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And
the red looked pretty upon the white snow, and she thought to
herself, would that I had a child as white as snow, as red as
blood, and as black as the wood of the window-frame.
Soon
after that she had a little daughter, who was as white as snow,
and as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony, and she
was therefore called little Snow White. And when the child was
born, the queen died.
After a year
had passed the king took to himself another wife. She was a
beautiful woman, but proud and haughty, and she could not bear
that anyone else chould surpass her in beauty. She had a
wonderful looking-glass, and when she stood in front of it and
looked at herself in it, and said,
"Looking-glass,
looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest
of all?"
The
looking-glass answered,
"Thou, o
queen, art the fairest of all."
Then she was
satisfied, for she knew that the looking-glass spoke the truth.
But Snow White
was growing up, and grew more and more beautiful, and when she
was seven years old she was as beautiful as the day, and more
beautiful than the queen herself. And once when the queen asked
her looking-glass,
"Looking-glass,
looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest
of all?"
It answered,
"Thou art
fairer than all who are here, lady queen. But more beautiful
still is Snow White, as I ween."
Then the queen
was shocked, and turned yellow and green with envy. From that
hour, whenever she looked at Snow White, her heart heaved in her
breast, she hated the girl so much. And envy and pride grew
higher and higher in her heart like a weed, so that she had no
peace day or night.
She called a
huntsman, and said, "Take the child away into the forest. I
will no longer have her in my sight. Kill her, and bring me back
her lung and liver as a token."
The huntsman
obeyed, and took her away but when he had drawn his knife, and
was about to pierce Snow White's innocent heart, she began to
weep, and said, "Ah dear huntsman, leave me my life. I will
run away into the wild forest, and never come home again."
And as she was
so beautiful the huntsman had pity on her and said, "Run
away, then, you poor child."
"The wild
beasts will soon have devoured you," thought he, and yet it
seemed as if a stone had been rolled from his heart since it was
no longer needful for him to kill her.
And as a young
bear just then came running by he stabbed it, and cut out its
lung and liver and took them to the queen as proof that the child
was dead. The cook had to salt them, and the wicked queen ate
them, and thought she had eaten the lung and liver of Snow White.
But now the
poor child was all alone in the great forest, and so terrified
that she looked at all the leaves on the trees, and did not know
what to do. Then she began to run, and ran over sharp stones and
through thorns, and the wild beasts ran past her, but did her no
harm.
She ran as long
as her feet would go until it was almost evening, then she saw a
little cottage and went into it to rest herself.
Everything in
the cottage was small, but neater and cleaner than can be told.
There was a table on which was a white cover, and seven little
plates, and on each plate a little spoon, moreover, there were
seven little knives and forks, and seven little mugs. Against the
wall stood seven little beds side by side, and covered with
snow-white counterpanes.
Little Snow
White was so hungry and thirsty that she ate some vegetables and
bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine out of each mug,
for she did not wish to take all from one only. Then, as she was
so tired, she laid herself down on one of the little beds, but
none of them suited her, one was too long, another too short, but
at last she found that the seventh one was right, and so she
remained in it, said a prayer and went to sleep.
When it was
quite dark the owners of the cottage came back. They were seven
dwarfs who dug and delved in the mountains for ore. They lit
their seven candles, and as it was now light within the cottage
they saw that someone had been there, for everything was not in
the same order in which they had left it.
The first said,
"Who has been sitting on my chair?"
The second,
"Who has been eating off my plate?"
The third, "Who
has been taking some of my bread?"
The fourth,
"Who has been eating my vegetables?"
The fifth, "Who
has been using my fork?"
The sixth, "Who
has been cutting with my knife?"
The seventh,
"Who has been drinking out of my mug?"
Then the first
looked round and saw that there was a little hollow on his bed,
and he said, "Who has been getting into my bed?"
The others came
up and each called out, "Somebody has been lying in my bed
too."
But the seventh
when he looked at his bed saw little Snow White, who was lying
asleep therein. And he called the others, who came running up,
and they cried out with astonishment, and brought their seven
little candles and let the light fall on little Snow White.
"Oh,
heavens, oh, heavens," cried they, "what a lovely
child."
And they were
so glad that they did not wake her up, but let her sleep on in
the bed. And the seventh dwarf slept with his companions, one
hour with each, and so passed the night.
When it was
morning little Snow White awoke, and was frightened when she saw
the seven dwarfs.
