Day 1: The Real Snow White
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (not to be
confused with Snow White and Rose Red) is a well-known fairy tale, undergoing
the Disney treatment in 1937 and becoming the first full length animated
feature. There are many versions, some more grisly than others, and while the
Disney version is probably the most famous, the Brothers Grimm fairy tale is
still popular and well-known. Of course, Snow White is not a true story, but
there are many who believe that the story and character are based on a real
person.
SPOILER ALERT Summary of the Grimm
Brother’s version.
In the Grimm version, the Queen tries to kill
Snow White four times. The first is the same as the Disney version, ordering
her huntsman to kill her. The second time is when she comes to the dwarves
cottage and sells Snow White ribbons for her corset, helps her use them and
pulls them too tight, cutting off Snow White’s breathing. Luckily, the dwarves
find her in time and cut the ties, managing to resuscitate her. The second time, the
queen sells her a poisoned comb. Again the dwarves find the princess and brush out
her hair, dislodging the comb. By the third time, to an extent, Snow White has learned
not to trust strangers trying to sell her things, however, when the Queen
brings the poison apple, she only poisons one half so offers to share it to
prove it is harmless. This time when the dwarves find Snow White, they cut her
ties, comb her hair, wash her hair and try to take poison off her lips but
nothing works. Believing she is dead, they mourn for three days. Seeing however
that her appearance remains unchanged they cannot bear to bury her and instead
build a glass coffin for her, so they can see any signs of decay. At some point
a prince rides by, falls in love with an apparent corpse, and promises the
dwarves that he will take the utmost care of her if they let him have her, as he
feels he needs her. With some persuasion the dwarves agree and as the prince’s
servants move the coffin, one of them stumbles which shakes the coffin and
dislodges the piece of apple in Snow White’s mouth and she wakes. No true loves
kiss but a marriage to a prince. The Queen’s comeuppance varies, she is invited
to the wedding, unaware of whom the bride is but is told by her mirror the new
bride is prettier than her. Sometimes
she is forced to dance in red hot clogs until she dies, in others her own
jealousy and rage at seeing Snow White alive and happy make it feel to her as if
her shoes are hot. Either way she dances to death.
In a way it’s almost a run of the mill fairy tale;
the beautiful, virtuous heroine goes through trials but ultimately finds true
love and is happy whilst the villain dies horribly. A difference I quite like
is that, while the villain is evil, she is beautiful on the outside; far too
many villains in fairy tales are ugly. This is one of the things that make the
premise a little more believable, jealousy and people ugly on the inside but
not outwardly are common in the real world. Of course this is not a true story,
but the character of Snow White is said to be based on a real woman.
Margaretha Von Waldeck
Margaretha Von Waldeck, born in 1533, in Wildungen,
north-western Germany. She was the daughter of Philip IV, Count of
Waldeck-Wildungen and his first wife, Margaret, who died in 1537. By 1539,
Margaretha had a strict stepmother, who apparently did not get along with her
step-daughter. Margaretha was known for her beauty, including pale skin and dark
hair. Magaretha’s father owned several copper mines; the majority of the
workers were children. The condition and poverty of the children, led to
stunted growth and deformities so they were often called dwarves. The child
labourers also lived in groups of twenty in single room houses. Similar to the
dwarves all sharing a cottage in the fairy tale. There was also an old peddler
around who believed the children were stealing from him and attempted to give them
poison apples. In 1545, Margaretha left home and in 1549, entered the Brussels court
of Mary of Hungary, the sister of the emperor. Many high court officials strove
for Magaretha’s attention and the emperor’s son pursued her when he visited. A
union between the emperor’s son and a Lutheran girl was not possible and not
politically advantageous. Charles V, Holy
Roman Emperor, was not happy with his son’s interest in the young girl. To make
sure there was no scandal and no chance his son would marry a girl that had
nothing to offer in the way of a political alliance, it is believed that the emperor
had Margaretha poisoned. She fell ill whilst still in Brussels and those who
knew her thought he had been poisoned. In Magaretha’s final letters and her
will, written shortly before her death, it is clear she is suffering from
tremors in her hand, the symptoms of being in the late stages of poisoning. In
1554 at the age of 21, Margaretha died.
Of course this is not the story of Snow
White, but the similarities are striking. ‘Dwarves’ living in house together
and being offered poison apples. A beautiful young woman with an unkind
step-mother, becoming involved with a prince and poisoned. Many believe that
Margaretha Von Waldeck and her tragically short life is the inspiration for
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
It may be that Margaretha was the inspiration for Snow White, it could be that the similarities between her story and the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is purely coincidental. Either way, While Snow White got her happy ending, Margaretha, tragically, did not.
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