Once upon a time in a far away land lived a King, Queen and their beautiful daughter, Snow White. The princess was given that name because her skin was white and soft as driven snow. The king was a very good and kind ruler. The queen too was loved by all their subjects and Snow White was the apple of every one’s eye. She was such a beautiful girl that everybody in the kingdom loved her.
One day the queen was seriously ill. All the doctors of the land were summoned to treat her. But nothing worked and she died. There was crying and wailing throughout the kingdom. The king for a long time was so sad that he wouldn’t leave his chamber. Snow white being a little girl didn’t understand what had happened and only asked for her mother.
Then after months of bereavement and mourning the king listened to the advice of his ministers who implored him to remarry for the sake of kingdom and little Snow White. So the king brought another bride and once again there was rejoicing in the palace.
Snow White, an innocent child that she was, too was happy and excited to again have a mother.
The new queen however was extremely proud, jealous and above all cruel. She ill-treated the servants in the palace and abused Snow White in the king’s absence.
She did nothing all day long but painted her face and tried to look young and beautiful. She wanted to be called as beautiful and lovely as Snow White who was considered the most beautiful girl in the entire kingdom.
Every day the queen would stand in front of the mirror and ask “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall! Who is the fairest of us all?” And the mirror would reply, “Snow White, of course.” This would make the queen very furious.
As Snow White was growing up into a young, pretty girl, the queen’s jealousy increased. One day she dressed up in all her finery and once again asked the mirror, “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall! Who is the fairest of us all?” The mirror replied as usual, “Snow White, of course!” This time the wicked queen could not tolerate the truth so she decided to do away with Snow White.
She called for a hunter and ordered him, saying, “Quietly at midnight take away Snow White in the deep of the forest and kill her. After that, leave her dead body for wild animals to feast upon.” The hunter had no choice but to obey the queen. However on reaching the forest, seeing Snow White’s lovely innocent face, he couldn’t get himself to kill her. So he said to her, “Snow White, Your Highness! I ask your pardon at agreeing to kill you. But I have to have my family to think of. I shall just leave you here in the forest and I hope you’ll find your way out. But don not ever return to this kingdom, or else, the queen shall kill you.” Snow White, kind hearted that she was, thanked him for sparing her life, instead of being angry with the hunter.
As soon as the hunter left, Snow White started walking in opposite direction. She walked for hours together and at dawn reached a clearing in the forest. There, in the clearing was a beautiful small house. Snow White knocked at the door of the house. Since there was no reply she opened the door and walked in. The house was so small that Snow White had to bend to enter through the door. Inside too everything was tiny and minuscule. The beds were small, the chairs and the tables were the size of a doll’s. Snow White however was so tired that she curled up in one of the tiny beds. On waking up she found herself surrounded by small sized men with tiny features and cap on their head, curiously staring at her.
Snow White soon realized that’s what the seven of them were. She quickly sat up on the bed. Then the eldest of the dwarfs asked her in a loud voice, “Who are you and what are you doing in our house and in our bed?”
Princess Snow White replied in her soft tender voice “I have got nowhere to go. I am running away from my wicked step mother who wants to kill me”. The seven dwarfs were touched by the fact that such a lovely girl with such a soft voice was to be killed. She looked so beautiful and innocent that they were all taken in by her beauty and tenderness and they invited her to live with them as long as she wanted.
Snow White started living with the seven dwarfs. While the dwarfs would go away to fetch wood for burning and food to cook, she would clean the house, wash clothes and then cook for them. In her free time Snow White would play with the fairies and goblins around the house.
This way many months passed, Snow White felt safe and happy but missed her father and her playmates from the palace. One day, as she was standing at the doorstep, an old woman came selling oranges. She was saying “Oranges, oranges sweet as honey!” She stopped by Snow White. She got tempted and giving her a penny bought an orange from the old woman.
The minute she peeled the orange and had a flake of it, Snow White felt dizzy and fell on the ground. For this was no ordinary orange but a poisoned one, sent to Snow White by the queen. After she had sent Snow White to be killed, the queen had asked the talking mirror, who was the fairest in the land? The mirror replied “Snow White of Course”! The queen therefore got suspicious and launched a massive hunt for Snow White. From her spies the queen found out where Snow White was hiding.
But since it was evening when Snow White ate the orange, she was soon found by the dwarfs lying at their door step. They got worried an immediately turned to revive her. One ran to fetch water, the other fanned her, and the other sprinkled water on her face while the others sat and prayed – for they all had become very fond of Snow White. Their efforts were not in vain and at last Snow White was revived. She told them what had happened. At this the eldest of the dwarfs said, “Be very cautious Snow White. Never take anything from any bent old woman. She could well be a witch!” So Snow White promised to keep away from old bent women.
After this episode the queen again asked the mirror the same question and was given the answer as it used to give before. At this, the wicked queen decided to go and look for Snow White and kill her herself. She disguised herself as a young girl with a veil, and sweet voice and went selling golden apples around the dwarfs dwelling place.
This time again Snow White got tempted by the sweet voice of the young girl and the fact that she had golden apples. She also thought to herself. “I am to be cautious of ‘bent old women’ but she is young girl. What harm is it to buy apples for her, and for my friends, the dwarfs”. So she bought seven apples from the queen. The queen gave Snow White one apple free saying “Please have this as a gift as you are the fairest in the land”. Snow White was touched by her words and she bit into the apple which was poisoned.
No sooner had Snow White swallowed the bite, than she fell flat on the ground. This time the dwarfs were rather late in returning home. Again they found Snow White unconscious. They tried everything to revive her but all their efforts were in vain. Snow White laid there, her cheeks pale and her lips becoming blue.
The dwarfs were in grief. For not only was Snow White lovely to look at but she was gentle, kind, cheerful and caring. Quietly and with great sorrow in their hearts they prepared to bury Snow White. They all decided to have glass coffin for Snow White and to keep it in their garden instead of burying it. The goblins and fairies in the garden too wept for Snow White.
A few days passed and the Snow White lay in the coffin still as lovely as ever. A handsome prince on a white horse happened to pass by. He stopped near the small house of the dwarfs. Being fascinated by its quaintness he went around it and in the garden came across the glass coffin. On seeing Snow White lying in the coffin he just stood still – for never had he seen such a lovely maiden. Even in that state Snow White looked so full of life and blood.
The prince got so tempted that he went closer. He opened the coffin and at first touched Snow White’s lovely cheek. In the meantime the dwarfs had returned and were watching the prince lest he do any harm to pretty Snow White. They saw the prince bend and kiss the cheek he had just touched. And lo and behold! Snow White began to stir. Their joy knew no bounds. They romped and skipped towards her and the prince who had held out his hand and was, lifting Snow White from the coffin.
The prince had at first sight fallen in love with Snow White. He asked her to go away with him. Snow White thanked the dwarfs and galloped away with the handsome prince to marry him and live happily ever after.
As for the wicked queen, she again asked the mirror, “Mirror! Mirror! On the wall! Who is the fairest of us all?” To this the mirror replied “Snow White, of course!” The queen’s anger and fury was so great that she picked up a burning candle and threw at the mirror. Soon the room caught fire and the queen was burnt in the flames, of her own making.
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