But they were
friendly and asked her what her name was.
"My name
is Snow White," she answered.
"How have
you come to our house, said the dwarfs.
Then she told
them that her step-mother had wished to have her killed, but that
the huntsman had spared her life, and that she had run for the
whole day, until at last she had found their dwelling.
The dwarfs
said, "If you will take care of our house, cook, make the
beds, wash, sew and knit, and if you will keep everything neat
and clean you can stay with us and you shall want for nothing."
"Yes,"
said Snow White, "with all my heart." And she stayed
with them.
She kept the
house in order for them. In the mornings they went to the
mountains and looked for copper and gold, in the evenings they
came back, and then their supper had to be ready.
The girl was
alone the whole day, so the good dwarfs warned her and said,
"Beware of your step-mother, she will soon know that you are
here, be sure to let no one come in."
But the queen,
believing that she had eaten Snow White's lung and liver, could
not but think that she was again the first and most beautiful of
all, and she went to her looking-glass and said,
"Looking-glass,
looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest
of all?"
And the glass
answered,
"Oh,
queen, thou art fairest of all I see, But over the hills,
where the seven dwarfs dwell, Snow White is still alive and
well, And none is so fair as she."
Then she was
astounded, for she knew that the looking-glass never spoke
falsely, and she knew that the huntsman had betrayed her, and
that little Snow White was still alive.
And so she
thought and thought again how she might kill her, for so long as
she was not the fairest in the whole land, envy let her have no
rest. And when she had at last thought of something to do, she
painted her face, and dressed herself like an old pedlar-woman,
and no one could have known her.
In this
disguise she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs,
and knocked at the door and cried, "Pretty things to sell,
very cheap, very cheap."
Little Snow
White looked out of the window and called out, "Good-day my
good woman, what have you to sell?"
" Good
things, pretty things," she answered, "stay-laces of
all colors," and she pulled out one which was woven of
bright-colored silk.
"I may let
the worthy old woman in," thought Snow White, and she
unbolted the door and bought the pretty laces.
"Child,"
said the old woman, "what a fright you look, come, I will
lace you properly for once."
Snow White had
no suspicion, but stood before her, and let herself be laced with
the new laces. But the old woman laced so quickly and so tightly
that Snow White lost her breath and fell down as if dead.
"You were
the most beautiful," said the queen to herself, and ran
away.
Not long
afterwards, in the evening, the seven dwarfs came home, but how
shocked they were when they saw their dear little Snow White
lying on the ground, and that she neither stirred nor moved, and
seemed to be dead. They lifted her up, and, as they saw that she
was laced too tightly, they cut the laces, then she began to
breathe a little, and after a while came to life again.
When the dwarfs
heard what had happened they said, "The old pedlar-woman was
no one else than the wicked queen, take care and let no one come
in when we are not with you."
But the wicked
woman when she had reached home went in front of the glass and
asked,
"Looking-glass,
looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest
of all?"
And it answered
as before,
"Oh,
queen, thou art fairest of all I see, But over the hills,
where the seven dwarfs dwell, Snow White is still alive and
well, And none is so fair as she."
When she heard
that, all her blood rushed to her heart with fear, for she saw
plainly that little Snow White was again alive.
"But now,"
she said, "I will think of something that shall really put
an end to you." And by the help of witchcraft, which she
understood, she made a poisonous comb. Then she disguised herself
and took the shape of another old woman.
So she went
over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked at the
door, and cried, "Good things to sell, cheap, cheap."
Little Snow
White looked out and said, "Go away, I cannot let anyone
come in."
"I suppose
you can look," said the old woman, and pulled the poisonous
comb out and held it up.
It pleased the
girl so well that she let herself be beguiled, and opened the
door. When they had made a bargain the old woman said, "Now
I will comb you properly for once."
Poor little
Snow White had no suspicion, and let the old woman do as she
pleased, but hardly had she put the comb in her hair than the
poison in it took effect, and the girl fell down senseless.
"You
paragon of beauty," said the wicked woman, "you are
done for now, and she went away."
But fortunately
it was almost evening, when the seven dwarfs came home. When they
saw Snow White lying as if dead upon the ground they at once
suspected the step-mother, and they looked and found the poisoned
comb. Scarcely had they taken it out when Snow White came to
herself, and told them what had happened. Then they warned her
once more to be upon her guard and to open the door to no one.
The queen, at
home, went in front of the glass and said,
"Looking-glass,
looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest
of all?"
