Snow White

🌟 The Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs -- Based on the classic German folktale "Sneewittchen" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Meet the witch in Snow White, the loyal dwarfs, and discover the magical story.

The Winter Wish That Gave Life to Snow White

Once upon a time, in the middle of winter, when the snowflakes were falling from the sky like feathers, a queen sat sewing by a window with a frame of black ebony. And as she sewed and looked out at the snowflakes, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell onto the snow. And because the red looked so beautiful against the white snow, she thought to herself:

"If only I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of this frame."

Soon after, she had a little daughter, who was as white as snow, as red as blood, and had hair as black as ebony, and so they named her Snow White. And when the child was born, the queen died.

A year later, the king took another wife. She was a beautiful woman, but proud and vain, and could not bear that anyone should be more beautiful than her. She had a wondrous mirror, and whenever she stood before it and looked at herself, she would say:

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"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

And the mirror would answer:

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"You, my queen, are the fairest of them all."

Then she was satisfied, for she knew the mirror spoke the truth.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall -- The Battle to Be the Fairest in the Land

But Snow White grew up and became more and more beautiful, and when she was seven years old, she was as beautiful as the bright day, and more beautiful than the queen herself. So one lovely day, the queen asked her mirror:

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"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

And it answered:

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"You, my queen, are fair, it's true, but Snow White is a thousand times fairer than you."

The queen was beside herself, turning both yellow and green with envy. From that moment on, every time she saw Snow White, her heart twisted inside her, she hated her so much. And envy and pride grew in her heart like weeds, so that she found no peace, day or night.

So she summoned a huntsman and said:

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"Take the child out into the forest, I never want to see her again. You are to kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as proof."

The huntsman obeyed and led the child away, but as he drew his knife and was about to pierce Snow White's innocent heart, she began to cry and said:

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"Dear huntsman, let me keep my life, and I will run into the forest and never come home again."

And since she was so beautiful, the huntsman took pity on her and said:

"Run, then, poor child."

The wild animals will soon eat you up, he thought, and yet it was as if a stone had rolled off his heart, because he had not killed the child. And just then a young wild boar came running by, so he killed it and took out its lungs and liver, and brought them to the queen. The cook had to boil them in salt, and the wicked woman ate them, believing she had eaten Snow White's lungs and liver.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Meeting the 7 Dwarfs

Now the poor child was all alone in the great forest, and she was so afraid, and she looked at the leaves on the trees and did not know which way to go. So she began to run, running over the sharp stones and through the thorns, and the wild animals ran past her, but they did her no harm. She ran as long as her legs could carry her, until evening came. Then she saw a little house and went inside to rest.

Inside the house, everything was small, but so neat and clean that you wouldn't believe it. There stood a white, laid table with seven little plates, each plate with its own little spoon, and seven little knives and forks, and seven little cups. Against the wall stood seven little beds side by side, with snow-white sheets spread over them.

Since Snow White was so hungry and thirsty, she ate a bit of vegetables and bread from each plate, and drank a drop of wine from each cup, for she did not want to take everything from just one. Then she lay down in a bed, for she was tired, but none of them fit quite right; one was too long, another too short, but the seventh one fit well, and in that one she lay down, said her prayers, and fell asleep.

When it had grown completely dark, the masters of the house came home. These were the seven dwarfs, who had been digging and mining in the mountains for ore. They lit their seven little candles, and as the house grew bright, they saw that someone had been there, for everything was not quite as they had left it.

The first one said:

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"Who has been sitting in my chair?"

The second:

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"Who has been eating from my plate?"

The third:

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"Who has taken a piece of my bread?"

The fourth:

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"Who has been eating my vegetables?"

The fifth:

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"Who has been using my fork?"

The sixth:

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"Who has been cutting with my knife?"

The seventh:

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"Who has been drinking from my cup?"

Then the first one noticed a small dent in his bed, and he said:

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"Who has been lying in my bed?"

The others came running and cried out:

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"Someone's been in mine too."

But when the seventh one looked in his bed, he caught sight of Snow White lying there asleep. He called out to the others, who all came running. They cried out in astonishment, fetched their seven little candles, and shone the light on Snow White.

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"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" they cried, "what a beautiful child!" and they were so happy that they did not wake her, but let her go on sleeping in the bed.

But the seventh dwarf slept with his companions, one hour with each, and so the night passed.

When morning came, Snow White woke up, and when she saw the seven dwarfs, she was frightened. But they were friendly and asked:

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"What is your name?"

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"My name is Snow White," she answered.

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"How did you come to our house?" the dwarfs asked further.

So she told them that her stepmother had wanted to kill her, but the huntsman had spared her life, and that she had run all day until she finally found their house.

The dwarfs said:

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"Will you keep house for us, cook, make the beds, wash, sew and knit, and keep everything neat and clean? Then you may stay here with us, and you shall want for nothing."

