It was the middle of winter, and snow flakes were falling from the sky. A queen sat at her window and was embroidering on an ebony frame. As she worked, she pricked her finger when she looked away from the frame and at the snow. When she saw three drops of blood fall from her finger onto the snow, she said to herself, " I would like to have a child with skin as white as snow, with lips as red as blood, and with hair as black as ebony."

Not long after that, she gave birth to a baby girl. This girl has skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony. Because her skin was so white she was named Snow White. But the poor queen died as soon as the baby was born.

After a year, the king took another wife. She was very beautiful but so proud that she wanted to be the most beautiful woman in the world. She had a magic mirror and often stood before it and said, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"
And the mirror answered, "You are the most beautiful in the world."

Now, Snow White was growing prettier and prettier. When she was seven years old, she was much more beautiful than the queen. So one day the queen asked here mirror the usual question. It answered, "Queen, you are very beautiful, but Snow White is more beautiful than you."
This gave the queen a great shock, and she became green with jealousy. At last she sent for a huntsman and said to him, "Take the girl to the woods and kill her. And bring me her heart."

But Snow White was so lovely that the huntsman felt sorry for her.
"Go away, poor child," he said, "Never come home again."
Just then a young wild bear came running by, so he caught and killed it, and brought its heart to the queen.

The Seven Dwarfs

In the dark woods Snow White was alone. She was full of terror, and ran as far as her feet could carry her. When the evening drew near, she came to a little house. She went in. There was no one there, but she found a little table with seven little plates and seven knives and forks, and seven pretty cups on it. Everything was very small.

Snow White was so hungry and thirsty that she ate a little bread from each plate and drank a drip of wine from each cup. After eating and drinking, she felt very tired and lay down on one of the beds, and fell asleep.

When it was quite dark, the masters of the house came home. They were seven dwarfs who dug for gold in the mountains. They lighted their seven candles and saw little Snow White lying asleep. "What a beautiful child this is!" said the dwarfs. As they were full of joy to see her, they let her sleep.

The next morning when Snow White awoke and saw the dwarfs, she was very frightened. But they seemed quite friendly. They asked her, "what is your name? Why are you in our house?" She told them her name and her sad story. The kind dwarfs said, "If you cook and wash, make the beds, and clean the house, you may stay with us."
"With all my heart," said Snow White and so she stayed and kept the house in good order.

The Queen Tries To Kill Snow White Again.

Now the queen felt sure that she was the most beautiful woman. So she asked the mirror who was the most beautiful. The mirror answered, "Queen, you are very beautiful, but Snow
White living with the seven dwarfs, is much more beautiful,"

When she heard this, she got red with anger. Again the wicked queen planned to kill Snow White. She painted her face, and was disguised as an old peddler woman. Then she set out. She went across the mountains and at last came to the house of the seven dwarfs. She knocked on the door and cried, "Laces! Colorful laces!"

"I have nothing to fear to let this good woman in," thought Snow White. She opened the door and bought the pretty lace.
"What a pretty child you are!" said the old woman, who was really the wicked queen.
"Let me lace you nicely."
Snow white stood before her and let her lace with the new lace. But the old woman laced so tightly that Snow White could not breathe and fell down.

Toward evening, the dwarfs returned home and saw their dear Snow White lying on the floor. They rushed to her, and raised her up and cut the lace from around her neck. Then she began to breathe, fell down.
"The old peddler woman was really the wicked queen," said the dwarfs to Snow White. "Never let anyone in when we are not here."

As soon as the queen got home, she went to her mirror and asked who was the most beautiful woman in the world. The mirror told her that Snow White was much more beautiful. And the queen knew that Snow White was living.

"But now," she said,"I must think out something that will surely put her to death."
And by using magic, she made  a poisoned comb. Again she was disguised as another old woman. She went across the mountains and stood in front of the house of the seven dwarfs.

"Combs! Combs for your pretty hair!" she cried.
Though she was told not to let anyone in, Snow White wanted to have one of the combs and opened the door. The girl bought the poisoned comb. The old woman said, "What a pretty hair you have! Let me comb your hair."

As soon as the comb was put in her hair, the poison began to work, and Snow White fell down dead. By good luck, it was now near evening and the seven dwarfs came home. When they found her lying on the floor like a dead person, they ran to her and drew the comb out of her hair. Happily Snow White came to her senses. Then the dwarfs told her once more never to let anyone into the house.

The Poison Apple

The queen came back to the palace and stood before the mirror to ask her usual question.
This time she expected to hear happy news from the mirror. But the answer was:
"Queen, you are very beautiful, but snow White living with the seven dwarfs is much more beautiful." As soon as she heard that, she became red with anger. "I will kill her even if I lose my life," she cried. And then she went to a secret room and made a poisoned apple. It was a red apple, and looked beautiful and delicious.

The queen painted her face and disguised herself as a peasant woman. She went across the mountains to the house where Snow White lived with the seven dwarfs. When she knocked on the door, Snow White put her head out of the window and said,
"I won't let anyone in. The seven dwarfs told me not to."

"All right," answered the woman, "I will give you one of my apples." "No,"
answered Snow white.
"Are you afraid of poison?" said the woman. "Look here, I will cut the apple in two pieces. You take this side, and I'll take the other."

Snow White wanted to eat it, and as she saw the woman was eating one half, she held out her hand and took the poisoned half. As soon as she got a bite of it, she fell down dead. All of the poison was in her half of it.

The wicked queen laughed and cried, "You, with your skin as white as snow, your lips as red as blood, your hair as black as ebony! This time the dwarfs won't be able to bring you to life again."
When she came back to the palace, she ran to the mirror and asked, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"
At last it answered, "You are the most beautiful now in the world."
The queen was much satisfied with the answer from the mirror and enjoyed peace of mind.  

The Glass Coffin

When the dwarfs found Snow White lying dead on the floor, they tried everything to bring her to life. But all was out of no use. The poor girl was dead. The dwarfs sat around her and wept three whole days. Snow White looked like a living girl. So they said, "We cannot bury her in the black ground. Let's make a coffin of clear glass and lay her in it, and we can always be with her."

On the box they wrote her name in golden letters. The glass coffin was set upon the mountain. The birds and animals came and wept for Snow White. Now, for a long time  Snow White lay in the glass coffin and never changed. She still had skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.

One day the prince of a neighboring country happened to ride by and saw the coffin and beautiful Snow White in it. At once he fell in love with her, and said to the dwarfs,
"Let me have the coffin, and I will give you anything you want."
But they told him that they couldn't. The prince said, "Please give it to me, I cannot live without looking upon snow White."

The dwarfs pitied him and gave him the coffin. The prince was very happy. He called his servants to carry it away. As they were going along with the coffin on their shoulders, the servants stumbled over a bush. With the shock the bit of poisoned apple flew out of Snow white's throat. Soon she opened her eyes. She sat up, alive and well.

"Oh, dear! Where a I? she cried. The prince answered, full of joy, "You are near me. I ask you to come with me to my palace and be my bride."
Their wedding was held with great splendor. The wicked queen was also invited to the feast. She was dressed up and went to the mirror.

The mirror said, "Oh, queen, though you are very beautiful, the young bride is much more beautiful." She got wildly excited with anger. First she thought she would not go to the wedding, but she felt she could have no peace till she went and saw the bride. When she saw her, she  knew that the bride was Snow White. She was full of anger and terror. In a moment her shoes were turned into red-hot iron. And the queen had to dance till she fell down dead.