Then it
answered as before,
"Oh,
queen, thou art fairest of all I see, But over the hills,
where the seven dwarfs dwell, Snow White is still alive and
well, And none is so fair as she."
When she heard
the glass speak thus she trembled and shook with rage.
"Snow
White shall die," she cried, "even if it costs me my
life."
Thereupon she
went into a quite secret, lonely room, where no one ever came,
and there she made a very poisonous apple. Outside it looked
pretty, white with a red cheek, so that everyone who saw it
longed for it, but whoever ate a piece of it must surely die.
When the apple
was ready she painted her face, and dressed herself up as a
farmer's wife, and so she went over the seven mountains to the
seven dwarfs. She knocked at the door.
Snow White put
her head out of the window and said, "I cannot let anyone
in, the seven dwarfs have forbidden me."
"It is all
the same to me," answered the woman, "I shall soon get
rid of my apples. There, I will give you one."
"No,"
said Snow White, "I dare not take anything."
"Are you
afraid of poison?" said the old woman, "look, I will
cut the apple in two pieces, you eat the red cheek, and I will
eat the white."
The apple was
so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisoned. Snow
White longed for the fine apple, and when she saw that the woman
ate part of it she could resist no longer, and stretched out her
hand and took the poisonous half. But hardly had she a bit of it
in her mouth than she fell down dead.
Then the queen
looked at her with a dreadful look, and laughed aloud and said,
"White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony-wood, this time
the dwarfs cannot wake you up again."
And when she
asked of the looking-glass at home,
"Looking-glass,
looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest
of all?"
And it answered
at last,
"Oh,
queen, in this land thou art fairest of all."
Then her
envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart can have rest.
The dwarfs,
when they came home in the evening, found Snow White lying upon
the ground, she breathed no longer and was dead. They lifted her
up, looked to see whether they could find anything poisonous,
unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but
it was all of no use, the poor child was dead, and remained dead.
They laid her upon a bier, and all seven of them sat round it and
wept for her, and wept three days long. Then they were going to
bury her, but she still looked as if she were living, and still
had her pretty red cheeks.
They said, "We
could not bury her in the dark ground," and they had a
transparent coffin of glass made, so that she could be seen from
all sides, and they laid her in it, and wrote her name upon it in
golden letters, and that she was a king's daughter. Then they put
the coffin out upon the mountain, and one of them always stayed
by it and watched it. And birds came too, and wept for Snow
White, first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.
And now Snow
White lay a long, long time in the coffin, and she did not
change, but looked as if she were asleep, for she was as white as
snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony.
It happened,
however, that a king's son came into the forest, and went to the
dwarfs, house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the
mountain, and the beautiful Snow White within it, and read what
was written upon it in golden letters.
Then he said to
the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin, I will give you
whatever you want for it."
But the dwarfs
answered, "We will not part with it for all the gold in the
world."
Then he said,
"Let me have it as a gift, for I cannot live without seeing
Snow White. I will honor and prize her as my dearest possession."
As he spoke in
this way the good dwarfs took pity upon him, and gave him the
coffin. And now the king's son had it carried away by his
servants on their shoulders. And it happened that they stumbled
over a tree-stump, and with the shock the poisonous piece of
apple which Snow White had bitten off came out of her throat. And
before long she opened her eyes, lifted up the lid of the coffin,
sat up, and was once more alive.
"Oh,
heavens, where am I?" she cried.
The king's son,
full of joy, said, "You are with me." And he told her
what had happened, and said, "I love you more than
everything in the world, come with me to my father's palace, you
shall be my wife."
And Snow White
was willing, and went with him, and their wedding was held with
great show and splendor. But Snow White's wicked step-mother was
also bidden to the feast. When she had arrayed herself in
beautiful clothes she went before the looking-glass, and said,
"Looking-glass,
looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest
of all?"
The glass
answered,
"Oh,
queen, of all here the fairest art thou, But the young queen
is fairer by far as I trow."
Then the wicked
woman uttered a curse, and was so wretched, so utterly wretched
that she knew not what to do. At first she would not go to the
wedding at all, but she had no peace, and had to go to see the
young queen. And when she went in she recognized Snow White, and
she stood still with rage and fear, and could not stir. But iron
slippers had already been put upon the fire, and they were
brought in with tongs, and set before her. Then she was forced to
put on the red-hot shoes, and dance until she dropped down dead.
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