SNOW WHITE

..There are many versions of this tale of enchantment but the best known comes from Germany, part of the Grimm Brother's collection.

..In this version, a queen pricks her finger and three drops of blood falls on some newly fallen snow which is on an ebony (black) window frame. She makes a wish...that she should have a daughter with skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony.

..When a daughter is born to the queen, she dies. The king remarries a beautiful, but evil woman. She has a magic mirror to which she asks the same question each day..."Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest (prettiest) one of all." The mirror always responds that she, the queen, is the fairest...When Snowwhite reaches the age of 16, the mirror's response changes. It says that though the queen is quite fair, there is another who is more so. That other is her step-daughter, Snow White. For indeed, Snow White is beautiful. This enrages the Queen.

..She orders a woodsman to take Snow White into the forest and kill her. As proof, the Queen demands that the woodsman bring back Snow White's heart. The woodsman does bring Snow White to the forest but does not kill her. He tells her to run away. Then he kills a deer and brings the animal's heart back to the palace.

..Snow White runs deeper into the forest. She comes upon a cottage where seven dwarfs live. They tell Snow White that if she cooks and cleans for them, she could live with them in the cottage.

..The queen realizes that Snow White is still alive because the answer the magic mirror gives to her question indicates this. She makes three attempts to kill Snow White. First, she disguises herself as a peddler. She goes to the cottage and ties some laces around Snow White. She ties them so tightly that Snow White faints. The queen believes Snow White is no longer alive, but when she asks the question to the magic mirror she discovers that Snow White had not died. The dwarfs were able to revive her when they returned from their work.

..The queen goes back dressed like another old woman. She combs Snow White's hair with a poisoned comb. But again the dwarfs return from work and revive Snow White.

.. The queen returns once again dressed up like a farmer's wife. She has with her a poisoned apple. She eats the unpoisoned part of the apple and offers the other part to Snow White. Snow White takes a bite of it and falls down into a deep sleep. The queen believes Snow White to be dead this time.

..The dwarfs are not able to revive her this time. So they lay her in a glass coffin. One day, the prince passes by and falls in love with the sleeping girl. He wants his servants to carry the coffin back to the palace. He stands beside the coffin on the journey. But he stumbles on some bushes, and the movement causes the poisoned piece of apple to come out of Snow White's throat. She awakens, and within a short time marries the prince.

..The queen arrives at the wedding and realizes that the young bride is Snow White. She is punished for her wickedness by being forced to dance in hot iron shoes until she dies.

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