Brothers Grimm, fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"
Genre: literary fairy tale
The main characters of the fairy tale "Snow Maiden" and their characteristics
- Snow Maiden. Young and beautiful princess. Very kind, hard-working, modest, trusting.
- Evil queen. Arrogant and proud, cruel and ruthless.
- Seven gnomes. Hard-working, kind, loyal.
- Korolevich. Young and handsome, in love.
- The birth of the Snow Maiden.
- Mirror of the new queen
- Instructions for the huntsman
- The huntsman's pity
- Deer liver and lungs
- Dwarven house
- Meet the Dwarves
- Queen's lace
- Poisoned Crest
- Poisoned Apple
- Glass coffin
- The King's Plea
- Slow servants
- Wedding.
- Death of the Queen
- Snow Maiden's mother died during childbirth and the king married the beautiful and evil queen
- The Queen decided to kill the Snow Maiden and sent her into the forest with a huntsman
- The huntsman released the Snow Maiden and she began to live in the forest with the seven dwarves.
- The stepmother tried to kill the Snow Maiden three times and finally the Snow Maiden died and was put in a coffin
- The prince begged the gnomes for a coffin, but his servants stumbled and the Snow Maiden came to life
- They played a wedding, and the stepmother was brutally executed.
Beauty and kindness will always defeat envy and malice.
What does the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden" teach?
The fairy tale teaches you to be kind, generous, and sympathetic. Teaches not to disdain any work. Teaches to be vigilant and not to talk to strangers, not to open doors for them. Teaches justice. Teaches that evil will punish itself. Teaches you not to envy someone else's happiness.
Review of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"
I really liked this fairy tale and of course I liked the Snow Maiden most of all. I liked her kindness, her beauty, and even her naivety did not spoil her at all. The Snow Maiden was trusting of people, because there was no place for evil in her heart and she treated everyone well. I liked that the Snow Maiden survived and married the prince.
Proverbs for the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"
When doing evil, do not hope for good.
Evil punishes itself.
Even the envious man's bread is not sweet.
A good deed will not go without reward.
Such is the sin, such is the punishment.
Read the summary, a brief retelling of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden"
In a distant country, a queen was sewing and pricked her finger. Three drops of blood fell on the snow and the queen wanted her daughter to be born, with white skin, red as blood and black hair like the wood on the window frame.
And soon the queen gave birth to a girl, who was given the name Snegurochka, and died. And the king married another woman, very beautiful, but too proud and arrogant. The new queen had a magic mirror from which she loved to ask about her beauty. And this mirror regularly answered the queen that she was the most beautiful in the world.
But time passed and the Snow Maiden grew up. And then one day the mirror answered the queen that the Snow Maiden was a thousand times more beautiful than her. The queen was frightened and furious. She called a devoted huntsman and told him to take the Snow Maiden into the forest and kill her there. And bring her liver and lungs as proof.
The huntsman led the Snow Maiden into the forest, but he had no soul for villainy, and when the Snow Maiden begged him not to kill her, the huntsman willingly let the girl go. However, he thought that wild animals would eat her anyway.
And he brought the queen the liver and lung of a deer, which he immediately shot.
And the Snow Maiden rushed into the thicket and not a single wild animal touched her. And the girl ran until she saw a small hut, which seemed very beautiful to her.
The Snow Maiden entered the hut and saw a table on which there were seven plates and seven beds.
The Snow Maiden ate a little, then decided to lie down. She tried all the beds, but only the smallest one suited her.
And so the Snow Maiden sleeps, and seven gnomes, bearded miners, return to the house. They immediately see that someone has eaten their food and rumpled their beds. And the seventh gnome finds the girl. And the gnomes freeze in admiration, the Snow Maiden was so beautiful.
The Snow Maiden remained to live with the gnomes and began to manage their simple household.
Every time, leaving for work, the gnomes warned the Snow Maiden not to open the door to anyone and to be afraid of her stepmother.
Meanwhile, the queen asked the mirror who was the most beautiful in the world. And the Mirror immediately answered that the Snow Maiden lives in the forest with the gnomes, and she is the most beautiful of all.
The queen realized that the huntsman had deceived her. She decided to personally kill the Snow Maiden herself. She disguised herself as a merchant and went into the forest. And there she stood under the windows of the house and began to praise her product - multi-colored laces.
