Snow White facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snow White |
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Schneewittchen by Alexander Zick
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| Folk tale | |
| Name | Snow White |
| Data | |
| Aarne-Thompson grouping | 709 |
| Country | Germany |
Snow White is a famous German fairy tale from the 1800s. It is known all over the world today. The Brothers Grimm first published this story in 1812. It was part of their book Grimms' Fairy Tales and was story number 53. The original German name was Sneewittchen. The Grimm brothers finished their last version of the story in 1854.
This fairy tale has many well-known parts. These include a magic mirror, a poisoned apple, and a glass coffin. It also features characters like the Evil Queen and the seven Dwarfs. The seven dwarfs got their first individual names in a 1912 play called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Later, Walt Disney gave them different names in his 1937 movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Remember, the story "Snow White" is different from "Snow-White and Rose-Red". That's another fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.
In a system that classifies folk tales, called Aarne–Thompson, stories like Snow White are grouped as type 709. Other tales in this group include "Bella Venezia" and "The Young Slave".
Contents
The Story of Snow White
The story begins with a queen sewing by a window during winter. She pricks her finger, and three drops of blood fall onto the white snow. She wishes for a daughter with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony. Soon after, the queen gives birth to a baby girl named Snow White. Sadly, the queen dies. (In the very first version of the tale, the queen does not die. She becomes the wicked stepmother later.)
A year later, Snow White's father, the king, marries again. His new wife is very beautiful but also very vain and wicked. She uses witchcraft. The new queen owns a magic mirror. Every morning, she asks it, "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" The mirror always tells her she is the fairest. This makes the queen happy because the mirror never lies.
But when Snow White turns seven, she becomes even more beautiful than her stepmother. When the queen asks her mirror the same question, it tells her that Snow White is now the fairest. This news shocks the queen. She becomes very jealous and starts to hate Snow White more and more.
Snow White Escapes to the Forest
The queen eventually orders a huntsman to take Snow White into the forest and kill her. As proof, she wants him to bring back Snow White's heart. The queen plans to eat the heart to become immortal. The huntsman takes Snow White into the forest. But when he raises his dagger, he cannot bring himself to harm her. Snow White cries and begs him, "Please spare me! I will run away into the forest and never come home again!" The huntsman feels sorry for her. He agrees to let Snow White go and brings the queen a boar's heart instead.
Snow White wanders through the forest for many hours. She then finds a tiny cottage. It belongs to a group of seven dwarfs. Since no one is home, she eats some of their small meals and drinks some of their wine. She tries all their beds. Finally, the last bed is just right, and she falls asleep.
When the dwarfs return, they notice their home is messy. They go upstairs and find Snow White sleeping. She wakes up and tells them about her stepmother's evil plan. The dwarfs feel bad for her. They let her stay with them if she agrees to be their housemaid. They warn her to be careful when she is alone. They tell her not to let anyone in while they are working in the mountains.
The Queen's Evil Plans
Snow White grows into a lovely young woman. Meanwhile, the queen thinks Snow White is gone forever. She asks her mirror again: "Mirror mirror on the wall, who now is the fairest one of all?" The mirror tells her that Snow White is still the fairest. It also says Snow White is hiding with the dwarfs. The queen becomes furious. She decides to kill the girl herself.
First, she goes to the dwarfs' cottage disguised as an old peddler. She offers Snow White colorful, silky laced bodices. The queen laces Snow White up so tightly that she faints. Luckily, the dwarfs return just in time. They loosen the laces and Snow White wakes up.
Next, the queen dresses up as a comb seller. She convinces Snow White to take a beautiful comb. She then brushes Snow White's hair with the poisoned comb. The poison makes the girl faint. But again, the dwarfs save her by removing the comb.
Finally, the queen disguises herself as a farmer's wife. She offers Snow White a poisoned apple. Snow White is unsure about taking it. So, the queen cuts the apple in half. She eats the white, harmless half and gives the red, poisoned half to Snow White. The girl eagerly takes a bite and falls into a deep sleep, like a coma. The queen believes she has won. This time, the dwarfs cannot wake Snow White. They think the queen has finally killed her. They place her in a glass casket as a funeral for her.
Snow White's Happy Ending
The next day, a prince is hunting. He finds Snow White in her glass coffin. He hears her story from the Seven Dwarfs. The prince is allowed to take Snow White to her father's castle. As Snow White is being carried, one of the prince's servants trips. This causes the piece of poisoned apple to fall from Snow White's throat. She magically wakes up!
The prince is overjoyed. He tells Snow White he loves her. Snow White is surprised but accepts his marriage proposal. The prince invites everyone in the land to their wedding. But he does not invite Snow White's stepmother.
The queen, still thinking Snow White is dead, asks her magic mirror who is the fairest. The mirror says a prince's bride is even fairer than she is. The queen decides to visit the wedding. When she arrives, she is filled with rage and fear. She sees that the prince's bride is Snow White! The furious queen tries to cause trouble and kill Snow White again. But the prince learns the truth from Snow White. He sees the queen as a danger. As punishment for trying to murder Snow White, the prince orders the queen to wear special shoes. She is forced to dance in them until she collapses. With the evil queen finally defeated, Snow White's wedding to the prince continues peacefully.
- Franz Jüttner's illustrations from ''Sneewittchen'' (1905)
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1. The Queen asks the magic mirror
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2. Snow White in the forest
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3. The dwarfs find Snow White asleep
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4. The dwarfs leave Snow White in charge
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5. The Queen visits Snow White
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6. The Queen has poisoned Snow White
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7. The Prince awakes Snow White
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8. The Queen discovers and confronts Snow White at her wedding
Where Did the Story Come From?
