Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Once upon a time, long, long ago, a king and queen ruled over a distant land. The queen was gentle and beautiful, and all the people in the kingdom adored her.
The queen's life was shadowed by her wish for a child, who had not yet come into the world.
— Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!
One winter's day, the queen sat by the ebony window, knitting little woolen garments. Suddenly, a beautiful robin perched on the windowsill and startled the queen.
The bird distracted the queen, who pricked her finger with the needle. A drop of blood fell upon the snow outside the window, and the queen, gazing at the drop of blood, saw it take the shape of a baby's face. The queen was surprised and said:
— Oh, god of snow! I wish to have a daughter, with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.
The Birth of Snow White and the Queen's Death
Before long, the queen became pregnant, but fell ill and took to her bed. Many doctors tried to cure her, but the queen did not recover.
— Oh, my dear, don't worry! You will be well soon. Please don't lose hope, have faith in the gods. Our dream of having a child is about to come true. — Yes, my dear. I hope so. The god of snow has blessed us. Nothing bad can happen.
Soon spring arrived. Flowers were blooming everywhere, and the two prepared for the child's arrival. As the day drew nearer, the queen felt worse and worse.
It was a bright morning. The sun shone as if it wanted to melt all the winter snow in a single day. The queen gave birth to a stunningly beautiful girl, with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.
— My queen, you could not have given me anything more beautiful. Please, tell me what you wish for. I will grant all your desires. — Thank you, my dear, but now I don't think I have much time left to spend with my little girl. — Oh, my dear!
— You are as white as snow. Your name shall be Snow White. Promise me, Your Majesty, that you will always take care of my daughter, and promise me that you will remarry and that you will not be sad without me. — I will take care of her forever and at any cost, my dear. — Don't cry, my king. Farewell, my beloved. Farewell! — Oh, my dear, please don't leave me!
The King Remarries
For many years, the king suffered after the queen's untimely death. He himself cared for Snow White, but most of the time he was busy with the affairs of the kingdom.
He realized that his daughter needed a loving mother, so he decided to remarry.
The Evil Queen and the Magic Mirror
The new queen was very beautiful, but more than that, she was a very arrogant and cruel woman. She practiced dark magic, with which she had managed to control the king.
She had a magic mirror that could reveal the truth anytime, about anything she wished to know.
— Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? — Oh, Queen, you are the fairest! — Oh, really! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you are a genius!
As time passed, Snow White became ever more beautiful, more enchanting from one day to the next. She became the most beautiful girl in all the kingdoms.
The stepmother began to be jealous of her beauty.
— Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? — You, Queen, are fair, it's true, but Snow White is fairer than you! — Ah! How dare you speak to me like that? You don't know what you're saying! — I beg your pardon, I can only speak the truth, my mistress!
The Huntsman and Snow White's Escape
The queen became very angry and summoned the huntsman.
— Take Snow White, lead her into the forest and kill her, and as proof, bring me her heart! — Yes, my mistress.
The queen asked Snow White to go into the forest to gather some magic herbs to make her even more beautiful. The poor huntsman led Snow White into the forest, but could not kill her.
— Oh, most beautiful princess, your stepmother ordered me to kill you, but I cannot take the life of a creature as beautiful and gentle as you! Run as far as you can and never return to the castle! — Oh, you are a good man! Mother will punish you if you don't kill me! — I'll manage somehow with her, but now you must go!
Snow White ran as fast as she could. The huntsman hunted a wild boar and brought its heart to the queen.
— Ha, ha, ha! Now I am the fairest in the land!
Snow White Finds the Dwarfs' Cottage
Snow White was alone in the dense, murky forest and didn't know what to do or where to go. The trees seemed to whisper among themselves, frightening Snow White, who began to run.
She ran over sharp rocks, through thorns, and as dusk began to fall, a few little birds gathered around her and started tugging at her scarf. Snow White understood they wanted to show her something.
So she followed them. Suddenly, she spotted a small, peculiar cottage, which she entered together with the birds.
The Dwarfs Find Snow White
Inside, everything was in miniature but beautifully arranged. On a small table covered with a white, smooth tablecloth, seven small plates of food were laid out. Against the wall were seven little beds, placed side by side, covered with blankets.
Snow White was so hungry that she nibbled some vegetables and bread from the plates, and from each little cup she drank a sip of milk. She felt tired after wandering so long through the forest. So she lay down on one of the little beds and fell asleep.
After nightfall, the seven dwarfs who lived there returned home from a day of searching for gold in the mountain mine. The birds tried to wake her, but she had fallen into a deep sleep.
As soon as the dwarfs entered the house, they saw that someone had been there.
— Who's been sitting in my chair? — Who's been eating from my plate? — Who's been eating my bread? — Who's been eating my vegetables? — Who's been using my fork? — And who's been drinking from my cup?
The seventh dwarf, looking toward his bed, discovered a most beautiful girl sleeping there.
— Someone is actually sleeping in my bed!
The seven dwarfs came running to the head of the bed.
— Oh my! — This girl is so beautiful! — Shh! Let her sleep. Be quiet!
They all fell asleep around the bed. The next morning, Snow White woke up and was frightened when she saw the seven dwarfs.
— Ah! — Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! We are the dwarfs. You're in our house. — Huh? Huh? — What's your name? — My name is Snow White.