The Snow Maiden decided that the venerable merchant could be allowed into the house and bought several laces. And the merchant began to lace it with new laces. Yes, so hard that the Snow Maiden suffocated and died.
And the queen laughed maliciously and ran away.
When the gnomes returned, they saw the Snow Maiden lying motionless. But as soon as they loosened the lacing, the Snow Maiden came to life and began to breathe. The gnomes ordered more than ever not to let anyone into the house.
And the queen learned of the failure of her plan and became even more angry. She disguised herself as an old woman and prepared a poisonous comb. She came to the forest and began to praise her goods. The Snow Maiden liked the comb so much that she forgot about the gnomes’ order and opened the doors. And the old woman began to comb her and stuck a comb into her hair. And the Snow Maiden died immediately.
In the evening the gnomes returned and removed the comb from the hair. The Snow Maiden immediately came to life and the gnomes scolded her severely for opening the doors to just anyone.
Long story short, the queen learned that her second plan had also failed. Now she decided to act for sure and prepared a poisonous apple. She dressed herself as a peasant and went to the Snow Maiden.
But she, taught by bitter experience, did not want to let the peasant woman in. Then the peasant woman cut the apple in half and ate the white, non-poisonous half herself, and handed the rosy, poisonous half to the Snow Maiden through the window. As soon as the Snow Maiden ate the apple, she died.
In the evening the gnomes came and saw the dead Snow Maiden. But no matter what they did with the girl, she did not come to life. Then the gnomes put the Snow Maiden's body in a glass coffin, wrote her name on it and carried it up the mountain. And they themselves began to guard this coffin.
But one day the prince drove into that forest and saw a coffin on the mountain. He began to ask the dwarves to give him the coffin, but they refused even for all the gold in the world. And then the Korolevich simply asked to give him a coffin, promising that he would honor the Snow Maiden as his beloved.
And the dwarves gave the King’s coffin. The servants carried the coffin and stumbled. A piece of the poisoned apple fell out and the Snow Maiden came to life. The prince immediately invited her to become his wife and the Snow Maiden agreed.
And they began to prepare for the wedding, and even the evil Queen was invited. Out of habit, she asked the mirror who was the most beautiful in the world and heard that the young princess was the most beautiful of all.
The queen did not want to go to the wedding, but she could not stand it, she wanted to look at the princess so much. And when she saw her, she recognized her as the Snow Maiden and froze in place.
And red-hot shoes were prepared for her, in which she danced until she fell dead.
Drawings and illustrations for the fairy tale "Snow Maiden"
It was in the middle of winter. Snowflakes fell like fluff from the sky, and the queen sat at the window - its frame was made of ebony - and the queen sewed. While she was sewing, she looked at the snow and pricked her finger with a needle, and three drops of blood fell onto the snow. And the red on the white snow looked so beautiful that she thought to herself: “If only I had a child, white as this snow, and ruddy as blood, and black-haired, like the wood on the window frame!”
And the queen soon gave birth to a daughter, and she was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black-haired as ebony, and that’s why they called her the Snow Maiden. And when the child was born, the queen died.
A year later the king took another wife. This was a beautiful woman, but proud and arrogant, she could not stand it when anyone surpassed her in beauty. She had a magic mirror, and when she stood in front of it and looked into it, she asked:
And the mirror answered:
You, queen, are the most beautiful in the country.
And she was pleased, because she knew that the mirror was telling the truth.
And during this time the Snow Maiden grew up and became more and more beautiful, and when she turned seven years old, she was as beautiful as a clear day, and more beautiful than the queen herself. When the queen asked her mirror:
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
The mirror replied:
But the Snow Maiden is a thousand times richer in beauty.
Then the queen became frightened, turned yellow and green with envy. It used to be that she would see the Snow Maiden - and her heart would break, she disliked the girl so much. And envy and arrogance grew like weeds in her heart higher and higher, and from now on she had no peace, day or night.
Then she called one of her huntsmen and said:
Take this girl into the forest - I can’t see her anymore. You must kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as proof.
The huntsman obeyed and took the girl into the forest; but when he pulled out his hunting knife and was about to pierce the innocent heart of the Snow Maiden, she began to cry and ask:
Oh, dear huntsman, let me live! I will run far, far into the dense forest and never return home.
