Snow White

Author: A Brothers Grimm Tale · Retold as a Fable by DozyStories

  • Age4–8
  • Reading time12 min
  • LevelIntermediate

Introduction

Why turn a Brothers Grimm fairy tale into a fable? Because this story already behaves like one. Its people are simple and clear, its plot climbs in three rising steps, and its ending rewards the good and punishes the wicked — the exact shape of an old lesson tale. Envy is an old theme in Chinese wisdom too. The saying "the fire of jealousy burns inside" describes the queen to the letter: the more she compares, the angrier she grows, and her anger finally burns her up. Notice the three knocks at the door: the ribbon, the comb, and the apple, each deadlier than the last. Why does Snow White keep opening the door? She is kind, but she is also careless, and the tale quietly warns us that kindness without caution can cost a life. The Brothers Grimm collected this story from village storytellers in the early nineteenth century. The first printed version was much darker than the famous film: it was Snow White's own mother who wanted her dead, and the queen was punished by dancing in red-hot iron shoes. Disney softened the cruelty, turned the mother into a stepmother, and gave the story a gentle ending, but the lesson stayed the same. In this retelling we keep the old European scenery and the old fable spirit: short scenes, plain words, and a truth spoken at the end. As you read, ask your child one quiet question: is true beauty the face in the mirror, or the light in the heart?