Snow White Lives with the Dwarfs
Snow White told them the whole story. The dwarfs discussed among themselves for a while, then said:
— If you help us and take care of our cottage, — And cook, — Make the beds, — Wash, crochet, and knit, — And keep everything tidy and clean, — You can stay with us. — And you'll have everything you wish for. — Yes, I want to with all my heart!
Snow White lived happily with the dwarfs. Every morning, the dwarfs went to the mountains to look for gold, and in the evening when they returned home, Snow White had their food ready and the house in order.
During the day, the girl was alone. Her only company were the birds and forest animals, with whom she often played.
The Evil Queen Discovers Snow White is Alive
— Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? — You, my queen, are very fair, it's true, but Snow White, beyond the mountains, in the cottage of the seven dwarfs, is a thousand times more beautiful than you! — No! That white girl is still alive! The huntsman deceived me! I'll teach him a lesson later, but for now I must kill Snow White. But how? How? Tell me how!
She realized that in her fury she had broken the mirror. The queen thought again and again about how she might get rid of Snow White. Finally, she had an idea.
The Queen Poisons Snow White
She went to her secret chamber, which no one was allowed to enter. There she enchanted an apple and made it poisonous. The apple had been bewitched so skillfully that although it was poisonous, it looked very tempting and fresh.
Then she cast another spell and transformed herself into an old peddler woman. She went to the dwarfs' house beyond the mountains and knocked on the door. Snow White poked her head out the window.
— Who are you, old woman? How can I help you? — Open the door, beautiful child! I am a poor woman. I'd like to give you some apples, and you give me a little bread for my husband in return. — I'm not allowed to let anyone in! The seven dwarfs forbade me from doing that! — Very well, child! Here, I'll give you this delicious, crispy apple in exchange for a piece of bread, my dear!
When Snow White saw the beautiful, gleaming apples, she could not resist the temptation. She hurried to the kitchen and brought a large piece of fresh bread, baked for the seven dwarfs' dinner. She gave it to the old woman and took the apples in exchange, for the dwarfs' table.
She barely bit into the apple and instantly fell lifeless to the ground.
— Ah!
The evil queen transformed back.
— White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony! The seven dwarfs will never be able to wake you!
She quickly returned to the palace and sat before the mirror shards.
— Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
The mirror, at last, gave her the answer she desired.
— You, my queen, you are the fairest!
The Dwarfs Mourn Snow White
When the dwarfs returned home that evening, they found Snow White lying on the floor. She was no longer breathing. She was dead.
They lifted her up and gazed at her anxiously. They spoke to her, shook her, wept beside her, but nothing could be done. The dear child had died and would not come back to life.
They laid her on a bed of hay and all seven dwarfs mourned and wept for three days.
— Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!
They prepared to bury her, but she still looked as though she were alive and still had rosy cheeks.
— We cannot bury her in the dark earth! She must remain white, immaculate, as she still is.
They made her a transparent coffin of glass, so she could still be seen. They placed her inside, and on the coffin they wrote in golden letters: "Here rests Princess Snow White."
Then they carried the coffin to the snowy mountains. All the animals and birds came to mourn Snow White.
The Prince Saves Snow White
Just then, a prince appeared in the area, out hunting. He spotted the crowd of dwarfs and animals around the glass coffin. The prince fell into deep thought and wondered: "What could be inside that coffin, around which so many lovely creatures have gathered?"
The prince approached and read what was written in golden letters. He thought that here lay the girl he had always dreamed of. Then he noticed the dwarfs.
— Give me the coffin! I'll give you anything, just let me have this beautiful girl! — We won't sell it for all the gold in the world! — Please, give it to me! I cannot live without being able to gaze upon her. I will die if you don't let me take her! — How can you say that? What do you intend to do with a lifeless body? — I will honor her and build a monument beside my palace where she may rest in peace.
The dwarfs felt pity for the prince and accepted his offer. The prince's servants lifted the coffin onto their shoulders. Then one of them stumbled, and the piece of poisoned apple that Snow White had bitten flew out.
The prince immediately caught the coffin. He laid the girl in the shade of a tree, gazing at her. He knew she was just as beautiful as she had been when alive. The prince kissed her forehead.
The moment he kissed her, Snow White opened her eyes. She stood up and came back to life.
— Oh my, where am I? — You are with me. I am the prince.
And the prince told her what had happened.
— Oh my! You were determined to keep me even though I had no breath? But why? — You are the only girl from my dreams. I love you more than anything in this world. Come with me to the castle. Will you marry me and be my queen? — Yes, my wonderful prince! But first I would like to see my father. I would like him to give us his blessing. — But I've heard that your father has gotten lost somewhere and hasn't returned to the kingdom in a long time. — That's probably another scheme of my wicked stepmother. Please, we must do something to find him! — Very well. Let us go to the palace and search for him.
The King is Freed and the Wedding
Thus the prince decided to search for her long-lost father. He conquered the kingdom and defeated the wretched queen. In the castle, they found the queen's secret chamber, where Snow White's father had been imprisoned in great secrecy. They freed him.
And the queen, when she saw that the king had been freed from the dungeon, out of fear of him and the others, fled far from the kingdom and was never seen again.
The king announced his daughter's wedding at the palace. Snow White was married with great pomp and grandeur, and they all lived happily ever after.
And so, through kindness and courage, Snow White found her happiness, and evil was defeated.
