{Seven dwarfs.}]
Snowdrop
It was the middle of winter, and the snowflakes were falling from thesky like feathers. Now, a Queen sat sewing at a window framed in blackebony, and as she sewed she looked out upon the snow. Suddenly shepricked her finger and three drops of blood fell on to the snow. Andthe red looked so lovely on the white that she thought to herself: 'Ifonly I had a child as white as snow and as red as blood, and as blackas the wood of the window frame!' Soon after, she had a daughter,whose hair was black as ebony, while her cheeks were red as blood, andher skin as white as snow; so she was called Snowdrop. But when thechild was born the Queen died. A year after the King took anotherwife. She was a handsome woman, but proud and overbearing, and couldnot endure that any one should surpass her in beauty. She had a magiclooking-glass, and when she stood before it and looked at herself sheused to say:
'Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?'
then the Glass answered,
'Queen, thou'rt fairest of them all.'
Then she was content, for she knew that the Looking-glass spoke thetruth.
But Snowdrop grew up and became more and more beautiful, so that whenshe was seven years old she was as beautiful as the day, and farsurpassed the Queen. Once, when she asked her Glass,
'Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?'
it answered--
'Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold, But Snowdrop is fairer a thousandfold.'
Then the Queen was horror-struck, and turned green and yellow withjealousy. From the hour that she saw Snowdrop her heart sank, and shehated the little girl.
'Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?']
The pride and envy of her heart grew like a weed, so that she had norest day nor night. At last she called a Huntsman, and said: 'Take thechild out into the wood; I will not set eyes on her again; you mustkill her and bring me her lungs and liver as tokens.'
The Huntsman obeyed, and took Snowdrop out into the forest, but whenhe drew his hunting-knife and was preparing to plunge it into herinnocent heart, she began to cry:
'Alas! dear Huntsman, spare my life, and I will run away into the wildforest and never come back again.'
And because of her beauty the Huntsman had pity on her and said,'Well, run away, poor child.' Wild beasts will soon devour you, hethought, but still he felt as though a weight were lifted from hisheart because he had not been obliged to kill her. And as just atthat moment a young fawn came leaping by, he pierced it and took thelungs and liver as tokens to the Queen. The Cook was ordered to servethem up in pickle, and the wicked Queen ate them thinking that theywere Snowdrop's.
Now the poor child was alone in the great wood, with no living soulnear, and she was so frightened that she knew not what to do. Then shebegan to run, and ran over the sharp stones and through the brambles,while the animals passed her by without harming her. She ran as far asher feet could carry her till it was nearly evening, when she saw alittle house and went in to rest. Inside, everything was small, but asneat and clean as could be. A small table covered with a white clothstood ready with seven small plates, and by every plate was a spoon,knife, fork, and cup. Seven little beds were ranged against the walls,covered with snow-white coverlets. As Snowdrop was very hungry andthirsty she ate a little bread and vegetable from each plate, anddrank a little wine from each cup, for she did not want to eat up thewhole of one portion. Then, being very tired, she lay down in one ofthe beds. She tried them all but none suited her; one was too short,another too long, all except the seventh, which was just right. Sheremained in it, said her prayers, and fell asleep.
When it was quite dark the masters of the house came in. They wereseven Dwarfs, who used to dig in the mountains for ore. They kindledtheir lights, and as soon as they could see they noticed that some onehad been there, for everything was not in the order in which they hadleft it.
The first said, 'Who has been sitting in my chair?'
The second said, 'Who has been eating off my plate?'
The third said, 'Who has been nibbling my bread?'
The fourth said, 'Who has been eating my vegetables?'
The fifth said, 'Who has been using my fork?'
The sixth said, 'Who has been cutting with my knife?'
The seventh said, 'Who has been drinking out of my cup?'
In the evening the seven Dwarfs came back.]
Then the first looked and saw a slight impression on his bed, andsaid, 'Who has been treading on my bed?' The others came running upand said, 'And mine, and mine.' But the seventh, when he looked intohis bed, saw Snowdrop, who lay there asleep. He called the others, whocame up and cried out with astonishment, as they held their lightsand gazed at Snowdrop. 'Heavens! what a beautiful child,' they said,and they were so delighted that they did not wake her up but left herasleep in bed. And the seventh Dwarf slept with his comrades, an hourwith each all through the night.