And because she was so beautiful, the huntsman took pity on her and said:
So be it, run, poor girl!
And he thought to himself: “Anyway, wild animals will soon eat you up there,” and it was as if a stone had been lifted from his heart when he didn’t have to kill the Snow Maiden.
And just at that time a young deer ran up, the huntsman killed it, cut out its lungs and liver and brought them to the queen as proof that her order had been carried out. The cook was ordered to boil them in salt water, and the evil woman ate them, thinking that they were the lungs and liver of the Snow Maiden.
The poor girl was left alone in the dense forest, and in fear she looked at all the leaves on the trees, not knowing what to do next, how to help her grief.
She started to run, and ran over sharp stones, through thorny thickets; and wild animals jumped around her, but did not touch her. She ran as long as she could, but it finally began to get dark. Suddenly she saw a small hut and went into it to rest. And everything in that hut was so small, but beautiful and clean, that you could not tell it in a fairy tale or describe it with a pen.
There stood a table covered with a white tablecloth, and on it were seven small plates, next to each plate there was a spoon, and also seven small knives and forks and seven small goblets. Seven small beds stood in a row against the wall, and they were covered with snow-white blankets.
The Snow Maiden wanted to eat and drink, she took a little vegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine from each cup - she did not want to drink everything from one. And since she was very tired, she lay down in one of the beds, but none of them were suitable for her: one was too long, the other too short; but the seventh finally turned out to be just right for her; She lay down in it and, surrendering to the mercy of God, fell asleep.
When it was already completely dark, the owners of the hut came; There were seven dwarfs who mined ore in the mountains. They lit their seven lamps, and when it became light in the hut, they noticed that someone was with them, because not everything was in the same order as it was before. And the first dwarf said:
Who was that sitting on my chair?
Who ate from my plate?
Who took a piece of my bread?
Fourth:
Who ate my vegetables?
Who took my fork?
Who cut with my knife?
The seventh asked:
Who was it that drank from my little cup?
The first one looked around and noticed a small fold on his bed, and asked:
Who was that lying on my bed?
Then the others came running and began to say:
And there was someone in mine too.
The seventh dwarf looked at his bed and saw that the Snow Maiden was lying in it and sleeping. He then called the others; they ran up, began to scream in surprise, brought seven of their light bulbs and illuminated the Snow Maiden.
Oh my god! Oh my god! - they exclaimed. - What a beautiful child, however!
They were so happy that they did not wake her and left her to sleep in bed. And the seventh dwarf slept with each of his comrades for an hour, and so the night passed.
Morning has come. The Snow Maiden woke up, saw seven dwarfs and got scared. But they were kind to her and asked her:
What is your name?
“My name is Snegurochka,” she answered.
How did you get into our hut? - the dwarfs continued to ask.
And she told them that her stepmother wanted to kill her, but the huntsman took pity on her, and that she ran all day until she finally found their hut.
The dwarfs asked:
Do you want to run a farm with us? Cook, make beds, wash, sew and knit, keep everything clean and in order - if you agree to this, then you can stay with us, and you will have enough of everything.
“Okay,” said the Snow Maiden, “with great desire,” and she stayed with them.
Beware of your stepmother: she will soon know that you are here. Be careful not to let anyone into the house.
And the queen, having eaten the Snow Maiden’s lungs and liver, again began to think that she was now the very first beauty in the country. She went to the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered:
You, queen, are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, just over the mountains,
Outside the walls of the seven Charles,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
Then the queen was frightened - she knew that the mirror was telling the truth, and she realized that the huntsman had deceived her, that the Snow Maiden was still alive. And she began to think again and wonder how to kill her. And she had no peace from envy, because she was not the very first beauty in the country.
And in the end she thought of something: she painted her face, dressed up as an old merchant, and now she could not be recognized in any way. She headed across the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door and said:
The Snow Maiden looked out the window and said:
Hello, my dear! What are you selling?
“Good goods, wonderful goods,” she answered, “multi-colored laces,” and she took out one of them to show her, and it was woven from colorful silk.
“This respectable woman could perhaps be allowed into the house,” thought the Snow Maiden. She removed the door bolt and bought herself some beautiful laces.
