One of the most famous fables,
variations of Snow White appear in more than 400 versions of
fairy tales around the world. The most well-known version is
actually called “ Snowdrop” and comes from Grimms’ Children’s
and Household Tales . It was later tweaked into a more familiar
format by the folklorist Andrew Lang and eventually adapted by
Walt Disney.
In this version, the queen wished for a child and a baby girl
was born; her hair was as dark as ebony and her skin was so fair
and pure that her mother named her Snow White. After the queen
died, her father married a woman who was vain and wicked, who
would stand in front of a magic mirror asking who was the
fairest woman in the land. The mirror always replied “My Queen,
you are the fairest one of all”, until one day an answer came
that threw her into a rage – Snow White was now the fairest
woman in all the land.
Snow White’s step-mother, furious at what the mirror had told
her, ordered a huntsman to take her into the forest and kill
her, taking the girl’s heart as a proof. The huntsman felt
sympathy for Snow White and let her free, bringing the Evil
Queen a deer’s heart instead. Snow White came upon a small
cottage and, feeling exhausted, collapsed into one of the beds
and fell into a deep sleep. When she awoke, seven dwarfs were
looking down upon her. They told Snow White she could stay with
them as long as she cleaned and cooked.
Snow White and the dwarfs lived in contentment, until one day
when the magic mirror told the Queen that Snow White was alive
and was still the fairest of them all. The Queen disguised
herself as an old woman and presented Snow White with a poisoned
apple. After taking a bite of the apple, Snow White fell
unconscious. The dwarfs, assuming she was dead, built a glass
coffin and placed her inside.
In the animated movie, the prince convinced the dwarfs to let
him give her one last kiss - that became the most popular
version. She awakened and the prince declared his love for her.
They were married, and as all fairy tales go, they lived happily
ever after.
Other versions include, "Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree” - “Maria,
the Wicked Stepmother, and the Seven Robbers” - ”Snow-White and
Rose-Red“ and "The Young Slave."
Incidentally, Disney announced a live-action feature
retelling Snow White’s tale from her sister’s perspective,
Rose Red.