Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLXXV: Snow Brëœ

Once upon a time in the middle of winter, when the flakes ofsnow were falling like feathers from the sky, a queen sat ata window sewing, and the frame of the window was made of blackebony. And whilst she was sewing and looking out of the windowat the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and threedrops of blood fell upon the snow. And the red looked prettyupon the white snow, and she thought to herself, would that I hada child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as thewood of the window-frame.Soon after that she had a little daughter, who was as white assnow, and as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony,and she was therefore called little snow-white. And when thechild was born, the queen died.After a year had passed the king took to himself another wife.She was a beautiful woman, but proud and haughty, and she couldnot bear that anyone else chould surpass her in beauty. Shehad a wonderful looking-glass, and when she stood in front of itand looked at herself in it, and said, looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all.The looking-glass answered, thou, o queen, art the fairest of all.Then she was satisfied, for she knew that the looking-glass spokethe truth.But snow-white was growing up, and grew more and more beautiful,and when she was seven years old she was as beautiful as the day,and more beautiful than the queen herself. And once when thequeen asked her looking-glass, looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all.It answered, thou art fairer than all who are here, lady queen. But more beautiful still is snow-white, as I ween.Then the queen was shocked, and turned yellow and green withenvy. From that hour, whenever she looked at snow-white, herheart heaved in her breast, she hated the girl so much.And envy and pride grew higher and higher in her heart like aweed, so that she had no peace day or night. She called ahuntsman, and said, take the child away into the forest. I willno longer have her in my sight. Kill her, and bring me back herlung and liver as a token. The huntsman obeyed, and took her awaybut when he had drawn his knife, and was about to piercesnow-white's innocent heart, she began to weep, and said, ah dearhuntsman, leave me my life. I will run away into the wild forest,and never come home again.And as she was so beautiful the huntsman had pity on her andsaid, run away, then, you poor child. The wild beasts will soonhave devoured you, thought he, and yet it seemed as if a stone hadbeen rolled from his heart since it was no longer needful forhim to kill her. And as a young bear just then came running byhe stabbed it, and cut out its lung and liver and took them to thequeen as proof that the child was dead. The cook had to salt them,and the wicked queen ate them, and thought she had eaten the lungand liver of snow-white.But now the poor child was all alone in the great forest, and soterrified that she looked at all the leaves on the trees, and didnot know what to do. Then she began to run, and ran over sharpstones and through thorns, and the wild beasts ran past her, butdid her no harm.She ran as long as her feet would go until it was almost evening,then she saw a little cottage and went into it to rest herself.Everything in the cottage was small, but neater and cleaner thancan be told. There was a table on which was a white cover, andseven little plates, and on each plate a little spoon, moreover,there were seven little knives and forks, and seven little mugs.Against the wall stood seven little beds side by side, andcovered with snow-white counterpanes.Little snow-white was so hungry and thirsty that she ate somevegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wineout of each mug, for she did not wish to take all from one only.Then, as she was so tired, she laid herself down on one of thelittle beds, but none of them suited her, one was too long,another too short, but at last she found that the seventh one wasright, and so she remained in it, said a prayer and went tosleep.When it was quite dark the owners of the cottage came back.They were seven dwarfs who dug and delved in the mountains forore. They lit their seven candles, and as it was now light withinthe cottage they saw that someone had been there, for everythingwas not in the same order in which they had left it.The first said, who has been sitting on my chair.The second, who has been eating off my plate.The third, who has been taking some of my bread.The fourth, who has been eating my vegetables.The fifth, who has been using my fork.The sixth, who has been cutting with my knife.The seventh, who has been drinking out of my mug.Then the first looked round and saw that there was a littlehollow on his bed, and he said, who has been getting into mybed. The others came up and each called out, somebody has beenlying in my bed too. But the seventh when he looked at his bedsaw little snow-white, who was lying asleep therein. And hecalled the others, who came running up, and they cried out withastonishment, and brought their seven little candles and let thelight fall on little snow-white. Oh, heavens, oh, heavens, criedthey, what a lovely child. And they were so glad that they didnot wake her up, but let her