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Grimms' Fairy Tales
Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs
Once upon a time in the middle of winter,
when the flakes of snow were falling like feathers from
the sky, a queen sat at a window sewing, and the frame of
the window was made of black ebony. And whilst she was sewing
and looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her
finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell upon
the snow. And the red looked pretty upon the white snow,
and she thought to herself, "Would that I had a child
as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood
of the window-frame."
Soon after that she had a little daughter, who was as white
as snow, and as red as blood, and her hair was as black
as ebony; and she was therefore called Little Snow-white.
And when the child was born, the Queen died.
After a year had passed the King took to himself another
wife. She was a beautiful woman, but proud and haughty,
and she could not bear that anyone else should surpass her
in beauty. She had a wonderful looking-glass, and when she
stood in front of it and looked at herself in it, and said
--
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
the looking-glass answered --
"Thou, O Queen, art the fairest of all!"
Then she was satisfied, for she knew that the looking-glass
spoke the truth.
But Snow-white was growing up, and grew more and more beautiful;
and when she was seven years old she was as beautiful as
the day, and more beautiful than the Queen herself. And
once when the Queen asked her looking-glass --
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?" it answered
--
"Thou art fairer than all who are here, Lady Queen."
But more beautiful still is Snow-white, as I ween."
Then the Queen was shocked, and turned yellow and green
with envy. From that hour, whenever she looked at Snow-white,
her heart heaved in her breast, she hated the girl so much.
And envy and pride grew higher and higher in her heart
like a weed, so that she had no peace day or night. She
called a huntsman, and said, "Take the child away into
the forest; I will no longer have her in my sight. Kill
her, and bring me back her heart as a token." The huntsman
obeyed, and took her away; but when he had drawn his knife,
and was about to pierce Snow-white's innocent heart, she
began to weep, and said, "Ah dear huntsman, leave me
my life! I will run away into the wild forest, and never
come home again."
And as she was so beautiful the huntsman had pity on her
and said, "Run away, then, you poor child." "The
wild beasts will soon have devoured you," thought he,
and yet it seemed as if a stone had been rolled from his
heart since it was no longer needful for him to kill her.
And as a young boar just then came running by he stabbed
it, and cut out its heart and took it to the Queen as proof
that the child was dead. The cook had to salt this, and
the wicked Queen ate it, and thought she had eaten the heart
of Snow-white.
But now the poor child was all alone in the great forest,
and so terrified that she looked at every leaf of every
tree, and did not know what to do. Then she began to run,
and ran over sharp stones and through thorns, and the wild
beasts ran past her, but did her no harm.
She ran as long as her feet would go until it was almost
evening; then she saw a little cottage and went into it
to rest herself. Everything in the cottage was small, but
neater and cleaner than can be told. There was a table on
which was a white cover, and seven little plates, and on
each plate a little spoon; moreover, there were seven little
knives and forks, and seven little mugs. Against the wall
stood seven little beds side by side, and covered with snow-white
counterpanes.
Little Snow-white was so hungry and thirsty that she ate
some vegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop
of wine out of each mug, for she did not wish to take all
from one only. Then, as she was so tired, she laid herself
down on one of the little beds, but none of them suited
her; one was too long, another too short, but at last she
found that the seventh one was right, and so she remained
in it, said a prayer and went to sleep.
When it was quite dark the owners of the cottage came back;
they were seven dwarfs who dug and delved in the mountains
for ore. They lit their seven candles, and as it was now
light within the cottage they saw that someone had been
there, for everything was not in the same order in which
they had left it.
The first said, "Who has been sitting on my chair?"
The second, "Who has been eating off my plate?"
The third, "Who has been taking some of my bread?"
The fourth, "Who has been eating my vegetables?"
The fifth, "Who has been using my fork?"
The sixth, "Who has been cutting with my knife?"
The seventh, "Who has been drinking out of my mug?"
Then the first looked round and saw that there was a little
hole on his bed, and he said, "Who has been getting
into my bed?" The others came up and each called out,
"Somebody has been lying in my bed too." But the
seventh when he looked at his bed saw little Snow-white,
who was lying asleep therein. And he called the others,
who came running up, and they cried out with astonishment,
and brought their seven little candles and let the light
fall on little Snow-white. "Oh, heavens! oh, heavens!"
cried they, "what a lovely child!" and they were
so glad that they did not wake her up, but let her sleep
on in the bed. And the seventh dwarf slept with his companions,
one hour with each, and so got through the night.
