Snow White (Tale)

"Once Upon A Time"

- How every Fairy Tale begins

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs originally known as "Schneewittchen" is a German Fairy Tale by the well known storytellers Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm. It was first seen in their bundle: "Kinder Und Hausmarchen" published in 1812. It's one of the most well-known fairy tales, and feauteres elements as: The Magic Mirror, The Poison Apple and the Class Coffin.

The Tale
Once Upon A Time, in mid-winter while the snow fell a lovely Good Queen sat behind the ebony window of her castle sewing. The Good Queen wished to have a child. And while she sewed, she pricked herself in her finger with a the needle. Three drops of blood fell into the snow white linen on the ebony of the window. When she saw this sight, she made a wish, she wished for a daughter with a skin as white as snow, hair as black as ebony and lips as red as blood. A year later, the Good Queen's wish was realized and a beautiful child with a skin as white as snow, hair as black as ebony, and lips as red as blood was born. The Good Queen named her beautiful daughter Snow White, but Snow White's mother, the Good Queen, died shortly after her only and baby daughter Snow White was born and when Snow White was still a baby girl, The King, Snow White's father, decided that although he really loved his wife, he felt his lovely daughter Snow White needed a mother. And so the King, Snow White's father, remarried once again with a vain and evil woman, and Snow White's stepmother, the Evil Queen, was stunningly beautiful, but the Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, was filled with pride and she was cruel, evil, vain, wicked and a ruthless woman.

The Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, was very a vain, wicked, cruel and evil woman. The Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, was so vain, that she didn't want to another woman in the land, be more beautiful than herself. In a hidden room in the castle, The Evil Queen had a wonderfully decorated magical mirror. And each day, the vain Queen stood before the mirror and asked: "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" and then a deep voice from the glass answered: "My Queen Thee Are The Fairest Of Them All." And the Queen was very pleased. So, the years past. It became many years winter, and many years summer. Princess Snow White grew up, and was loved by everyone. She became a very beautiful girl. The lovely girl's beauty charmed everyone but worried her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen. One dark day, when Snow White had reached the age of a young and beautiful maiden of seventeen-years-old, the wicked Queen secretly went to the hidden chamber. The Evil Queen asked the Mirror: "Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who Is The Fairest Of Them All?" And the voice from the Magic Mirror replied: "My Queen, You are very fair, But The Time Has Come. The girl With Hair as Black As ebony, skin white as snow, and lips red as blood, your young and beautiful stepdaughter, the Princess Snow White, is a thousand times fairer than You, my Queen."



These were the words the Evil Queen had feared to hear for many years. Infuriating, the Evil Queen called for the Royal Huntsman. And when the faithful Huntsman sat knelt before the Evil Queen's throne, she gave him her coldly orders. The Evil Queen was so jealous of the sweet girl, her only and beautiful stepdaughter, the Princess Snow White, that she couldn't live. The Evil Queen spoke, "Huntsman, I have a task for you. You will tomorrow take my dear stepdaughter, the Princess Snow White, to the forest outside the castle, bring her to a secluded glee were dark trees grow. And there you will take her life." The Huntsman was devastated for the Evil Queen's cruel plan to kill Snow White. But he did not dare to disobey. "And, you shall take your blade and cut her heart out. You will bring her heart to me as prove that you succeeded." The Huntsman's tears fell on the ground and left. So, the next morning the Huntsman asked Snow White, if she cared to join him on a walk throw the forest outside the castle. The Princess Snow White was glad to hear this and gladly went along.

The loving Princess Snow White went to the forest. The Huntsman didn't want to kill her. When they had walked throw the forest for a few hours, they held halt on a secluded glee of wild flowers were the trees closed them in. The lovely Snow White, sat on the ground while she picked flowers. And while the Princess Snow White did this, the Huntsman took his blade and walked to her. He raised the knife to stab, but Snow White turned around, and when the Huntsman saw the terror in the sweet girl's beautiful eyes he couldn't get himself to do it. He dropped the knife and fell to his knees, he grabbed Snow White's dress and begged her: "Forgive me Princess Snow White, please forgive me. I can't." The Huntsman tells the confused Snow White: "Your stepmother, the Evil Queen, is jealous of your beauty, and she wishes you dead, go far away of the castle and never return with your stepmother, the Evil Queen!".



