snow whte and the seven dwarves

7/30/2019 Snow Whte and the Seven Dwarves

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

1.

Once upon a time in the middle of winter, a queen sat sewing at a window with a

frame as black as ebony. Outside it was snowing. And while she was sewing and

looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her finger with a needle, and

three drops of blood fell on the snow. And the red looked pretty on the white

snow, and she thought to herself, "I wish I had a child as white as snow, as red as

blood, and as black as the ebony window-frame."

A year later she had a little daughter, whose hair was as black as ebony, whose

lips were as red as blood, and whose skin was as white as snow; so she was

called Snow White. And when the child was born, the Queen died.

After another year had passed the King married a second wife. She was a

beautiful woman, but very proud.

She had a magic mirror, and when she stood in front of it and said:

"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,

Who is the fairest of them all?"

The mirror answered: "O Queen, you are the fairest of them all!"

Then she was satisfied, for she knew that the mirror spoke the truth.

But Snow White was growing up, and grew more and more beautiful. And one

day when the Queen asked her mirror:



It answered: "Snow White is the fairest of them all."

The Queen turned yellow and green with envy. From that time, she hated Snow

White. She hated her so much that one day she called a huntsman, and said,

"Take Snow White away into the forest. Kill her, and bring me back her heart as

proof." The huntsman obeyed, and took her away; but when he had drawn his

knife, and was about to kill her, she began to weep, and said, "Please, don't kill

me!" And as she was so beautiful the huntsman had pity on her and said, "Run

away, then!"

"The wild animals will soon eat her," he thought. Just then a deer passed and the

huntsman killed it and cut out its heart and took it to the Queen as proof that the

child was dead.

2.

But now Snow White was all alone in the forest and very afraid. She ran deeper

and deeper into the forest. The wild animals saw her but did not hurt her.


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She ran until it was almost evening; then she saw a little cottage and went into it

for a rest. Everything in the cottage was small, but very neat and clean. There

was a table on which was a white tablecloth, and seven little plates, and on each

little plate a little spoon; there were seven little knives and forks, and seven little

glasses. And against the wall stood seven little beds side by side.

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 glass, for she did not want

to take all of anybody's food and drink. Then, as she was so tired, she lay 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 lay on

it and went to sleep.

When it was quite dark the owners of the cottage came back; they were seven

dwarves who dug and delved in the mountains for gold and diamonds. They littheir seven candles, and as it was now light within the cottage they saw that

someone had been there, for everything was not quite as they had left it.

The first said, "Who's been sitting on my chair?"

The second, "Who's been eating off my plate?"

The third, "Who's been taking some of my bread?"

The fourth, "Who's been eating my vegetables?"

The fifth, "Who's been using my fork?"

The sixth, "Who's been cutting with my knife?"

The seventh, "Who's been drinking out of my glass?"

3.

Then the first looked at his bed said, "Who's been lying on my bed?"

The others looked at their beds and each one said, "Somebody's been lying on

my bed too."

But the seventh when he looked at his bed saw Snow White, who was lyingasleep. 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, oh," they cried, "what a lovely girl!" and they were so happy

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 got through the

night.

In the morning little Snow White awoke, and was frightened when she saw the

seven dwarves. But they were friendly and asked her what her name was. "My

name's Snow White," she answered. "How did you come to our house?" said the

dwarves. Then she told them that her stepmother had wanted to have her killed,


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but that the huntsman had spared her life, and that she had run for the whole

day, until at last she had found their house. The dwarves said, "If you'll take care

of our house, cook, make the beds, wash, sew, and knit, and if you'll keep

everything neat and clean, you can stay with us and we'll take care of you."

"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 gold and diamonds; in the evenings they came back, and she had

their supper ready on the table. The girl was alone the whole day, so the good

dwarves warned her and said, "Beware of your stepmother, she will soon know

that you are here; be sure to let no one come in."

The Queen believed that Snow White was dead but when she went to her mirror

and said:



And the mirror answered: "Snow White is still the fairest of them all and she'sliving with the dwarves in the forest." She knew that the mirror always spoke the

truth and she knew that the huntsman had lied to her, and that Snow White was

still alive.

4.