sleep on in the bed. And theseventh dwarf slept with his companions, one hour with each, andso passed the night.When it was morning little snow-white awoke, and was frightenedwhen she saw the seven dwarfs. But they were friendly and askedher what her name was. My name is snow-white, she answered.How have you come to our house, said the dwarfs. Then she toldthem that her step-mother had wished to have her killed, butthat the huntsman had spared her life, and that she had run forthe whole day, until at last she had found their dwelling.The dwarfs said, if you will take care of our house, cook, makethe beds, wash, sew and knit, and if you will keep everything neatand clean you can stay with us and you shall want for nothing.Yes, said snow-white, with all my heart. And she stayed withthem. She kept the house in order for them. In the morningsthey went to the mountains and looked for copper and gold, in theevenings they came back, and then their supper had to be ready.The girl was alone the whole day, so the good dwarfs warned herand said, beware of your step-mother, she will soon know that youare here, be sure to let no one come in.But the queen, believing that she had eaten snow-white's lung andliver, could not but think that she was again the first and mostbeautiful of all, and she went to her looking-glass and said,looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all.And the glass answered, oh, queen, thou art fairest of all I see, but over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell, snow-white is still alive and well, and none is so fair as she.Then she was astounded, for she knew that the looking-glassnever spoke falsely, and she knew that the huntsman had betrayedher, and that little snow-white was still alive.And so she thought and thought again how she might kill her,for so long as she was not the fairest in the whole land, envy lether have no rest. And when she had at last thought of somethingto do, she painted her face, and dressed herself like an oldpedlar-woman, and no one could have known her. In this disguiseshe went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, andknocked at the door and cried, pretty things to sell, very cheap,very cheap. Little snow-white looked out of the window and calledout, good-day my good woman, what have you to sell. Good things,pretty things, she answered, stay-laces of all colors, and shepulled out one which was woven of bright-colored silk. I may letthe worthy old woman in, thought snow-white, and she unbolted thedoor and bought the pretty laces. Child, said the old woman,what a fright you look, come, I will lace you properly for once.Snow-white had no suspicion, but stood before her, and let herselfbe laced with the new laces. But the old woman laced so quicklyand so tightly that snow-white lost her breath and fell down asif dead. Now I am the most beautiful, said the queen to herself,and ran away.Not long afterwards, in the evening, the seven dwarfs came home,but how shocked they were when they saw their dear little snow-whitelying on the ground, and that she neither stirred normoved, and seemed to be dead. They lifted her up, and, as theysaw that she was laced too tightly, they cut the laces, then shebegan to breathe a little, and after a while came to life again.When the dwarfs heard what had happened they said, the oldpedlar-woman was no oneelse than the wicked queen, take care and let no one come inwhen we are not with you.But the wicked woman when she had reached home went in frontof the glass and asked, looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all.And it answered as before, oh, queen, thou art fairest of all I see, but over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell, snow-white is still alive and well, and none is so fair as she.When she heard that, all her blood rushed to her heart with fear,for she saw plainly that little snow-white was again alive.But now, she said, I will think of something that shall reallyput an end to you. And by the help of witchcraft, which sheunderstood, she made a poisonous comb. Then she disguisedherself and took the shape of another old woman. So she wentover the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked at thedoor, and cried, good things to sell, cheap, cheap. Littlesnow-white looked out and said, go away, I cannot let anyone comein. I suppose you can look, said the old woman, and pulled thepoisonous comb out and held it up. It pleased the girl so wellthat she let herself be beguiled, and opened the door. When theyhad made a bargain the old woman said, now I will comb youproperly for once. Poor little snow-white had no suspicion, andlet the old woman do as she pleased, but hardly had she put thecomb in her hair than the poison in it took effect, and the girlfell down senseless. You paragon of beauty, said the wickedwoman, you are done for now, and she went away.But fortunately it was almost evening, when the seven dwarfscame home. When they saw snow-white lying as if dead upon theground they at once suspected the step-mother, and they lookedand found the poisoned comb. Scarcely had they taken it out whensnow-white came to herself, and told them what had happened.Then they warned her once more to be upon her guard and to openthe door to no one.The queen, at home, went in front of the