Snow White panicked in fear, and ran into the forest. It became night. Snow White became so scared, she had the feeling the trees of the forest reached out to her and wished to grab her. Poor Snow White fell on the ground and cried. When she opened her eyes again, she was confronted by a deer with pretty eyes. The deer pulled at her dress to empty that she would follow him. Snow White trusted the animal, and followed the deer throw the forest. Now Snow White came to a sunny place of the forest. It was very pretty. It was a wonderfully small cottage made of wood. Snow White and the animals moved towards the home, and she learned the door was not locked. She entered and instantly was charmed by the small nature of the home. She sat down at a table with seven small plates and seven small goblets, she ate and drank.

Sudden sleepiness overcame her. She went upstairs and fell over seven beds and went to sleep. Not much later, the inhabitants of the cottage seven old Dwarfs who had worked in a diamond mine all day. Snow White awakened and was shocked to learn, not children but little men lived there. "Who are you?" the oldest of them asked. Snow White told them that she was the princess Snow White in jeopardy attempting to escape from the spiteful and evil Queen, her evil stepmother.

The Seven Dwarfs are at first reluctant to let her stay. She begs them for shelter and they at last accept. For a long time, Snow White stays with the dwarfs and is happy. She makes music with them, cleans the home and tells them stories. However, the dread is not gone as at the Castle, the Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, had consulted her Magic Mirror and find that the Huntsman had let her stepdaughter Snow White go and she now lives with the Seven Dwarfs in the forest i their cottage. The Evil Queen blinded by insane rage goes herself to kill her stepdaughter Snow White. She disguises herself as a sale woman. She comes to the cottage and attempts to sell a satin cord to Snow White. She naively opens the door and the sale woman strangles her with the cord. When the Seven Dwarfs return at home, they find Snow White dead. The youngest Dwarf cuts the cord and Snow White's breath returns.



The oldest Dwarf makes her promise she'll never open the door for strangers. The Evil Queen hears from the mirror that her stepdaughter Snow White still lives. Disguised as another sale woman. She lures her outside with a poisoned apple. When the poisoned apple is placed in the girl's throat, she collapses into a deep sleep like death and  the Evil Queen leaves. The seven dwarfs return and take the apple out of her hair. She awakens and has to ensure the seven dwarfs to never again open the door to strangers. At the Castle, the Evil Queen again hears she has failed. This time, she poisons one sight of an apple and disguises as an old peddler woman. She goes to the Seven Dwarfs cottage and finally manages to win Snow White's trust. The old peddler woman bites one side of the apple, which is not poisoned and Snow White takes the red half which is poisonous. Finally she dies. The Evil Queen is now victorious and returns to the castle where the Mirror speaks: "You are the fairest of them all my Queen." The Seven Dwarfs return home and try to revive her. All attempts fail.



Snow White is dead and the seven dwarfs are filled with sorrow. They built a coffin of glass were she is put on display in the forest. A year passes and as a new fall comes the seven dwarfs are still mourning by her side. A young Prince from a far away kingdom comes by. He is looking for a bride. When he lays eyes on the beautiful Snow White he instantly falls in love with her. The seven dwarfs tell him she is dead. The Prince asks one favor: "If I may kiss her." The Seven Dwarfs take the glass from the coffin and allow the Prince to bend over and kiss her red lips. However, he bounces the coffin which causes the poisonous piece of the apple from her throat. Snow White awakens and falls in love with the Prince.



At the Castle, the Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, gets an invitation to attend the wedding of the Prince and Princess Snow White, his new bride. When she enters the reception she sees that her stepdaughter Snow White is the bride. The Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, suffers a nervous breakdown and breaks the Magic Mirror. The Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, then is forced to dance on iron red shoes until she drops and falls dead. And then Snow White and her husband, the Prince, they live both happily ever after.