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"Yes," said Snow White, "gladly," and she stayed with them and kept their house in order.

In the morning they went out into the mountains to search for metal and gold, and in the evening they came home, and by then the food had to be ready.

All day long the little girl was alone, so the good dwarfs warned her and said:

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"Beware of your stepmother, she will surely soon find out that you are here, so don't let anyone in."

The Witch in Snow White: The Queen's Poisonous Attempts to Be the Fairest

But when the queen believed she had eaten Snow White's lungs and liver, she thought of nothing but that she was once again the first and fairest of all. So she went before the mirror and said:

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"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

And the mirror answered:

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"You, my queen, are fair, it's true, but Snow White, up in the mountains, with the seven little dwarfs, is a thousand times fairer than you."

She was beside herself, for she knew the mirror did not lie, and she realized that the huntsman had deceived her, and that Snow White was still alive. So she thought and thought again about how to kill her; for as long as she was not the fairest in the whole land, her envy would give her no peace. And when she had finally devised a plan, she painted her face and dressed herself as an old peddler woman, so that she was completely unrecognizable. In this disguise, she crossed the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door, and called out:

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"Fine goods for sale! For sale!"

Snow White looked out of the window and called:

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"Good day, dear woman, what do you have to sell?"

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"Good goods, fine goods," she answered, "laces in every color," and she took out one woven from colorful silk.

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"This honest woman I can surely let in," Snow White thought, unlocked the door, and bought herself the fine lace.

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"Child," said the old woman, "how beautiful you are! Come, let me lace you up properly!"

Snow White suspected nothing, stood before her, and let herself be laced up with the new lace. But the old woman pulled it quickly and laced it so tight that Snow White lost her breath and fell down as if dead.

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"Now that's the end of your beauty!" she said, and hurried away.

Not long after, at evening time, the seven dwarfs came home; and you can imagine how frightened they were to see their beloved Snow White lying motionless on the ground, as if she were dead. They lifted her up, and when they saw she had been laced far too tight, they cut the lace to pieces. Then she slowly began to breathe again, and little by little came back to life.

When the dwarfs heard what had happened, they said:

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"That old peddler woman was none other than the wicked queen. Beware, and do not let anyone in when we are not with you."

But as soon as the wicked woman got home, she went before the mirror and asked:

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"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

And it answered as before:

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"You, my queen, are fair, it's true, but Snow White, up in the mountains, with the seven little dwarfs, is a thousand times fairer than you."

When she heard this, all the blood rushed to her heart, so frightened was she, for she now understood that Snow White had come back to life.

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"But now," she said, "I shall think of something that will finish you off for good!"

And with witchcraft, for she knew how, she made a poisoned comb. Then she disguised herself to look like yet another old woman. She crossed the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door, and called out:

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"Fine goods for sale! For sale!"

Snow White peeked out and said:

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"Just go on, I dare not let anyone in."

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"But surely you can just look," said the old woman, drawing out the poisoned comb and holding it up.

The child liked it so much that she let herself be tricked, and opened the door.

Once they had agreed on the price, the old woman said:

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"Now let me comb your hair properly."

Poor Snow White thought nothing of it and let the old woman do it, but scarcely had the comb touched her hair when the poison took effect, and the little girl fell down unconscious.

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"You beauty above all beauties," said the wicked woman, "now it is over for you," and went on her way.

But luckily it was soon evening, when the seven dwarfs came home. When they saw Snow White lying as if dead on the ground, they immediately suspected the stepmother, searched around and found the poisoned comb, and no sooner had they pulled it out than Snow White came back to herself and told them what had happened. Once again they warned her to stay where she was and not open the door for anyone.

At home, the queen stood before the mirror again and said:

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"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

And it answered as before:

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"You, my queen, are fair, it's true, but Snow White, up in the mountains, with the seven little dwarfs, is a thousand times fairer than you."

When she heard the mirror speak like that, she trembled and shook with rage.

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"Snow White shall die," she cried, "even if it costs me my own life!"

So she went alone into a hidden chamber, where no one could enter, and made a poisoned, poisoned apple. On the outside it looked beautiful, with a white cheek and a red one, so that anyone who saw it would want it, but whoever took a bite of it would surely die. When the apple was ready, she painted her face and disguised herself as a farmer's wife, and crossed the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs. She knocked, and Snow White stuck her head out of the window and said:

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"I dare not let anyone in, the seven dwarfs won't allow it."

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"That's fine with me," answered the farmer's wife, "I can always get rid of my apples elsewhere. But here, I'd like to give you one."

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"No," said Snow White, "I dare not accept it."

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"Are you afraid of poison?" said the old woman. "Look here, I'll cut the apple in two; you may eat the red cheek, and I'll eat the white one."

But the apple was so cleverly made that only the red side was poisoned. Snow White longed for the beautiful apple, and when she saw the farmer's wife eating from it, she could no longer resist, reached out her hand, and took the poisoned half. But scarcely had she taken a bite into her mouth when she fell down dead on the floor.

