It was the middle of winter and snow was falling all around. The Queen was sewing at her window watching the crisp white snow fall to the ground.
She thought to herself, I hope my daughter will be as white as snow, as red as roses, and as black as ebony.
When the queen’s daughter was born, her wish had come true. She had skin as white as snow, cheeks as rosy as roses and hair as black as ebony. They named her ‘Snow White’.
Years later, Snow White’s father, the King, remarried and the new Queen was very beautiful.
She was also very vain and could not bear to think that anyone could be more beautiful than herself. She had a magical mirror, which she would look in every day and say:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is most beautiful of them all?”
The mirror would reply, “You my Queen, are the most beautiful in all the land.”
Snow White grew up pleasing everyone she came across with her quick wit and pleasant personality. She brought a smile to the face of anyone she encountered. Everyone knew she was becoming more beautiful than the Queen herself.
One day, the Queen asked the magical mirror:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is most beautiful of them all?”
The mirror answered, “You are beautiful my Queen, that’s true, but Snow White is far more beautiful than you!”
When she heard this, she was very angry and called one of her servants, “Take Snow White away into the forest and make sure I never see her again!”
The servant took Snow White away to the forest. He himself did not wish the poor girl any harm, so he left her in the forest and told her to never return home.
A frightened Snow White wandered through the forest, with wild animals roaming around her. Somehow she made it through unharmed. That evening she came across a little cottage and went inside to rest.
The cottage was very neat and tidy. There was a large table in the middle of the room, covered with a crisp white tablecloth. There were seven little plates, with seven little slices of bread, seven little glasses of milk, and seven little knives and forks. On the other side of the room, there were seven little beds.
Snow White was very hungry, so she ate a little piece of each slice of bread and drank a little bit of milk from each glass. She was now very sleepy and needed a little nap.
She laid down on each bed in turn: the first was too long, the next was too short, but after trying them all, the last bed was perfect. So, she laid down and fell fast asleep.
The owners of the cottage were seven little dwarfs. They lived in the forest and spent their days digging for gold in the mountains. When they came home from a long day at work, they lit their seven lamps and noticed something was not right.
The first dwarf said, “Who has been sitting on my chair?”
The second said, “Who has been eating off my plate?”
The third said, “Who has been picking at my bread?”
The fourth said, “Who has been using my spoon?”
The fifth said, “Who has been handling my fork?”
The sixth said, “Who has been cutting with my knife?”
and the seventh said, “Who has been drinking my milk?”.
They looked around the cottage and noticed that their beds had also been ruffled up, “who has been lying on our beds?” they cried.
The seventh dwarf saw Snow White asleep on his little bed. They were so shocked, but also very happy to see her, so they decided not to wake her up, and they all went to sleep.
In the morning, when Snow White woke up, she told them all about the queen and what had happened to her. They said she could live with them if she could help cook, wash, knit and sew for them. In return, they would look after her.
The seven dwarfs then went out to work for the day but before they left they warned Snow White, “The Queen will soon find out where you are, so take care and let no one in while we are gone.”
The Queen thought Snow White was no more and believed that she must now be the most beautiful lady in all the land, so she went to her mirror and asked:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is most beautiful of them all?”
The mirror answered:
“My Queen, you are the most beautiful in all this land,
but over the hills, in the forest shade,
with the seven dwarfs, in a cottage they have made,
lives the beautiful Snow White,
and, my Queen, she is a more dazzling sight.”
The Queen was not happy. She knew that the servant had betrayed her, as the mirror always told the truth. She could not bear to think that anyone was more beautiful than she was. Deciding to get her revenge, the queen disguised herself as an old lady and made her way through the forest to the cottage.
The queen knocked on the door, and Snow White answered. The old lady told Snow White she had the finest lace and buttons for sale and offered to fix Snow Whites dress. Snow White did not realise it was the queen in disguise, the old lady seemed very kind; so she let her in.
The old lady started to change the laces on her dress, but she pulled them so tightly, that Snow White lost her breath and fell to the ground. “That’s the end of you my beauty,” said the evil Queen and off she went back home.
