Snow White
Introduction
Disney's 1937 film made Snow White famous around the world, but the Brothers Grimm's original tale is far darker. In the very first edition of 1812, it was Snow White's own mother — not a stepmother — who wanted her dead; the Grimms only changed the character to a 'stepmother' in a later revision to soften the story for children. In the original, the queen believes she cooks and eats part of the girl, and at the end she is forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she drops dead — an ending Disney quietly removed. The tale is also built on three temptations — the laces, the poisoned comb, the poisoned apple — each deadlier than the last. As you read, notice how envy slowly consumes the queen until it destroys her.
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It was the middle of winter, and the snow-flakes were falling like feathers from the sky, and a queen sat at her window working, and her embroidery-frame was of ebony. And as she worked, gazing at times out on the snow, she pricked her finger, and there fell from it three drops of blood on the snow.
And when she saw how bright and red it looked, she said to herself, "Oh that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the embroidery frame!" Not very long after she had a daughter, with a skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony, and she was named Snow-white. And when she was born the queen died.
After a year had gone by the king took another wife, a beautiful woman, but proud and overbearing, and she could not bear to be surpassed in beauty by any one. She had a magic looking-glass, and she used to stand before it, and look in it, and say, "Looking-glass upon the wall, Who is fairest of us all?"
And the looking-glass would answer, "You are fairest of them all." And she was contented, for she knew that the looking-glass spoke the truth. Now, Snow-white was growing prettier and prettier, and when she was seven years old she was as beautiful as day, far more so than the queen herself.
So one day when the queen went to her mirror and said, "Looking-glass upon the wall, Who is fairest of us all?" It answered, "Queen, you are full fair, 'tis true, But Snow-white fairer is than you."
This gave the queen a great shock, and she became yellow and green with envy, and from that hour her heart turned against Snow-white, and she hated her. And envy and pride like ill weeds grew in her heart higher every day, until she had no peace day or night.
At last she sent for a huntsman, and said, "Take the child out into the woods, so that I may set eyes on her no more. You must put her to death, and bring me her heart for a token."
The huntsman consented, and led her away; but when he drew his cutlass to pierce Snow-white's innocent heart, she began to weep, and to say, "Oh, dear huntsman, do not take my life; I will go away into the wild wood, and never come home again."
And as she was so lovely the huntsman had pity on her, and said, "Away with you then, poor child;" for he thought the wild animals would be sure to devour her, and it was as if a stone had been rolled away from his heart when he spared to put her to death.
Just at that moment a young wild boar came running by, so he caught and killed it, and taking out its heart, he brought it to the queen for a token. And it was salted and cooked, and the wicked woman ate it up, thinking that there was an end of Snow-white.
Now, when the poor child found herself quite alone in the wild woods, she felt full of terror, even of the very leaves on the trees, and she did not know what to do for fright. Then she began to run over the sharp stones and through the thorn bushes, and the wild beasts after her, but they did her no harm.
She ran as long as her feet would carry her; and when the evening drew near she came to a little house, and she went inside to rest. Everything there was very small, but as pretty and clean as possible. There stood the little table ready laid, and covered with a white cloth, and seven little plates, and seven knives and forks, and drinking-cups.
By the wall stood seven little beds, side by side, covered with clean white quilts. Snow-white, being very hungry and thirsty, ate from each plate a little porridge and bread, and drank out of each little cup a drop of wine, so as not to finish up one portion alone.
After that she felt so tired that she lay down on one of the beds, but it did not seem to suit her; one was too long, another too short, but at last the seventh was quite right; and so she lay down upon it, committed herself to heaven, and fell asleep.
When it was quite dark, the masters of the house came home. They were seven dwarfs, whose occupation was to dig underground among the mountains. When they had lighted their seven candles, and it was quite light in the little house, they saw that some one must have been in, as everything was not in the same order in which they left it.
The first said, "Who has been sitting in my little chair?" The second said, "Who has been eating from my little plate?" The third said, "Who has been taking my little loaf?" The fourth said, "Who has been tasting my porridge?" The fifth said, "Who has been using my little fork?" The sixth said, "Who has been cutting with my little knife?" The seventh said, "Who has been drinking from my little cup?"
Then the first one, looking round, saw a hollow in his bed, and cried, "Who has been lying on my bed?" And the others came running, and cried, "Some one has been on our beds too!"
