Once upon a time, in a faraway land where winter was never absent, there lived a kingdom surrounded by mountains. This kingdom had a graceful and kind queen. One day, the queen was sitting by a window in one of the palace’s tall towers, embroidering and watching the pure white snow falling outside. Her hands were red from the cold, and when a needle pricked her finger, three drops of blood fell onto the snow.
The queen sighed and whispered,
“Oh, if only I had a daughter… with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as night…”
This wish was carried away by the winds of fate. Months later, the queen had a daughter. As she had wished, the child had snow-white skin, jet-black hair, and rose-red lips. They named her Snow White .
Sadly, the happiness didn’t last long. The queen fell ill and passed away when Snow White was very young. Years later, the king remarried. The new queen was beautiful, but her heart was as cold and hard as her beauty. Her greatest ambition was to become the most beautiful woman in the world.
The queen had a magical mirror in her secret chamber. Every morning she would stand before it and ask:
— Mirror, mirror, tell me, is there anyone more beautiful than me in this world?
And the mirror would always reply with an echoing voice:
— No, queen, there is no one more beautiful than you.
Years passed, and Snow White grew up. Her beauty shone not only in her face, but also in her smile, her words, and the kindness of her heart. The palace servants loved her very much. Snow White talked to birds, watered flowers, and lived without hurting anyone.
One day the queen asked her mirror the same question again. But this time the mirror said:
— Queen, you are beautiful… but Snow White is more beautiful than you.
These words struck the queen’s heart like poison. Jealousy blinded her. She could no longer bear the thought of Snow White living.
He summoned a hunter and gave him a terrible order:
“Take Snow White into the forest, kill her, and bring me her heart.”
The hunter led Snow White deep into the forest. But when he looked into her innocent eyes, his hand trembled. He couldn’t bring himself to kill her.
“Escape from here,” he said, “and never return to the palace.”
Snow White ran through the forest in fear. The trees turned black, and the owls hooted. She walked until she was tired, and finally she saw a small, lovely cottage.
The cottage was very messy. On the little table there were seven plates, seven spoons, and seven small chairs. Snow White, hungry, took a bite from each plate, then lay down on the most comfortable of the seven little beds and fell asleep.
When evening came, the owners of the hut arrived:
the seven dwarfs!
Their steps were short, but their hearts were huge. They worked in the mountains, mining precious stones.
They were surprised to see Snow White, but when they heard her story, they were very sad.
“Stay with us,” they said.
Snow White happily accepted.
Days passed. Snow White cleaned the cottage, cooked meals, and greeted the dwarves with a smile when they returned from their work. The cottage had become a warm and cozy home.
But the wicked queen learned the truth from her mirror:
Snow White is alive and living in the forest with the seven dwarfs.
The queen decided to take matters into her own hands this time. She disguised herself as an old woman. The first time, she tricked Snow White with a shoelace, the second time with a poisoned comb… But each time, the dwarves rescued her.
Finally, the queen prepared a bright red, poisonous apple . Half of the apple was poisonous, and half was innocent. She bit off the healthy half, and deceived Snow White as well.
As soon as Snow White took a bite of the apple, she fell to the ground. The dwarves tried everything to help her, but it was no use. Snow White fell into a deep sleep.
The dwarves couldn’t bring themselves to bury him. They made a glass coffin and placed it in the most beautiful spot in the forest. They guarded it every day.
One day, a prince from a faraway land was passing through the forest when he saw Snow White. He fell in love with her beauty and innocence. As they were carrying her coffin, a piece of apple came out of Snow White’s throat during the jolt.
Snow White opened her eyes.
Evil was defeated, good triumphed. Snow White and the prince were married and built a kingdom filled with love. The jealous queen paid the price for her wickedness.
Three apples fell from the sky:
One for the storyteller,
one for the listener,
and one for those who believe in the goodness of fairy tales…