Origin
"Sneewittchen" first appeared in "Kinder Und Hausmarchen" published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm. It was inspired by several legends, some dating back to ancient Rome. The story went through numerous changes over the many years of its existence. Hundreds of versions exist, and with slight variations on each. There is no definitive version of the tale. The story deals with a number of themes, primarily: youth, mortality, delusion, and love. In one early version, the jealous Evil Queen was in fact Snow White's biological mother, and not Snow White's evil stepmother. Instead of her heart, the huntsman is required to bring back her kidney and liver. In even older versions, the Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, had no magic mirror, but looked into a well with talking fish.

It soon became one of the most popular and longest surviving fairy tales. It has been suggested that some of the story's elements are rooted in historical events.

"Sneewittchen" or  Snow White  was most famously adapted in 1937 in animated film by Walt Disney in: "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs".

Adaptations
"Snow White" served as an inspiration for many novels, stories and legends. It was adapted several times:

Films

 * "Snow White " (1906) - which is believed to be lost.
 * "Snow White " (1916) - with Marguerite Clark as Snow White and Dorothy Cummings as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen Brangomar, her evil stepmother.
 * "Betty Boop is Snow White " (1933) - with Mae Questel as Snow White/Betty Boop and her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen, her evil stepmother.
 * "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs " (1937) - with Adriana Caselotti as Snow White and Lucille La Verne as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen Grimhilde.
 * "Schneewittchen " (1955) with Elke Arendt as Snow White and Adele Adamitz as the Evil Queen, her evil stepmother.
 * "Snow White and the Three Stooges" (1961) with Carol Heiss as Snow White and Patricia Medina as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen.
 * "Pamuk Prenses Ve Yedi Cüceler " (1970) with Zynep Degirmencioglu as Snow White and Suna Selen as the Evil Queen, her evil stepmother.
 * "Schneewittchen Und Die Zeben Bergen" (1973) - a pornographic spoof.
 * "Neberte nám princeznú" (1981) - with Marika Gombitova as Katka (Snow White) and Marie Rottrova as Mother (The Evil Queen).
 * "A Snow White Christmas" (1981) - with Diane Pershing as Snow White and Melendy Britt as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen.
 * "Faerie Tale Theatre" (1984) with Elizabeth McGovern as Snow White and Vanessa Redgrave as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen.
 * "Cannon Movie Tales's Snow White" (1987) - with Sarah Patterson and Nicola Stapleton both as Snow White and Diana Rigg as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen.
 * "Snow White" (1995) - with voices of Tony Ail and Ellen Kennedy.
 * "Snow White: A Tale of Terror" (1997) - with Monica Keena and Taryn Davis both as Lilliana Hoffman (Snow White) and Sigourney Weaver as her evil stepmother, Lady Claudia Hoffman (the Evil Queen).
 * "Snow White: The Fairest of Them All" (2001) - with Kristin Kreuk as Snow White and Miranda Richardson as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen Elspeth.
 * "Grimm's Snow White" (2012) - a rip-off film by Asylum starring Eliza Bennett as Snow White and Jane March as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen Gwendolyn.
 * "Mirror Mirror" (2012) - with Lily Collins as Snow White and Julia Roberts as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen Clemantianna.
 * "Snow White & The Huntsman" (2012) - with Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Charlize Theron as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen Ravenna.
 * "Blancanieves" (2012) - with Maribel Verdu, Sofia Oria, Macarena Garcia and Daniel Gimenez Cacho.

Television

 * "The Legend of Snow White" (1994)  - a Japanese Anime series.
 * "Once Upon A Time" (2011-present) - with Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White and Lana Parrilla as her evil stepmother, the Evil Queen Regina Mills.

Stage

 * "Snow White" (1912) - a play that dissapeared long ago.
 * "Snow White: The Stage Adaptation" (1987-1988) - a 1987 Disneyland musical based on the 1937 Walt Disney film.
 * "Snow White: An Enchanting Musical" (2003-2004) - a 2003 Disneyland musical as well based on the 1937 Walt Disney film.
 * "Sneeuwwitje: De Romantische Familiemusical" (1998, 2005) - a Belgium/Dutch musical with Anne Mie Gils as the Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, and Sascha Rosen as Snow White.

Novels

 * "Snow, Glass, Apples" (1994) - by Neil Gainman.
 * "Fairest of Them All: A Tale of The Wicked Queen" (2008) - by Serena Valentino.