That evening the seven dwarfs returned home and were shocked to find beautiful Snow White motionless on the ground. They lifted her up, cut the tight laces, and she began to breathe again. They told her that the old lady was the Queen herself and next time they go to work, not to let anyone in at all.
When the Queen got home, she went to her mirror and asked:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of them all?”
To her surprise, the answer had not changed. She was so angry to see that Snow White was awake, that she dressed herself up again in a different disguise and this time took a poisoned comb with her.
When she reached the dwarf’s cottage, she knocked at the door. Snow White looked out of the window and said, “I must not let anyone in”.
The Queen begged, “Please, just have a look at my beautiful combs for sale,” and she gave Snow White the poisoned one. It was so pretty. Snow White didn’t’ see the harm in trying it but the moment it touched her head, the poison was so powerful that she fell to the ground in a deep, deep sleep.
“There you will stay this time,” said the Queen, as she left the cottage and went back home.
Luckily, the dwarfs returned home early that evening. They saw Snow White lying on the ground and found the poisoned comb. When they took it out of her hair, she woke up and told them what had happened. They warned her once again not to open the door to anyone.
Meanwhile, the Queen went home to the mirror and asked it the same question:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is most beautiful of them all?”
The answer was the same as before and the queen was even angrier!
“Snow White shall disappear if it is the last thing I do!” yelled the Queen. She went into her room and prepared a poisoned apple. On the outside the apple looked very shiny and tempting to eat, but whoever tasted it would go into the deepest sleep, forever!
The evil Queen dressed up as a peasant’s wife, and travelled through the forest to the dwarf’s cottage, and once again knocked on the door.
Snow White looked out of the window and said, “I must not let anyone in, the dwarfs have told me not to.”
“Do as you please,” said the peasant lady, “but please take this apple as a gift just for you”
“No,” said Snow White, “I really shouldn’t take it.”
“Why?” replied the peasant lady, “What are you afraid of? Do you think it is poisoned? Why don’t you eat one half, and I shall eat the other?”
The apple looked so juicy that Snow White was very tempted to take a bite. When she saw the peasant woman eat her half, she could stop herself no longer.
Snow White put a small piece into her mouth and immediately fell to the ground.
“This time nothing will wake you,” said the Queen, and she went home to her mirror.
This time the mirror said, “My Queen, you are the most beautiful of them all.” The Queen was so pleased, and happier than she had ever been before.
When the dwarfs returned home, they found Snow White lying on the ground. They lifted her up, combed her hair and washed her face, but this time she did not wake up.
They laid her down on the table, and for three whole days the seven dwarfs watched her with great sadness. Her cheeks were still rosy, and her face as white as snow. The dwarfs made her a soft silk bed with a glass cover so that they could still see her. They wrote “Snow White” on the glass in gold letters.
They placed the glass covered bed upon a hill, and the dwarfs took it in turns to watch over her all day long. Even the birds came to show their sadness for Snow White. First came an owl, then a raven, and then a dove.
Snow White lay in the glass covered bed for a very long time and yet she was still as white as snow, her cheeks as red as roses, and her hair as black as ebony.
One day, a prince came to the dwarf’s cottage, and he saw the beautiful Snow White lying in the glass covered bed. He immediately offered the dwarfs money to let him look after her, but the dwarfs said that he could offer all the money in the world, and they would not let her go.
After seeing how kind he was, eventually, the dwarfs gave into the prince’s request and let him take Snow White in the glass covered bed. The moment he lifted her up, the small piece of apple fell from between her lips and Snow White woke up. “Where am I?” she said, and the prince answered, “You are safe with me.”
He told her what had happened and said, “I love you more than anything in the world, please come with me to my father’s palace and you can be my wife.” Snow White agreed and went home with the prince to prepare for their wedding.
Invitations were sent to celebrate the very special occasion and among those invited was Snow White’s old enemy – the Queen.
As she was getting ready for the wedding, dressed in her finest clothes, she looked in magical the mirror and asked:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of them all?”
“You, my lady, are a beauty to be seen, but more beautiful by far, is the brand-new Queen.”
When the old queen heard this and it made her really very angry. She went to the palace to see who this beautiful queen was. When she saw it was Snow White, she turned and ran from the palace, never to be seen again!
From that moment on, Snow White and the prince lived happily ever after.