When it was morning little Snow-white awoke, and was frightened
when she saw the seven dwarfs. But they were friendly and
asked her what her name was. "My name is Snow-white,"
she answered. "How have you come to our house?"
said the dwarfs. Then she told them that her step-mother
had wished to have her killed, but that the huntsman had
spared her life, and that she had run for the whole day,
until at last she had found their dwelling. The dwarfs said,
"If you will take care of our house, cook, make the
beds, wash, sew, and knit, and if you will keep everything
neat and clean, you can stay with us and you shall want
for nothing." "Yes," said Snow-white, "with
all my heart," and she stayed with them. She kept the
house in order for them; in the mornings they went to the
mountains and looked for copper and gold, in the evenings
they came back, and then their supper had to be ready. The
girl was alone the whole day, so the good dwarfs warned
her and said, "Beware of your step-mother, she will
soon know that you are here; be sure to let no one come
in."
But the Queen, believing that she had eaten Snow-white's
heart, could not but think that she was again the first
and most beautiful of all; and she went to her looking-glass
and said --
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
and the glass answered --
"Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And none is so fair as she."
Then she was astounded, for she knew that the looking-glass
never spoke falsely, and she knew that the huntsman had
betrayed her, and that little Snow-white was still alive.
And so she thought and thought again how she might kill
her, for so long as she was not the fairest in the whole
land, envy let her have no rest. And when she had at last
thought of something to do, she painted her face, and dressed
herself like an old pedler-woman, and no one could have
known her. In this disguise she went over the seven mountains
to the seven dwarfs, and knocked at the door and cried,
"Pretty things to sell, very cheap, very cheap."
Little Snow-white looked out of the window and called out,
"Good-day my good woman, what have you to sell?"
"Good things, pretty things," she answered; "stay-laces
of all colours," and she pulled out one which was woven
of bright-coloured silk. "I may let the worthy old
woman in," thought Snow-white, and she unbolted the
door and bought the pretty laces. "Child," said
the old woman, "what a fright you look; come, I will
lace you properly for once." Snow-white had no suspicion,
but stood before her, and let herself be laced with the
new laces. But the old woman laced so quickly and so tightly
that Snow-white lost her breath and fell down as if dead.
"Now I am the most beautiful," said the Queen
to herself, and ran away.
Not long afterwards, in the evening, the seven dwarfs came
home, but how shocked they were when they saw their dear
little Snow-white lying on the ground, and that she neither
stirred nor moved, and seemed to be dead. They lifted her
up, and, as they saw that she was laced too tightly, they
cut the laces; then she began to breathe a little, and after
a while came to life again. When the dwarfs heard what had
happened they said, "The old pedler-woman was no one
else than the wicked Queen; take care and let no one come
in when we are not with you."
But the wicked woman when she had reached home went in
front of the glass and asked --
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
and it answered as before --
"Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And none is so fair as she."
When she heard that, all her blood rushed to her heart
with fear, for she saw plainly that little Snow-white was
again alive. "But now," she said, "I will
think of something that shall put an end to you," and
by the help of witchcraft, which she understood, she made
a poisonous comb. Then she disguised herself and took the
shape of another old woman. So she went over the seven mountains
to the seven dwarfs, knocked at the door, and cried, "Good
things to sell, cheap, cheap!" Little Snow-white looked
out and said, "Go away; I cannot let any one come in."
"I suppose you can look," said the old woman,
and pulled the poisonous comb out and held it up. It pleased
the girl so well that she let herself be beguiled, and opened
the door. When they had made a bargain the old woman said,
"Now I will comb you properly for once." Poor
little Snow-white had no suspicion, and let the old woman
do as she pleased, but hardly had she put the comb in her
hair than the poison in it took effect, and the girl fell
down senseless. "You paragon of beauty," said
the wicked woman, "you are done for now," and
she went away.
But fortunately it was almost evening, when the seven dwarfs
came home. When they saw Snow-white lying as if dead upon
the ground they at once suspected the step-mother, and they
looked and found the poisoned comb. Scarcely had they taken
it out when Snow-white came to herself, and told them what
had happened. Then they warned her once more to be upon
her guard and to open the door to no one.
The Queen, at home, went in front of the glass and said
--
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
then it answered as before --
"Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,
Snow-white is still alive and well,
And none is so fair as she."