But when the seventh looked at his bed, he saw little Snow-white lying there asleep. Then he told the others, who came running up, crying out in their astonishment, and holding up their seven little candles to throw a light upon Snow-white.
"O goodness! O gracious!" cried they, "what beautiful child is this?" and were so full of joy to see her that they did not wake her, but let her sleep on. And the seventh dwarf slept with his comrades, an hour at a time with each, until the night had passed.
When it was morning, and Snow-white awoke and saw the seven dwarfs, she was very frightened; but they seemed quite friendly, and asked her what her name was, and she told them; and then they asked how she came to be in their house.
And she related to them how her step-mother had wished her to be put to death, and how the huntsman had spared her life, and how she had run the whole day long, until at last she had found their little house.
Then the dwarfs said, "If you will keep our house for us, and cook, and wash, and make the beds, and sew and knit, and keep everything tidy and clean, you may stay with us, and you shall lack nothing." - "With all my heart," said Snow-white; and so she stayed, and kept the house in good order.
In the morning the dwarfs went to the mountain to dig for gold; in the evening they came home, and their supper had to be ready for them. All the day long the maiden was left alone, and the good little dwarfs warned her, saying, "Beware of your step-mother, she will soon know you are here. Let no one into the house."
Now the queen, having eaten Snow-white's heart, as she supposed, felt quite sure that now she was the first and fairest, and so she came to her mirror, and said, "Looking-glass upon the wall, Who is fairest of us all?"
And the glass answered, "Queen, thou art of beauty rare, But Snow-white living in the glen With the seven little men Is a thousand times more fair."
Then she was very angry, for the glass always spoke the truth, and she knew that the huntsman must have deceived her, and that Snow-white must still be living. And she thought and thought how she could manage to make an end of her, for as long as she was not the fairest in the land, envy left her no rest.
At last she thought of a plan; she painted her face and dressed herself like an old pedlar woman, so that no one would have known her. In this disguise she went across the seven mountains, until she came to the house of the seven little dwarfs, and she knocked at the door and cried, "Fine wares to sell! fine wares to sell!"
Snow-white peeped out of the window and cried, "Good-day, good woman, what have you to sell?" - "Good wares, fine wares," answered she, "laces of all colours;"and she held up a piece that was woven of variegated silk.
"I need not be afraid of letting in this good woman," thought Snow-white, and she unbarred the door and bought the pretty lace. "What a figure you are, child!" said the old woman, "come and let me lace you properly for once."
Snow-white, suspecting nothing, stood up before her, and let her lace her with the new lace; but the old woman laced so quick and tight that it took Snow-white's breath away, and she fell down as dead. "Now you have done with being the fairest," said the old woman as she hastened away.
Not long after that, towards evening, the seven dwarfs came home, and were terrified to see their dear Snow-white lying on the ground, without life or motion; they raised her up, and when they saw how tightly she was laced they cut the lace in two; then she began to draw breath, and little by little she returned to life.
When the dwarfs heard what had happened they said, "The old pedlar woman was no other than the wicked queen; you must beware of letting any one in when we are not here!"
And when the wicked woman got home she went to her glass and said, "Looking-glass against the wall, Who is fairest of us all?" And it answered as before, "Queen, thou art of beauty rare, But Snow-white living in the glen With the seven little men Is a thousand times more fair."
When she heard that she was so struck with surprise that all the blood left her heart, for she knew that Snow-white must still be living. "But now," said she, "I will think of something that will be her ruin." And by witchcraft she made a poisoned comb.
Then she dressed herself up to look like another different sort of old woman. So she went across the seven mountains and came to the house of the seven dwarfs, and knocked at the door and cried, "Good wares to sell! good wares to sell!"
Snow-white looked out and said, "Go away, I must not let anybody in." - "But you are not forbidden to look," said the old woman, taking out the poisoned comb and holding it up. It pleased the poor child so much that she was tempted to open the door; and when the bargain was made the old woman said, "Now, for once your hair shall be properly combed."
Poor Snow-white, thinking no harm, let the old woman do as she would, but no sooner was the comb put in her hair than the poison began to work, and the poor girl fell down senseless. "Now, you paragon of beauty," said the wicked woman, "this is the end of you," and went off.