When morning came Snowdrop woke up, and when she saw the seven Dwarfsshe was frightened.
But they were very kind and asked her name.
'I am called Snowdrop,' she answered.
'How did you get into our house?' they asked.
Then she told them how her stepmother had wished to get rid of her,how the Huntsman had spared her life, and how she had run all day tillshe had found the house.
Then the Dwarfs said, 'Will you look after our household, cook, makethe beds, wash, sew and knit, and keep everything neat and clean? Ifso you shall stay with us and want for nothing.'
'Yes,' said Snowdrop, 'with all my heart'; and she stayed with themand kept the house in order.
In the morning they went to the mountain and searched for copper andgold, and in the evening they came back and then their meal had to beready. All day the maiden was alone, and the good Dwarfs warned herand said, 'Beware of your stepmother, who will soon learn that you arehere. Don't let any one in.'
But the Queen, having, as she imagined, eaten Snowdrop's liver andlungs, and feeling certain that she was the fairest of all, stepped infront of her Glass, and asked--
'Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?'
the Glass answered as usual--
'Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold, But Snowdrop over the fells, Who with the seven Dwarfs dwells, Is fairer still a thousandfold.'
She was dismayed, for she knew that the Glass told no lies, and shesaw that the Hunter had deceived her and that Snowdrop still lived.Accordingly she began to wonder afresh how she might compass herdeath; for as long as she was not the fairest in the land her jealousheart left her no rest. At last she thought of a plan. She dyed herface and dressed up like an old Pedlar, so that she was quiteunrecognisable. In this guise she crossed over the seven mountains tothe home of the seven Dwarfs and called out, 'Wares for sale.'
Snowdrop peeped out of the window and said, 'Good-day, mother, whathave you got to sell?'
'Good wares, fine wares,' she answered, 'laces of every colour'; andshe held out one which was made of gay plaited silk.
'I may let the honest woman in,' thought Snowdrop, and she unboltedthe door and bought the pretty lace.
'Child,' said the Old Woman, 'what a sight you are, I will lace youproperly for once.'
Snowdrop made no objection, and placed herself before the Old Woman tolet her lace her with the new lace. But the Old Woman laced so quicklyand tightly that she took away Snowdrop's breath and she fell down asthough dead.
'Now I am the fairest,' she said to herself, and hurried away.
Not long after the seven Dwarfs came home, and were horror-struck whenthey saw their dear little Snowdrop lying on the floor withoutstirring, like one dead. When they saw she was laced too tight theycut the lace, whereupon she began to breathe and soon came back tolife again. When the Dwarfs heard what had happened, they said thatthe old Pedlar was no other than the wicked Queen. 'Take care not tolet any one in when we are not
here,' they said.
Now the wicked Queen, as soon as she got home, went to the Glass andasked--
'Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?'
and it answered as usual--
'Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold, But Snowdrop over the fells, Who with the seven Dwarfs dwells, Is fairer still a thousandfold.'
When she heard it all her blood flew to her heart, so enraged was she,for she knew that Snowdrop had come back to life again. Then shethought to herself, 'I must plan something which will put an end toher.' By means of witchcraft, in which she was skilled, she made apoisoned comb. Next she disguised herself and took the form of adifferent Old Woman. She crossed the mountains and came to the home ofthe seven Dwarfs, and knocked at the door calling out, 'Good wares tosell.'
Snowdrop looked out of the window and said, 'Go away, I must not letany one in.'
'At least you may look,' answered the Old Woman, and she took thepoisoned comb and held it up.
The child was so pleased with it that she let herself be beguiled, andopened the door.
When she had made a bargain the Old Woman said, 'Now I will comb yourhair properly for once.'
Poor Snowdrop, suspecting no evil, let the Old Woman have her way, butscarcely was the poisoned comb fixed in her hair than the poison tookeffect, and the maiden fell down unconscious.
'You paragon of beauty,' said the wicked woman, 'now it is all overwith you,' and she went away.
Happily it was near the time when the seven Dwarfs came home. Whenthey saw Snowdrop lying on the ground as though dead, they immediatelysuspected her stepmother, and searched till they found the poisonedcomb. No sooner had they removed it than Snowdrop came to herselfagain and related what had happened. They warned her again to be onher guard, and to open the door to no one.
