Snow White is an 1812 fairy tale by German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, collectively known as “the Brothers Grimm.” It follows the eponymous princess, Snow White, who runs into trouble when an evil, power-hungry queen marries her father and tries to kill her out of vanity. Aided by the Seven Dwarves and a handsome prince who becomes her lover, Snow White deposes the queen, exacting her rightful revenge. The fairy tale is one of the most famous of its genre in the Western world and has been adapted into numerous films, plays, and parodies. Snow White begins as a queen contemplates the winter snow while sewing at the castle window. She accidentally sticks her finger with a needle and three drops of blood spill into the snow. The sight causes the queen to wish that she had a daughter with black hair, blood-red lips, and skin the color of snow. Her wish magically comes true, but she dies just after naming her daughter Snow White. When Snow White is one, the king remarries to a beautiful but evil woman. The new queen owns a magic mirror possessed by a spirit that affirms her vanities and counsels her. Each morning, she asks the mirror who is the “fairest one of all,” and it tells her that it is she.  However, once Snow White grows up, the mirror recognizes her as the fairest one of all, enraging the queen. As her jealousy festers, the queen comes to despise Snow White. She commissions a hunter to bring Snow White into the woods to execute her, demanding that he return with her heart as proof. She intends to eat Snow White’s heart to gain the power of immortality. Once in the forest, Snow White begs for her life, swearing to flee the kingdom and act dead. The sympathetic huntsman lets her go and brings the queen the heart of a wild animal. Snow White wanders deeper into the forest and finds a small cottage that is home to the Seven Dwarves. Seeing they are away, she dines on their food and falls asleep on a bed. The dwarves come back to a home in disarray and panic, assuming they have been burgled. They enter the bedroom upstairs and find Snow White, who explains her situation. They strike a deal, in which Snow White can live with them in exchange for housekeeping work. They also warn her to refuse strangers who arrive at the door. The evil queen returns to her mirror and asks her vain query. She is shocked when the mirror answers that Snow White is the fairest, realizing the huntsman fooled her. She tracks down Snow White at the Seven Dwarves’ cottage, arriving disguised as an elderly seller of wares. She gifts her a bodice secured with laces and offers to help her fit it. The queen pulls the drawstrings so tightly they asphyxiate Snow White, who faints. Luckily, the dwarves return home and loosen the ties in time to save her. The queen returns to the cottage pretending to be a comb salesman. She gifts her a beautiful comb laced with poison, again causing Snow White to faint. The dwarves return and remove the comb in time for Snow White to recover. The queen makes a final attempt to kill Snow White by returning to the cottage dressed as a pauper. She offers Snow White an apple laced with poison. This time, Snow White hesitates to accept the gift, but the queen calms her fears by eating the half of the apple that was not poisoned. Snow White bites into the poisoned half and falls into a deep sleep. The queen leaves in triumph. When the dwarves return, believing Snow White is dead, they lift her body into a casket made of glass. A while later, a handsome prince notices Snow White’s coffin while out hunting. The dwarves tell him her story and permit him to move her body to a grave. On the way, one of the coffin bearers stumbles, causing the bite of poisoned apple to fall out of her mouth. Snow White immediately wakes up. Delighted to see that Snow White is alive, the prince professes his love to her. He proposes, and she agrees to marry him. They invite everyone in the land to their wedding, including the queen. Still, under the impression that Snow White is dead, the queen asks her mirror who is the fairest one of all. It answers, cryptically, the “prince’s bride,” causing the queen to investigate. The queen attends the wedding and sees that the bride is Snow White. Just before she tries to sabotage the wedding, the prince realizes that she is the villain who poisoned Snow White, and declares her an enemy of the kingdom. He tortures her by forcing her to dance in iron slippers that have been heated in the fire. She dies at the wedding, which then happily continues without her.

Overview

Jacob Grimm

Early reader / picture book

Novel

Fiction

Guide

Plot Summary

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About Snow White

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