Array The Brothers Grimm - Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm - A New English Version

Once the queen had eaten the liver and lungs that she thought were Snow White’s, she wasn’t afraid to look in her magic mirror again and say:

But she got a terrible shock when the mirror answered:

The queen recoiled with horror, for she knew the mirror couldn’t lie, and she realized that the huntsman must have deceived her. Snow White was still alive! All her thoughts circled around one question: how could she kill Snow White? If she, the queen, wasn’t the most beautiful woman in the whole country, she knew her envy would torment her day and night.

At last she thought of a plan. She made up her face carefully and disguised herself as an old pedlar, so skilfully that she knew no one would recognize her. She made her way to the house of the seven dwarfs, and when they were at work down under the mountain, she knocked on the door.

Snow White was making the beds. She heard the knock and opened an upstairs window.

‘Good day,’ she called down. ‘What are you selling?’

‘Fine laces and pretty ribbons,’ the queen called up. ‘Would you like to see what I have, my dear? Here’s a lovely one, look!’

She pulled out a lace made of braided silk. Snow White thought it was very pretty indeed, and surely this old woman had an honest face. It must be safe to let her in.

She ran down and unbolted the door and looked at the lace.

‘Would you like to try it?’ said the pedlar-woman. ‘Dear me, child, you need looking after. Come here, sweetie, let me do up your bodice with this pretty lace.’

Snow White stood there not suspecting a thing while the old woman threaded the lace through and through her bodice, and then pulled and pulled and pulled so tight that Snow White couldn’t breathe. The poor girl’s eyes fluttered and her lips moved and then she fell down senseless.

‘You’re not so beautiful now you’re dead,’ muttered the old woman, and hurried away.

Soon afterwards the dwarfs came home, because the day was ending. When they saw Snow White lying there not breathing, they were terrified. They picked her up and then realized what was causing the trouble, and quickly they cut through the lace so she could breathe. Little by little she came back to life and told them what had happened.

‘Well, you know who that pedlar-woman was, don’t you?’

‘It was the wicked queen!’

‘Couldn’t have been anyone else.’

‘Don’t let her in again, whatever you do!’

‘Take care, Snow White! Oh, do take care.’

‘Remember now — be on your guard!’

‘Don’t let anyone in.’

Meanwhile the queen was hurrying home. As soon as she was safe in her boudoir, she asked the mirror:

And the mirror answered:

When the queen heard that, her heart gave a sickening lurch and squeezed her blood so hard she thought her eyes would burst.

‘Still alive! Still alive! We’ll see about that!’ she said. ‘She won’t be alive for long, I promise.’

The queen understood the art of witchcraft, and she crushed some rare herbs while saying a spell, and then dipped a pretty comb in the herb-juice. It was deadly poison. With the aid of a little more magic, she changed her appearance entirely so she didn’t look at all like the previous old woman, and set off for the dwarfs’ cottage.

She knocked on the door and called out, ‘Pretty knick-knacks for sale! Combs and pins and mirrors! Pretty trinkets for pretty girls!’

Snow White looked out of the upstairs window and answered, ‘I can’t let you in. I’m not allowed. You’d better go away.’

‘That’s all right, sweetheart,’ said the old woman, ‘I won’t step over the threshold. I’m sure no one would mind if you took a look, though. What about this lovely comb here, look!’

It was very pretty, and Snow White thought it would do no harm just to look. She ran down and opened the door.

‘Oh, such lovely hair!’ said the old woman. ‘So black and so rich and shiny! But oh, a terrible tangle — when did you last brush it properly, sweetheart? Don’t they look after you here?’

She was running her fingers through Snow White’s hair as she spoke.

‘Let me just tease out a tangle or two with this pretty comb — you like it, don’t you? I can see — come here, darling…’

Snow White obediently bent her head, and the old woman dug the comb into her scalp so viciously the poor girl fell straight down without even a cry.

‘That’s done for you, missy! Let’s see how lovely you are when you start to rot!’ said the queen, and she hurried away before the dwarfs came home.

Luckily it was almost evening, and not long after the wicked queen left Snow White lying there, the dwarfs came home and found her.

‘Snow White! What’s happened?’

‘Is she breathing?’

‘That wicked queen again—’

‘What’s that stuck in her hair?’

‘Pull it out, quick!’

‘Mind — it’ll be poisoned!’

‘Careful… careful…’

They wrapped a handkerchief around the comb and pulled it delicately out, and almost at once Snow White sighed and opened her eyes.

‘Oh, dwarfs, I’m so stupid! She didn’t look at all like she did before, and I thought it would be all right…’

They told her it would only be all right if she kept her wits about her and did as they told her. She mustn’t open the door for anyone.

The queen hurried back and threw off her disguise before standing in front of the magic mirror. She said:

And the mirror answered:

That made the queen stagger and clutch at the wall. The blood drained out of her face, leaving it a dirty white with patches of yellow and green. Then she drew herself up to her full height, and sparks flew out of her eyes.

‘Snow White shall die!’ she cried.

She went into her most private room and locked the door behind her. No one was allowed in there, not even the servants. Then, with the help of a book of spells and several little dark bottles, she set about making a poisoned apple. It was white on one side and rosy red on the other; anyone who saw it would want to take a bite; but if they did, even just the tiniest nibble, they would fall down dead at once.

Then the queen disguised herself a third time, put the apple in her pocket, and set off for the dwarfs’ cottage.

She knocked on the door and Snow White looked out of the window.

‘I can’t let anyone in,’ she said. ‘I’m not allowed.’

‘That’s all right, my dear,’ said the queen, who looked like an old peasant. ‘I just wondered if you’d like an apple. I’ve had such a crop this year I don’t know what to do with them all.’

‘No, I’m not supposed to take anything,’ said Snow White.