When she got home the Queen stood before her Glass and said--
'Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?'
and it answered as usual--
'Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold, But Snowdrop over the fells, Who with the seven Dwarfs dwells, Is fairer still a thousandfold.'
When she heard the Glass speak these words she trembled and quiveredwith rage. 'Snowdrop shall die,' she said, 'even if it cost me my ownlife.' Thereupon she went into a secret room, which no one everentered but herself, and made a poisonous apple. Outwardly it wasbeautiful to look upon, with rosy cheeks, and every one who saw itlonged for it, but whoever ate of it was certain to die. When theapple was ready she dyed her face and dressed herself like an oldPeasant Woman and so crossed the seven hills to the Dwarfs' home.There she knocked.
Snowdrop put her head out of the window and said, 'I must not let anyone in, the seven Dwarfs have forbidden me.'
'It is all the same to me,' said the Peasant Woman. 'I shall soon getrid of my apples. There, I will give you one.'
'No; I must not take anything.'
'Are you afraid of poison?' said the woman. 'See, I will cut the applein half: you eat the red side and I will keep the other.'
Now the apple was so cunningly painted that the red half alone waspoisoned. Snowdrop longed for the apple, and when she saw the PeasantWoman eating she could hold out no longer, stretched out her hand andtook the poisoned half. Scarcely had she put a bit into her mouth thanshe fell dead to the ground.
The Queen looked with a fiendish glance, and laughed aloud and said,'White as snow, red as blood, and black as ebony, this time theDwarfs cannot wake you up again.' And when she got home and asked theLooking-glass--
'Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?'
it answered at last--
'Queen, thou'rt fairest of them all.'
Then her jealous heart was at rest, as much at rest as a jealous heartcan be. The Dwarfs, when they came at evening, found Snowdrop lying onthe ground and not a breath escaped her lips, and she was quite dead.They lifted her up and looked to see whether any poison was to befound, unlaced her dress, combed her hair, washed her with wine andwater, but it was no use; their dear child was dead. They laid her ona bier, and all seven sat down and bewailed her and lamented over herfor three whole days. Then they prepared to bury her, but she lookedso fresh and living, and still had such beautiful rosy cheeks, thatthey said, 'We cannot bury her in the dark earth.' And so they had atransparent glass coffin made, so that she could be seen from everyside, laid her inside and wrote on it in letters of gold her name andhow she was a King's daughter. Then they set the coffin out on themountain, and one of them always stayed by and watched it. And thebirds came too and mourned for Snowdrop, first an owl, then a raven,and lastly a dove.
Now Snowdrop lay a long, long time in her coffin, looking as thoughshe were asleep. It happened that a Prince was wandering in the wood,and came to the home of the seven Dwarfs to pass the night. He saw thecoffin on the mountain and lovely Snowdrop inside, and read what waswritten in golden letters. Then he said to the Dwarfs, 'Let me havethe coffin; I will give you whatever you like for it.'
But they said, 'We will not give it up for all the gold of the world.'
Then he said, 'Then give it to me as a gift, for I cannot livewithout Snowdrop to gaze upon; and I will honour and reverence it asmy dearest treasure.'
When he had said these words the good Dwarfs pitied him and gave himthe coffin.
The Prince bade his servants carry it on their shoulders. Now ithappened that they stumbled over some brushwood, and the shockdislodged the piece of apple from Snowdrop's throat. In a short timeshe opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, sat up and cameback to life again completely.
'O Heaven! where am I?' she asked.
The Prince, full of joy, said, 'You are with me,' and he related whathad happened, and then said, 'I love you better than all the world;come with me to my father's castle and be my wife.'
Snowdrop agreed and went with him, and their wedding was celebratedwith great magnificence. Snowdrop's wicked stepmother was invited tothe feast; and when she had put on her fine clothes she stepped to herGlass and asked--
'Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of us all?'
The Glass answered--
'Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold, The young Queen fairer a thousandfold.'
Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so terribly frightenedthat she didn't know what to do. Yet she had no rest: she felt obligedto go and see the young Queen. And when she came in she recognisedSnowdrop, and stood stock still with fear and terror. But ironslippers were heated over the fire, and were soon brought in withtongs and put before her. And she had to step into the red-hot shoesand dance till she fell down dead.