glass and said, looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all.Then it answered as before, oh, queen, thou art fairest of all I see, but over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell, snow-white is still alive and well, and none is so fair as she.When she heard the glass speak thus she trembled and shookwith rage. Snow-white shall die, she cried, even if it costs memy life.Thereupon she went into a quite secret, lonely room, where noone ever came, and there she made a very poisonous apple.Outside it looked pretty, white with a red cheek, so thateveryone who saw it longed for it, but whoever ate a piece of itmust surely die.When the apple was ready she painted her face, and dressed herselfup as a farmer's wife, and so she went over the sevenmountains to the seven dwarfs. She knocked at the door. Snow-whiteput her head out of the window and said, I cannot letanyone in, the seven dwarfs have forbidden me. It is all thesame to me, answered the woman, I shall soon get rid of my apples.There, I will give you one.No, said snow-white, I dare not take anything. Are you afraidof poison, said the old woman, look, I will cut the apple in twopieces, you eat the red cheek, and I will eat the white. Theapple was so cunningly made that only the red cheek waspoisoned. Snow-white longed for the fine apple, and when she sawthat the woman ate part of it she could resist no longer, andstretched outher hand and took the poisonous half. But hardly had she a bitof it in her mouth than she fell down dead. Then the queenlooked at her with a dreadful look, and laughed aloud and said,white as snow, red as blood, black as ebony-wood, this time thedwarfs cannot wake you up again.And when she asked of the looking-glass at home, looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all.And it answered at last, oh, queen, in this land thou art fairest of all.Then her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart canhave rest.The dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found snow-whitelying upon the ground, she breathed no longer and was dead.They lifted her up, looked to see whether they could findanything poisonous, unlaced her, combed her hair, washed herwith water and wine, but it was all of no use, the poor child wasdead, and remained dead. They laid her upon a bier, and allseven of them sat round it and wept for her, and wept three dayslong.Then they were going to bury her, but she still looked as if shewere living, and still had her pretty red cheeks. They said,we could not bury her in the dark ground, and they had atransparent coffin of glass made, so that she could be seen fromall sides, and they laid her in it, and wrote her name upon itin golden letters, and that she was a king's daughter. Then theyput the coffin out upon the mountain, and one of them alwaysstayed by it and watched it. And birds came too, and wept forsnow-white, first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.And now snow-white lay a long, long time in the coffin, and shedid not change, but looked as if she were asleep, for she was aswhite as snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black asebony.It happened, however, that a king's son came into the forest, andwent to the dwarfs, house to spend the night. He saw the coffinon the mountain, and the beautiful snow-white within it, and readwhat was written upon it in golden letters. Then he said to thedwarfs, let me have the coffin, I will give you whatever you wantfor it. But the dwarfs answered, we will not part with it for allthe gold in the world. Then he said, let me have it as a gift, forI cannot live without seeing snow-white. I will honor and prizeher as my dearest possession. As he spoke in this way the gooddwarfs took pity upon him, and gave him the coffin.And now the king's son had it carried away by his servants ontheir shoulders. And it happened that they stumbled over atree-stump, and with the shock the poisonous piece of applewhich snow-white had bitten off came out of her throat. Andbefore long she opened her eyes, lifted up the lid of the coffin,sat up, and wasonce more alive. Oh, heavens, where am I, she cried. The king'sson, full of joy, said, you are with me. And told her what hadhappened, and said, I love you more than everything in theworld, come with me to my father's palace, you shall be my wife.And snow-white was willing, and went with him, and their weddingwas held with great show and splendor. But snow-white'swicked step-mother was also bidden to the feast. When she hadarrayed herself in beautiful clothes she went before thelooking-glass, and said, looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all.The glass answered, oh, queen, of all here the fairest art thou, but the young queen is fairer by far as I trow.Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so wretched,so utterly wretched that she knew not what to do. At first shewould not go to the wedding at all, but she had no peace, andhad to go to see the young queen. And when she went in sherecognized snow-white, and she stood still with rage and fear,and could not stir. But iron slippers had already been put uponthe fire, and they were brought in with tongs, and set beforeher. Then she was forced to put on the red-hot shoes, and danceuntil she dropped down dead.