beautiful.” and were so glad that they did not wake her up. The seventh dwarf slept in his comrades’ beds an hour each until day came.

    In the morning, Snow White awoke and was shocked when she saw the seven dwarves. They were friendly and asked her name. “I am Snow White.” She answered.

    “How is it that you are come to our little house?” The dwarves inquired.

    Snow White told of how her stepmother wanted to kill her, and how the huntsman spared her life, and how she had gone on all day until she came upon their house. The dwarves spoke. “Do you want to look after our house and cook, clean, wash and sew? If you do all that, you can stay with us and will have what you need.”

    “Yes,” said Snow White, “I will gladly do that.” And she stayed with them. Everything went along well. Snow White kept the house in order. In the mornings the dwarves went to the mountains in search of ore and gold. In the evenings, they came back and their meal was ready for them. All day the girl was alone, and the dwarves warned her- “Beware of your stepmother. She will soon know that you are here. Do not let anyone in while we are gone.”

    The queen believed that she was once again the most beautiful after she ate what she thought was Snow White’s liver and lungs. She went before the mirror and spoke: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” “Queen, you are the most beautiful one here, but Snow White by the mountains is a thousand times more beautiful than you, I fear.”

    Then the queen was shocked, because she knew the mirror did not lie. She knew that the huntsman had betrayed her, and that Snow White lived yet. And then the queen plotted how to kill the child, because as long as she was not the most beautiful one in the world, her heart would not be at peace. When she had thought of something, she put on makeup and made herself up to look like a seamstress. She went like that over the seven hills to the house of the seven dwarves. She knocked on the door and called: “Beautiful goods for sale!”

    Snow White looked out of the window and said- “Good day, dear lady. What do you have for sale?”

    “Fine goods, beautiful goods,” she answered. “Corsets of all colors.” And she held one out that was made of colored silk.

    “I can let this fine woman in.” thought Snow White, and unlatched and opened the door and bought the beautiful corset.

    “Child,” spoke the old one, “how fine you look. Let me put this corset on you.”

    Snow White had no fear and turned around to let the corset be put on her. But the old one tied quickly and tightly so that Snow White could not breathe and fell down. “Now you are the most beautiful.” Spoke the stepmother, and hurried out.

    The seven dwarves came home soon thereafter in the evening. They were shocked to see Snow White lying on the floor motionless as if she were dead. They picked the child up and saw that she was choked, and cut the corset apart. She began to breathe a little and came back to life. When the dwarves heard what had happened, they said- “The old seamstress was none other than the queen. Beware and do not let anyone in when we are not here.”

    The hateful queen, however, went before her mirror when she got home and said: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” It answered- “Queen, you are the fairest here. But Snow White over the seventh hill is by the seven dwarves now still. She is a thousand times more beautiful than you, I fear.”

    When she heard that, all her blood went to her heart and she became pale. She was shocked when she saw in truth that Snow White was alive.

    “However,” she spoke, “I will fix something to annihilate you.”

    With witch’s magic she made a poisoned comb. Then she dressed and made herself up to look like another woman. Then she went over the seven hills to the house of the seven dwarves. She knocked on the door and called out: “Fine goods for sale!”

    Snow White looked out and said- “Go away. I can not let anyone in.”

    “You must be allowed to look, though.” spoke the old one. She put the poisoned comb out and it pleased the child so well that she let the old one in. When the deal was done, the old one said: “Now, I want to put this comb in your beautiful hair.”

    Innocent Snow White did not think and let the old one do as she pleased. As soon as the comb was in Snow White’s hair, the poison made her fall down motionless.

    “You are an example of beauty.” spoke the hateful woman. “Now you are fixed.” And she went away. Fortunately, though, it soon became evening and the seven dwarves came home. When they saw Snow White looking as though she were dead on the floor, they immediately thought of the stepmother. They looked and found the poisoned comb and as soon as they took it out, Snow White came back to life and told what had happened. The dwarves warned her to beware again and not to open the door.