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Snow White - A queen wishes for a child in winter, and her jealous successor orders a huntsman to kill the lovely Snow White in the woods. - Scene Illustration 1
A queen wishes for a child in winter, and her jealous successor orders a huntsman to kill the lovely Snow White in the woods.
Long ago, in the middle of winter, a queen sat sewing by her window. The frame of her work was made of dark ebony wood. Outside, snow fell like endless cotton wool, and the wind piled a thin layer of it on the window sill. She watched the snow, and her needle slipped and pricked her finger. Three drops of blood fell onto the white ground. The snow was so white and the blood so red that she made a wish. "Let me have a daughter," she said, "with skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony." That was how the tale began.
Before long a baby girl was born, just as she had wished. Her skin was white as snow, her lips red as blood, and her hair black as ebony, so they named her Snow White. Everyone said she was a flower that had bloomed in the snow. But the queen died when the child was born. A year later the king married again. The new queen was beautiful, but she was proud, and she could not bear anyone being prettier than her.
The new queen owned a magic mirror. Every day she stood before it and asked, "Mirror, mirror, who is the most beautiful in the land?" The mirror always answered, "My queen, you are the most beautiful in the land." That pleased her, because the mirror never lied. She asked the question every morning and every night, like eating and drinking. But Snow White grew prettier every year. By the age of seven, she was lovely as the morning light, and far lovelier than the queen.
One day the queen asked her question again. The mirror answered, "My queen, you are beautiful too, but Snow White is the most beautiful of all." The queen turned pale with envy. She knew the mirror never lied, and from that moment she saw the child as a thorn in her side. Jealousy grew in her heart like weeds and gave her no rest by day or night. She called a huntsman and ordered him, "Take the girl into the forest. Kill her, and bring me her heart."
The huntsman led Snow White into the woods and drew his knife. The girl wept and begged, "Good huntsman, please spare my life. I will run deep into the forest and never come home again." She was so lovely and so afraid that his hand shook, and his heart softened. "Go, poor child," he said. To please the queen, he killed a young wild pig and carried its heart back to the palace.
The queen cooked that heart and ate it, sure that Snow White was dead and gone. She believed she was the most beautiful woman in the land once more. But the girl who had been set free was still running through the wild forest. Sharp stones hurt her feet and thorns tore her clothes. Wild animals watched from the trees, but it seemed they had agreed to leave her alone.
Snow White - Snow White flees into the forest, finds the dwarfs' cottage, and is taken in by seven kind-hearted dwarfs. - Scene Illustration 2
Snow White flees into the forest, finds the dwarfs' cottage, and is taken in by seven kind-hearted dwarfs.
Snow White ran through the forest all day long. When evening came, her legs could carry her no further. She splashed across a stream, and the water wet her skirt, but she did not care. Then she saw a small house among the trees and went inside to rest. Everything in the house was tiny but very clean, not a speck of dust anywhere. A small broom and a wooden pail stood in the corner, so the owners must be tidy people.
A white cloth covered the table, with seven small plates, seven knives and forks, and seven cups on it. Against the wall stood seven little beds in a row, each spread with a clean white quilt. She was very hungry, but she was afraid of emptying any one place. So she ate a little porridge from each plate and drank a little from each cup, until she felt stronger.
Sleep pressed down on her, and she wanted to lie down. The first bed was too long, and the second was too short. The seventh bed was just right. She fell asleep at once and slept so deeply that she did not even dream.
When night came, the owners returned. They were seven dwarfs who dug for gold in the mountains all day. They lit seven candles and saw at once that someone had been in the house. The first dwarf said, "Someone sat on my chair." The second said, "Someone touched my plate." The seventh dwarf walked to his bed and pulled back the cover. There lay a girl, fast asleep. The dwarfs looked at one another and could not guess whose child she was.
"What a beautiful child!" the dwarfs cried. They were so pleased that they did not want to wake her, so they slept in the other beds that night. The next morning Snow White woke up and told them her whole story: her stepmother wanted her dead, the huntsman let her go, and she had run all day until she found their house. One dwarf joked, "Maybe she fell out of the sky!"
The dwarfs felt sorry for her and said, "Stay with us and keep house for us. Cook, wash, and make the beds. We will take good care of you." Snow White was glad to stay. She kept the little house neat and clean, and smoke rose from the chimney and laughter filled the rooms. Every morning, before they left, the dwarfs warned her, "Watch out for your stepmother. She will find you soon. Do not open the door to strangers."
Snow White - The queen comes in disguise with a ribbon and a poisoned comb, but the dwarfs save Snow White both times. - Scene Illustration 3
The queen comes in disguise with a ribbon and a poisoned comb, but the dwarfs save Snow White both times.
Back at the palace, the queen asked her mirror the old question. It answered, "Past the seven hills, in a little house in the valley, Snow White is the loveliest of all." The queen shook with rage and smashed a cup. Now she knew that the huntsman had tricked her. She thought long and hard, and at last she made a wicked plan.
She painted her face and dressed as an old peddler woman. Carrying a big bundle on her back, she crossed the seven hills, unsteady on her feet, and knocked at the little house, calling, "Fine goods for sale!" Snow White looked out and saw a kind old woman. She unbarred the door and bought a pretty silk ribbon.