The queen looked at her with a dreadful gaze, and laughed loudly and said:

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"White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony! This time, not even the dwarfs can wake you up again."

And when she asked the mirror back home:

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"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

At last it answered:

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"You, my queen, are the fairest of them all."

Then her envious heart found peace, as much peace as an evil, envious heart can ever find.

👑 The Deep Sleep and the Final Victory Over Evil

When the dwarfs came home that evening, they found Snow White lying on the floor, and no breath came from her mouth, and she was dead. They lifted her up, searched for anything poisonous, unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but nothing helped; the dear child was dead, and dead she remained.

They laid her on a bier, and all seven of them sat beside it and wept over her, and mourned for three days. Then they wanted to bury her, but she still looked as fresh as a living person, and still had her beautiful red cheeks. They said:

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"We cannot lower her into the black earth," and they had a clear glass coffin made, so that she could be seen from every side, laid her inside it, and wrote her name on it in golden letters, and that she was a king's daughter.

Then they set the coffin out on the mountain, and one of them always stayed to keep watch over it. And the animals came too and mourned for Snow White, first an owl, then a raven, and finally a dove.

Snow White lay there in the coffin for a long, long time, but did not decay; she looked as though she were merely sleeping, for she was still as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony. But then it happened that a prince came to the forest and arrived at the dwarfs' house to spend the night there. He saw the coffin on the mountain, and the beautiful Snow White lying within it, and read what was written on it in golden letters.

Then he said to the dwarfs:

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"Let me have the coffin, I will give you whatever you ask for it."

But the dwarfs answered:

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"We would not give it away for all the gold in the world."

Then he said:

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"Then give it to me as a gift, for I cannot live without being able to see Snow White. I shall honor and cherish her as the dearest thing I own."

When he spoke like this, the good dwarfs took pity on him and gave him the coffin. The prince had his servants carry it away on their shoulders. But it happened that they stumbled over a bush, and the jolt caused the poisoned piece of apple that Snow White had bitten into to fly out of her throat. And not long after, she opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, sat up, and was alive again.

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"Oh heavens, where am I?" she cried.

Full of joy, the prince said:

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"You are with me," and he told her what had happened, and said: "I love you more than anything in the world. Come with me to my father's castle, and you shall become my wife."

And this made Snow White happy, and she went with him, and their wedding was celebrated with great splendor and magnificence.

Snow White's wicked stepmother was also invited to the feast. When she had put on her beautiful clothes, she stepped before the mirror and said:

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"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

The mirror answered:

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"You, my queen, are fair, it's true, but the young queen is a thousand times fairer than you."

The wicked woman let out a curse, and grew so afraid, so afraid, that she did not know what to do. At first she did not want to go to the wedding at all. But she found no peace, she had to go and see the young queen.

And when she stepped into the royal hall, she recognized Snow White, and stood there frozen with fear and dread, unable to move. But a pair of iron slippers had already been placed on burning coals, and they were carried in with iron tongs and set before her. And she was forced to put on the red-hot shoes and dance until she fell down dead on the ground.

✨THE END✨

THE MORAL: Why the Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Still Matters

Evil, jealousy, and selfishness never lead to lasting happiness. This classic tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs shows that goodness, innocence, and kindness are rewarded, even in the face of evil. It is a timeless fairy tale for children that reminds us of Snow White's victory over the wicked witch. The dwarfs, the forest, and the prince all help Snow White find her way to a life of harmony and love.

Frequently Asked Questions About Snow White

How old is Snow White?

In the original tale by the Brothers Grimm, Snow White is only seven years old when she must flee from her stepmother. She lives with the dwarfs for a long time, but her actual age when she is awakened by the prince is never stated. She is traditionally assumed to be a teenager (around 14-18 years old) when she marries, as was common in folktales.

Where is Snow White from?

Snow White, or Sneewittchen, is a German fairy-tale character. The tale was first published by the Brothers Grimm in Germany. In the story itself, Snow White lives in a kingdom ruled by her father, the King, and her wicked stepmother.

When was the tale of Snow White first published?

The first edition of the tale was published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. The version most widely known today (and the one this text is based on) comes from the seventh and final edition, from 1857.

The Snow White Cartoon: Disney's Classic and How It Differs from the Grimm Tale

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was released in 1937 and marked a historic turning point: it was Walt Disney's first full-length animated film. To adapt the tale for a broader audience, the cartoon introduced several changes from the Brothers Grimm's darker original story.

The Disney version softened the story by giving the seven dwarfs names and having the prince's kiss awaken Snow White, instead of the misfortune with the bite of the apple. The most striking difference is the ending: in Disney's cartoon, the wicked queen is chased out onto a cliff and dies in a storm, while the Grimm original ends with the queen forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she dies of exhaustion at Snow White's wedding. This is why Disney's version, despite the changes, remains the best known today.