When she heard the glass speak thus she trembled and shook
with rage. "Snow-white shall die," she cried,
"even if it costs me my life!"
Thereupon she went into a quite secret, lonely room, where
no one ever came, and there she made a very poisonous apple.
Outside it looked pretty, white with a red cheek, so that
everyone who saw it longed for it; but whoever ate a piece
of it must surely die.
When the apple was ready she painted her face, and dressed
herself up as a country-woman, and so she went over the
seven mountains to the seven dwarfs. She knocked at the
door. Snow-white put her head out of the window and said,
"I cannot let any one in; the seven dwarfs have forbidden
me." "It is all the same to me," answered
the woman, "I shall soon get rid of my apples. There,
I will give you one."
"No," said Snow-white, "I dare not take
anything." "Are you afraid of poison?" said
the old woman; "look, I will cut the apple in two pieces;
you eat the red cheek, and I will eat the white." The
apple was so cunningly made that only the red cheek was
poisoned. Snow-white longed for the fine apple, and when
she saw that the woman ate part of it she could resist no
longer, and stretched out her hand and took the poisonous
half. But hardly had she a bit of it in her mouth than she
fell down dead. Then the Queen looked at her with a dreadful
look, and laughed aloud and said, "White as snow, red
as blood, black as ebony-wood! this time the dwarfs cannot
wake you up again."
And when she asked of the Looking-glass at home --
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
it answered at last --
"Oh, Queen, in this land thou art fairest of all."
Then her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart
can have rest.
The dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found Snow-white
lying upon the ground; she breathed no longer and was dead.
They lifted her up, looked to see whether they could find
anything poisonous, unlaced her, combed her hair, washed
her with water and wine, but it was all of no use; the poor
child was dead, and remained dead. They laid her upon a
bier, and all seven of them sat round it and wept for her,
and wept three days long.
Then they were going to bury her, but she still looked
as if she were living, and still had her pretty red cheeks.
They said, "We could not bury her in the dark ground,"
and they had a transparent coffin of glass made, so that
she could be seen from all sides, and they laid her in it,
and wrote her name upon it in golden letters, and that she
was a king's daughter. Then they put the coffin out upon
the mountain, and one of them always stayed by it and watched
it. And birds came too, and wept for Snow-white; first an
owl, then a raven, and last a dove.
And now Snow-white lay a long, long time in the coffin,
and she did not change, but looked as if she were asleep;
for she was as white as snow, as red as blood, and her hair
was as black as ebony.
It happened, however, that a king's son came into the forest,
and went to the dwarfs' house to spend the night. He saw
the coffin on the mountain, and the beautiful Snow-white
within it, and read what was written upon it in golden letters.
Then he said to the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin,
I will give you whatever you want for it." But the
dwarfs answered, "We will not part with it for all
the gold in the world." Then he said, "Let me
have it as a gift, for I cannot live without seeing Snow-white.
I will honour and prize her as my dearest possession."
As he spoke in this way the good dwarfs took pity upon him,
and gave him the coffin.
And now the King's son had it carried away by his servants
on their shoulders. And it happened that they stumbled over
a tree-stump, and with the shock the poisonous piece of
apple which Snow-white had bitten off came out of her throat.
And before long she opened her eyes, lifted up the lid of
the coffin, sat up, and was once more alive. "Oh, heavens,
where am I?" she cried. The King's son, full of joy,
said, "You are with me," and told her what had
happened, and said, "I love you more than everything
in the world; come with me to my father's palace, you shall
be my wife."
And Snow-white was willing, and went with him, and their
wedding was held with great show and splendour. But Snow-white's
wicked step-mother was also bidden to the feast. When she
had arrayed herself in beautiful clothes she went before
the Looking-glass, and said --
"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?"
the glass answered --
"Oh, Queen, of all here the fairest art thou,
But the young Queen is fairer by far as I trow."
Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so wretched,
so utterly wretched, that she knew not what to do. At first
she would not go to the wedding at all, but she had no peace,
and must go to see the young Queen. And when she went in
she knew Snow-white; and she stood still with rage and fear,
and could not stir. But iron slippers had already been put
upon the fire, and they were brought in with tongs, and
set before her. Then she was forced to put on the red-hot
shoes, and dance until she dropped down dead.
From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret
Hunt (London: George Bell, 1884), 1:207-215. |