"Let me tie it for you, child," said the old woman. She pulled the ribbon tight and tighter, until the girl could not breathe. Snow White fell to the floor, still and silent. The house was quiet, and only the wind moaned through the window. "So much for being the loveliest," the old woman said with a cold smile, and hurried away.
When the dwarfs came home, they found Snow White lying on the floor and were terribly frightened. They cut the ribbon quickly, and she began to breathe again. When she told them what had happened, they said, "That old woman was your stepmother. While we are away, open the door to no one." This time they also put in a new bolt, thick and strong.
The queen asked her mirror again, and it gave the same answer. She would not give up. By witchcraft she made a poisoned comb, shining with bright beads, dressed in another disguise, and came back to the little house. Snow White remembered the warning and would not open the door. But the old woman held up the comb. "You need not let me in," she said. "Just look at it. How fine and pretty!" Snow White liked it too much. She forgot the warning and unbarred the door.
The old woman ran the comb through her hair, and the poison worked at once. Snow White fell to the ground, senseless. Luckily the dwarfs came home early. They pulled the comb out of her hair, and she slowly woke up. When she remembered the comb, she trembled with fear. They warned her once more: "Remember. Open the door to no one."
Snow White - A poisoned apple strikes Snow White down, and the grieving dwarfs lay her in a glass coffin on the mountain. - Scene Illustration 4
A poisoned apple strikes Snow White down, and the grieving dwarfs lay her in a glass coffin on the mountain.
The queen had failed twice, and her anger burned hotter than ever. "Snow White must die," she hissed, "or I will never rest!" In a secret room she made a poisoned apple by witchcraft. The apple was white with red cheeks, so lovely that everyone would long for it, but one small bite would kill. She looked at it from every side and smiled, as if it were a treasured toy.
She dressed as a farmer's wife, carried a basket full of fruit, and crossed the hills to the little house. Snow White put her head out of the window. "I cannot let anyone in," she said. "The dwarfs have forbidden it." The woman smiled. "Never mind. I can sell my apples anywhere. Here, take one as a gift."
"No, I dare not take it," said Snow White. "Are you afraid of poison?" laughed the woman. She cut the apple in half. "Look, I will eat the white half, and you may eat the red." Her words were soft and clever, and every one of them touched the girl's heart. The apple had been made with great cunning, and all the poison lay in the red half.
Snow White watched the woman eat and saw that she was fine. She herself had been longing for that apple, and she could wait no longer. She took the red half and bit into it. It was the sweetest fruit she had ever tasted, and it was also her last bite. The poison worked at once. The world went black before her eyes, and she fell to the ground without a breath.
The queen laughed out loud. "White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony! This time nobody can save you." She went home and asked her mirror, and at last it said, "My queen, you are the most beautiful in the land." Her jealous heart found its peace. But that peace was stolen, like fire wrapped in paper, and it was bound to burn through.
The dwarfs came home in the evening and found Snow White dead. They sat around her and wept for three whole days. She still looked as if she were only sleeping, so they could not bear to put her in the dark ground. They made a coffin of clear glass and wrote her name on it in golden letters, and that she was a king's daughter. They set the coffin on a mountain and kept watch beside it day and night. The wind blew hard on the mountain, and the candles flickered, so the dwarfs took turns keeping the fire alight, and no one would leave. Even the birds came to mourn: first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.
Snow White - A prince carries off the coffin, Snow White wakes, and the envious queen meets her just end. - Scene Illustration 5
A prince carries off the coffin, Snow White wakes, and the envious queen meets her just end.
Snow White lay in the glass coffin for a long time. She did not change at all, and she looked as if she were only sleeping. One day a prince rode past the mountain. He saw the coffin, read the golden letters on it, and looked at the lovely girl inside. He got off his horse, walked up the mountain step by step, and stood before the coffin for a long time. He could not forget her.
"Give me the coffin," he said to the dwarfs. "Ask anything you wish, and I will pay it." At first they refused, saying they would not sell it for a mountain of gold. But the prince took off his hat, bowed deeply, and begged, "I cannot live without her." Seeing his true heart, the dwarfs agreed.
The servants carried the coffin down the mountain. On the way, one of them tripped over a bush, and the coffin shook. The piece of poisoned apple flew out of Snow White's throat. Soon she opened her eyes, pushed open the lid, and sat up, alive and well. The servants turned pale with fear, but Snow White smiled at them.
"Where am I?" she asked. "You are here with me," said the prince, overjoyed. He told her everything and said, "Come to my castle and be my bride." Snow White said yes, and they held a grand wedding. When the news spread, people said that good people are always helped by heaven.
The queen was invited to the wedding too. She dressed in her finest clothes and asked her mirror one last question. It answered, "My queen, you are beautiful too, but the young bride is the most beautiful of all." The queen shook with rage, and her heart burned like a fire, yet she could not stay away. She had to see the bride for herself.
At the wedding she saw that the bride was Snow White. Shock and fear froze her to the spot. Iron shoes had been heated red-hot, and she was forced to dance in them until she fell down dead. From that day, Snow White and the prince lived happily together. This tale tells us: envy is a fire that burns the one who holds it, while kindness is a lamp that lights the way for others and for yourself.