Experts have thought about where the Snow White story might have come from. Folklorists (people who study folk tales) say it combines many ideas found in other old stories. Some compare it to an ancient Roman story about a girl named Chione, which means "Snow."
In the 1980s and 1990s, some German writers suggested the fairy tale was inspired by a real person. For example, one teacher thought it might be Margaretha von Waldeck, a German countess born in 1533. Another scholar suggested Maria Sophia Margarethe Catharina, Baroness von und zu Erthal, born in 1725. However, most serious scholars do not believe these theories. They call them "pure guesses" and "not convincing."
A more likely idea is that the Brothers Grimm were inspired by earlier fairy tales. For example, Giambattista Basile wrote fairy tales long before them. The Grimms knew and translated his stories. Basile's book "Lo cunto de li cunti" (published in the 1630s) has a tale called "The Raven." In this story, a noble man sees a dead raven in the snow. The contrast of red blood on white snow makes him wish for a bride with white skin and red cheeks. This idea is very similar to the beginning of Snow White. This could be one of the first inspirations for the character who would later be called Snow White.
Different Versions of Snow White
Many different versions of the Snow White story exist around the world. In the first edition of the Brothers Grimm's tale, the villain was Snow White's own biological mother, not a stepmother. Later, the Grimms changed it to a stepmother. This was likely to make the story less harsh for children.
The Disney Version
A very popular version is the 1937 American animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt Disney. Disney's movie gave the dwarfs names like Dopey and Grumpy. It also featured a singing Snow White. In the Disney film, Snow White and her prince meet before she bites the apple. This meeting actually starts the main part of the story.
In the Disney movie, the queen asks the huntsman for Snow White's heart. But it is never shown in the box. Snow White is also older and more grown-up. She is found by the dwarfs after she cleans their house, not after making a mess. Also, in the Disney movie, the evil queen only tries to kill Snow White once, with the poisoned apple. She then dies by falling down a cliff. In the original Grimm story, the queen is forced to dance in red-hot iron slippers until she dies.
Where Else is the Story Told?
The Snow White story is found in many places. It is widespread in Europe, America, and Africa. It is also found in parts of the Middle East, China, and India. In Africa, the tale often mixes with other folk tale types.
In Europe, the story is found from the Balkan peninsula to Iceland. It is also found from Russia to Spain. Many versions are found in Germany and Italy. Some experts believe Italy might be where the story first spread from.
German Versions
Before the Brothers Grimm, other German versions of the tale existed. One early version was "Richilde" (1782). This story was told from the wicked stepmother's point of view. The Grimms themselves collected at least eight different versions of the tale. They thought it was one of the most famous German folk tales.
Italian Versions
As mentioned, Giambattista Basile wrote tales like "The Raven" that may have inspired Snow White. In many Italian versions, the heroine is not a king's daughter. She might be an innkeeper's daughter. The villain is often her biological mother, not a stepmother. Instead of dwarfs, she might find shelter with robbers. For example, in "La Bella Venezia", the mother asks customers if they have seen anyone more beautiful than her. If they say no, she charges them less. If they say her daughter is prettier, she charges them more.
Sometimes, the heroine's protectors are women instead of men. In "The Cruel Stepmother," Snow White's counterpart, Caterina, lives with an old woman by the sea. In another version from Siena, the heroine, Ermellina, runs away on an eagle. She ends up in a palace with fairies.
French Versions
In France, there are also different versions. In one, "The Enchanted Stockings," the queen's daughter is prettier. The poisoned apple is replaced by magical stockings. The heroine wakes up when the prince's sister takes them off. In another, "La petite Toute-Belle," the heroine lives with three dragons at the bottom of a well.
Versions in Spain and Portugal
In Spain, one version called "The Beautiful Stepdaughter" has a demon telling the stepmother her stepdaughter is prettier. The stepmother orders servants to kill her. The girl finds four men living in a cave that opens and closes with special words. The demon later gives the girl a magic ring that makes her fall asleep.
In a Portuguese version, "The Enchanted Shoes," the heroine is an innkeeper's daughter. She takes refuge with robbers. The poisoned apple is replaced by the magical shoes.
Versions in the British Isles
In the Scottish version "Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree", the queen asks a trout in a well who is the most beautiful. When the trout says her daughter, Gold-Tree, is prettier, the queen pretends to be sick. She says the only cure is to eat her daughter's heart and liver. The king saves Gold-Tree by marrying her to a prince and giving the queen a goat's heart.
Russian Versions
One of the earliest known versions of Snow White is a Russian tale from 1795. The heroine is Olga, a merchant's daughter. Beggars tell her stepmother that Olga is more beautiful. Olga takes refuge with hunters. Her stepmother sends her a poisoned shirt. Olga puts it on and falls as if dead. A prince finds her in a crystal tomb. His mother takes off the shirt, and Olga wakes up.
The famous Russian poet Pushkin also wrote a fairy tale similar to Snow White. It is called "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights". In this story, the princess becomes friends with seven knights (brave warriors) instead of dwarfs. The Sun and Moon help the Prince find the princess. He breaks her coffin with his sword, bringing her back to life.
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See also
In Spanish: Blancanieves para niños
- The Glass Coffin
- Sleeping Beauty (a princess cursed into a death-like sleep)
- Snow-White-Fire-Red, an Italian fairy tale