By good luck it was now near evening, and the seven little dwarfs came home. When they saw Snow-white lying on the ground as dead, they thought directly that it was the step-mother's doing, and looked about, found the poisoned comb, and no sooner had they drawn it out of her hair than Snow-white came to herself, and related all that had passed. Then they warned her once more to be on her guard, and never again to let any one in at the door.
And the queen went home and stood before the looking-glass and said, "Looking-glass against the wall, Who is fairest of us all?" And the looking-glass answered as before, "Queen, thou art of beauty rare, But Snow-white living in the glen With the seven little men Is a thousand times more fair."
When she heard the looking-glass speak thus she trembled and shook with anger. "Snow-white shall die," cried she, "though it should cost me my own life!" And then she went to a secret lonely chamber, where no one was likely to come, and there she made a poisonous apple.
It was beautiful to look upon, being white with red cheeks, so that any one who should see it must long for it, but whoever ate even a little bit of it must die. When the apple was ready she painted her face and clothed herself like a peasant woman, and went across the seven mountains to where the seven dwarfs lived.
And when she knocked at the door Snow-white put her head out of the window and said, "I dare not let anybody in; the seven dwarfs told me not." - "All right," answered the woman; "I can easily get rid of my apples elsewhere. There, I will give you one."
"No," answered Snow-white, "I dare not take anything." - "Are you afraid of poison?" said the woman, "look here, I will cut the apple in two pieces; you shall have the red side, I will have the white one." For the apple was so cunningly made, that all the poison was in the rosy half of it.
Snow-white longed for the beautiful apple, and as she saw the peasant woman eating a piece of it she could no longer refrain, but stretched out her hand and took the poisoned half. But no sooner had she taken a morsel of it into her mouth than she fell to the earth as dead.
And the queen, casting on her a terrible glance, laughed aloud and cried, "As white as snow, as red as blood, as black as ebony! this time the dwarfs will not be able to bring you to life again."
And when she went home and asked the looking-glass, "Looking-glass against the wall, Who is fairest of us all?" at last it answered, "You are the fairest now of all." Then her envious heart had peace, as much as an envious heart can have.
The dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found Snow-white lying on the ground, and there came no breath out of her mouth, and she was dead. They lifted her up, sought if anything poisonous was to be found, cut her laces, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but all was of no avail, the poor child was dead, and remained dead.
Then they laid her on a bier, and sat all seven of them round it, and wept and lamented three whole days. And then they would have buried her, but that she looked still as if she were living, with her beautiful blooming cheeks. So they said, "We cannot hide her away in the black ground."
And they had made a coffin of clear glass, so as to be looked into from all sides, and they laid her in it, and wrote in golden letters upon it her name, and that she was a king's daughter. Then they set the coffin out upon the mountain, and one of them always remained by it to watch. And the birds came too, and mourned for Snow-white, first an owl, then a raven, and lastly, a dove.
Now, for a long while Snow-white lay in the coffin and never changed, but looked as if she were asleep, for she was still as' white as snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony.
It happened, however, that one day a king's son rode through the wood and up to the dwarfs' house, which was near it. He saw on the mountain the coffin, and beautiful Snow-white within it, and he read what was written in golden letters upon it.
Then he said to the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin, and I will give you whatever you like to ask for it." But the dwarfs told him that they could not part with it for all the gold in the world.
But he said, "I beseech you to give it me, for I cannot live without looking upon Snow-white; if you consent I will bring you to great honour, and care for you as if you were my brethren." When he so spoke the good little dwarfs had pity upon him and gave him the coffin, and the king's son called his servants and bid them carry it away on their shoulders.
Now it happened that as they were going along they stumbled over a bush, and with the shaking the bit of poisoned apple flew out of her throat. It was not long before she opened her eyes, threw up the cover of the coffin, and sat up, alive and well.
"Oh dear! where am I?" cried she. The king's son answered, full of joy, "You are near me," and, relating all that had happened, he said, "I would rather have you than anything in the world; come with me to my father's castle and you shall be my bride."
And Snow-white was kind, and went with him, and their wedding was held with pomp and great splendour. But Snow-white's wicked step-mother was also bidden to the feast, and when she had dressed herself in beautiful clothes she went to her looking-glass and said, "Looking-glass upon the wall, Who is fairest of us all?"
The looking-glass answered, ''O Queen, although you are of beauty rare, The young bride is a thousand times more fair."