Vocabulary from "Snow White"

12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.

ebonyC1
/ˈebəni/n.

A very hard, deep black wood.

乌木；黑檀木。

The frame of her work was made of dark ebony wood.

绣绷是乌木做的。

jealousB1
/ˈdʒeləs/adj.

Feeling angry or unhappy because someone else has something you want.

嫉妒的；眼红的。

Her jealous heart found its peace.

她那颗嫉妒的心，这才安生下来。

envyB2
/ˈenvi/n.

The bitter feeling of wanting what someone else has.

嫉妒；妒忌。

The queen turned pale with envy.

王后听得脸色发白，又惊又妒。

spareB2
/speə/v.

To choose not to hurt or kill someone.

饶恕；赦免。

Good huntsman, please spare my life.

好心的猎人，求你饶我一命。

peddlerC1
/ˈpedlə/n.

A person who travels around selling small goods.

货郎；走街串巷的小贩。

She painted her face and dressed as an old peddler woman.

她涂黑了脸，扮成一个卖杂货的老婆子。

disguiseB2
/dɪsˈɡaɪz/n.

Clothes or a look that hides who you really are.

伪装；乔装。

By witchcraft she made a poisoned comb, shining with bright beads, dressed in another disguise, and came back to the little house.

又用巫术做了一把毒梳子，镶着亮晶晶的珠子，另换一副装扮，再次翻山而来。

poisonedB1
/ˈpɔɪzənd/adj.

Containing poison, dangerous to eat or touch.

有毒的；下了毒的。

In a secret room she made a poisoned apple by witchcraft.

她走进一间密室，用巫术做了一只毒苹果。

mournB2
/mɔːn/v.

To feel and show deep sadness because someone has died.

哀悼；悼念。

Even the birds came to mourn: first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.

飞鸟也来吊唁，先是猫头鹰，再是乌鸦，最后是鸽子。

coffinB1
/ˈkɒfɪn/n.

A box in which a dead person is laid.

棺材。

They made a coffin of clear glass and wrote her name on it in golden letters, and that she was a king's daughter.

便打了一口透明的水晶棺，棺盖上用金字写着她的名字，还写明她是国王的女儿。

tripped(trip)B1
/trɪpt/v.

Caught your foot on something and almost fell.

绊了一下；失足。

On the way, one of them tripped over a bush, and the coffin shook.

路上被灌木绊了一跤，棺身一震。

overjoyedB2
/ˌəʊvəˈdʒɔɪd/adj.

Extremely happy.

喜出望外的；欣喜若狂的。

"You are here with me," said the prince, overjoyed.

“你在我身边。”王子喜出望外。

wickedB1
/ˈwɪkɪd/adj.

Very bad or evil.

邪恶的；恶毒的。

She thought long and hard, and at last she made a wicked plan.

她绞尽脑汁，想出一条毒计。

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

Envy is a fire that burns the one who holds it, while kindness is a lamp that lights the way for others and for yourself.

Educational Value

Children learn how envy harms the envier, how kindness is rewarded, and why true beauty lies in the heart, not in the face.

Tips for Parents

After reading, talk about where the queen's envy came from and why Snow White kept opening the door. You can also role-play "a stranger knocks at the door" so your child can practise saying no and asking for help.

Talk About It

  1. Snow White opened the door to strangers three times and was saved twice. Why do you think she kept forgetting the dwarfs' warning? What would you have done in her place?
  2. The queen was already beautiful. Why did she still fight a child over being "the most beautiful in the land"? Where did her unhappiness come from?
  3. The huntsman was ordered to kill Snow White, but he let her go. What changed his mind? Have you ever seen or felt such a moment of pity?
  4. The dwarfs refused to bury Snow White in the ground and placed her in a glass coffin instead. Why do you think they did that? What was in their hearts?
  5. At the end, the queen had to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she fell dead. Is that punishment too harsh? If you were the king, how would you deal with her?

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