    The queen looked in the mirror and said: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” It answered as before- “Queen, you are the most beautiful her, but Snow White over the seventh hill is by the seven dwarves now still. She is a thousand times more beautiful than you, I fear.”

    When she heard the mirror speak, she rocked and shook from anger. “Snow White shall die,” she yelled, “even if it costs my own life.”

    Then she went in a totally hidden room where no one went and made a poisoned apple. On the outside it looked delicious, white on one side and red on the other, so that everyone who looked at it desired to eat it. When the apple was ready, the queen made up her face and dressed like a farm woman. She went over the seven hills to the house of the seven dwarves. She knocked. Snow White looked out the window and said- “I can not let anyone in. The seven dwarves have forbidden me.”

    “That is fine with me,” answered the farm woman. “I wish to be rid of my apples. Here, I will give you one.”

    “No,” spoke Snow White. “I can not take anything.”

    “Are you afraid of poison?” spoke the old one. “Look, I will cut the apple in half. You eat the red half and I will eat the white half.”

    The apple was made so skillfully that the red half alone was poisoned. Snow White wanted to eat the apple and when she saw that the farm woman ate it, she could no longer resist. She put her hand out and took the poisoned half. As soon as she had a bit of it in her mouth, she fell down dead. Then the hateful queen gave a wicked glance, laughed loudly, and said: “White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony wood! This time the dwarves cannot wake you up again!”

    When she went back and asked the mirror: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” it answered, “Queen, you are the fairest of them all.” Then her envious heart was at peace as well as an envious heart can have peace.

    When the dwarves came home, they found Snow white lying on the floor. No breath came from her mouth. She was dead. They picked her up and looked to find something poisonous. They caressed her neck, combed her hair, and washed her with water and wine. Nothing helped. The child was dead and stayed dead. They laid her on a bench and all sat next to her. They cried three days long. They wanted to bury her, but she looked just like she was living. They said- “We can not bury her in the black earth.” and made a transparent coffin out of glass that could be seen through from all sides. They laid her in it. With golden runes, they wrote her name on it and that she was a princess. They set the coffin out on the mountain and one of them always stayed there to protect her. The animals came to mourn her- first an eagle, then a raven, and last a dove.

    Snow White lay in the coffin a long, long time and did not change. Instead, she looked as if she slept. For she was still as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black-haired as ebony wood.

    It happened that a prince rode in the woods and came to the dwarves’ house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the mountain with beautiful Snow White therein and read what was written there in the golden runes. He spoke to the dwarves- “Let me have the coffin. I will give you whatever you want for it.”
    But the dwarves said- “We will not give it up for all the gold in the world.”

He spoke- “Then give it to me, for I cannot live without seeing Snow White. I will treasure her as my dearest.”

As he spoke, the dwarves had sympathy for him and gave him the coffin. The prince had his servants carry the coffin away on their shoulders. As they walked, they stumbled over a root. The poisoned apple flew out of Snow White’s mouth from the shaking. Soon thereafter, she opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin off, and sat up. She had come back to life.

“Oh my, where am I?” she called.

The prince said joyfully- “You are with me.” and told her what had happened. He said- “I love you more than all in the world. Come with me in my father’s castle. You shall become my wife.” Snow White was good to him and went with him.

The wedding was to be celebrated with great pomp and ceremony. Snow White’s evil-hearted stepmother was also invited to the ceremony. When she dressed herself with beautiful clothes she went in front of the mirror and said: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”

    The mirror answered- “Queen, you are the most beautiful here, but the young queen is a thousand times more beautiful than you, I fear.”

    That put the hateful woman in a fix and she became so anxious that she did not know what to do. At first she did not want to go to the wedding. Then she had no peace and had to go see the young queen. When she went there, she recognized Snow White. From fear and shock she stood there and could not move. There were already iron slippers prepared for her that were glowing hot from being in a coal fire. They were taken with tongs and set in front of the stepmother. Then she had to step into the glowing red shoes and dance until she fell dead.

This was translated by Duncan Edmister from the Germanic fairy tale

‘Schneewitchen’ by the brothers Grimm. Copyright April 20, 2004.