Then she railed and cursed, and was beside herself with disappointment and anger. First she thought she would not go to the wedding; but then she felt she should have no peace until she went and saw the bride. And when she saw her she knew her for Snow-white, and could not stir from the place for anger and terror. For they had ready red-hot iron shoes, in which she had to dance until she fell down dead.
Vocabulary from "Snow White"
12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.
ebonyC1
A hard, heavy wood that is deep black in colour.
乌木；一种坚硬厚重、颜色乌黑的木材。
Not very long after she had a daughter, with a skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony, and she was named Snow-white.
没过多久，她生下一个女儿，皮肤像雪一样白，嘴唇像血一样红，头发像乌木一样黑，因此取名叫白雪公主。
overbearingC1
Trying to control other people in an unpleasant, arrogant way.
专横的；傲慢霸道、爱支配他人的。
After a year had gone by the king took another wife, a beautiful woman, but proud and overbearing.
一年过去了，国王娶了另一位妻子，她是一个美丽的女人，但既骄傲又傲慢。
envyB2
An unhappy feeling of wanting what someone else has.
嫉妒；忌妒；因他人拥有某物而心生的不满。
This gave the queen a great shock, and she became yellow and green with envy.
王后听了大吃一惊，嫉妒得脸色发青发黄。
consented(consent)B2
Agreed to do something or to allow something to happen.
同意；答应（做某事）。
The huntsman consented, and led her away.
猎人答应了，把她带走了。
devourB2
To eat something quickly and hungrily; to swallow up greedily.
狼吞虎咽地吃掉；吞食。
For he thought the wild animals would be sure to devour her, and it was as if a stone had been rolled away from his heart.
他心里想，野兽肯定会把她吃掉的，放过她后心里仿佛卸下了一块大石头。
terrorB1
A feeling of very great fear.
极度的恐惧；惊恐。
Now, when the poor child found herself quite alone in the wild woods, she felt full of terror.
可怜的孩子发现自己独自一人在野森林里，心中充满了恐惧。
disguiseB2
Clothes or a look you put on to change your appearance so people will not recognise you.
伪装；乔装打扮（使人认不出）。
In this disguise she went across the seven mountains, until she came to the house of the seven little dwarfs.
她乔装打扮，翻过七座山，来到七个小矮人的家。
witchcraftB2
The use of magic powers, especially evil ones.
巫术；魔法（尤指邪恶的法术）。
And by witchcraft she made a poisoned comb.
于是她利用巫术做了一把毒梳子。
senselessB2
Unconscious; having lost the ability to feel or think.
失去知觉的；不省人事的。
No sooner was the comb put in her hair than the poison began to work, and the poor girl fell down senseless.
梳子刚碰到她的头发，毒性就发作了，可怜的女孩倒在地上失去了知觉。
lamented(lament)C1
Expressed deep sadness or grief, especially over a loss.
哀悼；悲痛地哭诉。
Then they laid her on a bier, and sat all seven of them round it, and wept and lamented three whole days.
于是他们把她放在灵柩上，七个人围坐着，痛哭哀悼了整整三天。
beseechC1
To ask someone for something in a very eager, pleading way.
恳求；哀求。
I beseech you to give it me, for I cannot live without looking upon Snow-white.
求求你们把它给我，因为看不见白雪公主我就活不下去了。
pompC1
Grand and splendid ceremony, especially at a public event.
盛大隆重的排场；华丽的仪式。
And Snow-white was kind, and went with him, and their wedding was held with pomp and great splendour.
白雪公主很友善，便跟他去了，他们的婚礼举行得盛大而隆重。
Reading Together & Learning More
The Moral
Kindness and innocence will triumph over envy and evil, and true beauty comes from within, not from appearance.
Educational Value
Helps children understand the harm of jealousy, cultivates kindness, and teaches them to distinguish between good and evil.
Tips for Parents
Discuss with your child: Why was the queen jealous? What is true beauty? How important are friends (the dwarfs)?
Talk About It
- The dwarfs warned Snow White again and again not to open the door, yet she opened it three times. Why do you think she could not stop herself?
- The huntsman was supposed to kill Snow White, but he let her go. What made him change his mind?
- The queen had beauty and power, so why was she still unhappy? Does being 'the fairest' really matter that much?
- If you were Snow White, alone in a strange forest, what would you do?