And so the Queen thought of a way to kill her for she was mad with envy. Shedisguised herself as on old peasant woman and took a basket of pretty things. In

this disguise she went through the forest to the house of the seven dwarves, and

knocked at the door and cried, "Pretty things to sell!" When Snow White looked

out of the window she saw a pleasant old woman who said, "Look at my pretty

laces. Won't you buy some?" Snow White liked pretty things and she unbolted

the door and bought the laces. "Come," said the old woman, "let me tie your

laces for you." And Snow White let herself be laced with the new laces. But the

old woman laced her so tightly that Snow White lost her breath and fell down as

if dead. "Now I am the most beautiful," said the Queen to herself, and went

away.

Not long afterwards, in the evening, the seven dwarves came home. How

frightened they were when they saw Snow White lying on the ground and

seeming to be dead. They lifted her up, and saw that she was laced too tightly.

They cut the laces and she began to breathe again. When the dwarves heard

what had happened they said, "The old peasant woman was the wicked Queen;

let no one come in when we are not here."

When the Queen reached home she stood in front of the mirror and asked:



And it answered as before: "Snow White is still the fairest of them all and she's


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living with the dwarves in the forest."

The Queen was furious and she made a poisoned comb. Then she disguised

herself and took the shape of another old woman. She went through the forest to

the house of the seven dwarves, and she knocked at the door and cried, "Pretty

things to sell!" Snow White looked out and said, "Go away; I can't let any one

come in." "But you can look," said the old woman, and pulled the poisoned comb

out and held it up. It was so pretty Snow White leaned out of the window and let

the old woman comb her hair. But the old woman scratched her head with the

poisoned comb and Snow White fell down unconscious. The Queen went away

back to her palace.

5.

But fortunately it was almost evening and the seven dwarves came home. When

they saw Snow White lying as if dead upon the ground they at once suspected

the stepmother, and they looked and found the poisoned comb. As soon as had

they taken it out Snow White revived, 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, stood in front of the mirror again and said:


Who is the fairest of them all?"And it answered as before: "Snow White is still the fairest of them all and she's

living with the dwarves in the forest."

The Queen trembled and shook with rage. She took a green and red apple. On

the red side she put poison. Then she dressed herself up as a farmer's wife and

went through the forest to the house of the seven dwarves, and knocked at the

door and cried, "Apples to sell!" Snow White put her head out of the window and

said, "I can't let any one in; I'm not supposed to open the door." "You're a good

girl," said the woman, "Here, as a reward, I'll give you one."

"No," said Snow White, "I mustn't take anything." "Are you afraid of poison?" saidthe old woman, "Look, I'll cut the apple in two pieces; you eat the red half, and

I'll eat the green one." When Snow White saw the woman eating part of the

apple, she stretched out her hand and took the poisoned half. But as soon as she

bit into the apple, she fell lifeless to the ground. Then the Queen laughed aloud

and said, "White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony! This time the dwarves

won't be able to wake you up again."

And when she stood in front of the mirror at home and said:



It answered at last, "O Queen, you are the fairest of them all."

And the Queen was satisfied.


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6.

The dwarves, when they came home in the evening, found Snow White lying on

the ground and no longer breathing. They lifted her up and looked to see

whether they could find any poison. They unlaced her, combed her hair and

washed her, but it was all of no use. She still looked so beautiful they could not

bear to bury her in the dark ground and so they made a transparent coffin of

glass. They laid her in it, and wrote her name on it in gold letters, and that she

was a king's daughter. Then they carried the coffin into the forest where the wild

animals came and watched over her.

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.

One day a king's son came into the forest, saw the coffin with beautiful Snow

White inside, and read what was written upon it in golden letters. Then he said to

the dwarves, "Let me have the coffin, for I can't live without seeing Snow White."

At first the dwarves refused, but he begged so much that they let him take the

coffin.

As the King's son and his servants were carrying the coffin they stumbled over a

root and the piece of apple, which Snow White had bitten, fell out of her mouth.

And everyone was astonished to see her open her eyes. The Prince asked SnowWhite to marry him and she accepted.

Snow White's wicked stepmother was invited to the wedding.

When she had dressed herself in rich and costly clothes she stood in front of the

mirror and said:



And the mirror answered, "The young Princess is the fairest of them all."

The Queen was furious but she had to see the young Princess and so she went tothe wedding and she recognised Snow White.

Iron shoes had already been heated in the fire and the Queen was forced to put

on the red hot shoes and dance until she fell down dead.

snow whte and the seven dwarves

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