“Oh, how they suit you, girl,” said the old woman, “let me lace your bodice properly.”
The Snow Maiden, not foreseeing anything bad, stood in front of her and let her tighten her new laces. And the old woman began to lace, so quickly and so tightly that the Snow Maiden suffocated and fell dead to the ground.
“This is because you were the most beautiful,” said the queen and quickly disappeared.
And soon, in the evening, the seven dwarfs returned home, and how frightened they were when they saw that their dear Snow Maiden was lying on the floor - not moving, not moving, as if dead! They picked it up and saw that it was laced tightly; then they cut the laces, and she began to breathe little by little and gradually came to her senses.
When the dwarfs heard how it all happened, they said:
The old merchant was actually an evil queen. Be careful, don’t let anyone in when we’re not at home.
Meanwhile, the evil woman returned home, approached the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
The mirror answered her, as before:
You, queen, are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, just over the mountains,
Outside the walls of the seven Charles,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
When she heard such an answer, all the blood rushed to her heart, she was so frightened - she realized that the Snow Maiden had come to life again.
Well, now,” she said, “I’ll come up with something that will surely destroy you,” and, knowing various witchcraft, she prepared a poisonous comb. Then she changed clothes and pretended to be another old woman. And she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door and said:
I sell good goods! Selling!
The Snow Maiden looked out the window and said:
Perhaps we can take a look,” said the old woman, took out a poisonous comb and, lifting it up, showed it to the Snow Maiden.
The girl liked him so much that she let herself be deceived and opened the door. They agreed on the price, and the old woman said:
Well, now let me comb your hair properly.
Poor Snow Maiden, suspecting nothing, allowed the old woman to comb her hair; but as soon as she touched her hair with the comb, the poison immediately began to take effect, and the girl fell unconscious to the ground.
“You, beautiful beauty,” said the evil woman, “now the end has come for you!” - And having said this, she left.
But, fortunately, it was late in the evening, and the seven dwarfs soon returned home. Noticing that the Snow Maiden was lying dead on the floor, they immediately suspected the stepmother of this, began to find out what was the matter, and found a poisonous comb; and as soon as they pulled him out, the Snow Maiden came to her senses again and told them everything that had happened. Then the dwarfs once again warned her to be careful and not open the door to anyone.
And the queen returned home, sat down in front of the mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered, as before:
You, queen, are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, just over the mountains,
Outside the walls of the seven Charles,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
Hearing what the mirror said, she trembled and trembled all over with anger.
The Snow Maiden must die,” she shouted, “even if it cost me my life!”
And she went to a secret room, where no one had ever entered, and prepared a poisonous apple there. It looked very beautiful, white with red specks, and anyone who saw it would want to eat it; but whoever ate even a piece would certainly die.
When the apple was ready, the queen painted her face, dressed as a peasant and set off on her journey - over the seven mountains, to the seven dwarfs. She knocked; The Snow Maiden stuck her head out the window and said:
No one was ordered to be allowed into the house - seven dwarfs forbade me to do so.
“That’s correct,” answered the peasant woman, “but where will I put my apples?” Do you want me to give you one of them?
No,” said the Snow Maiden, “I was not ordered to take anything.”
Are you afraid of poison? - asked the old woman. - Look, I’ll cut the apple into two halves: you’ll eat the brown one, and I’ll eat the white one.
And the apple was made so cunningly that only its rosy half was poisoned. The Snow Maiden wanted to taste the beautiful apple, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating it, the girl could not resist, stuck her hand out of the window and took the poisoned half. As soon as she took a bite, she immediately fell dead to the ground. The queen looked at her with her terrible eyes and, laughing loudly, said:
White as snow, blush like blood, black hair like ebony! Now your dwarfs will never wake you up!
She returned home and began to ask the mirror:
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror finally answered:
You, queen, are the most beautiful in the whole country.
Then her envious heart calmed down, as much as such a heart can find peace for itself.
The dwarfs, returning home in the evening, found the Snow Maiden lying on the ground, lifeless and dead. They picked her up and began to look for poison: they unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but nothing helped - the poor girl, as dead as she was, remained dead.
They put her in a coffin, all seven of them sat down around her, began to mourn her, and cried like that for three whole days. Then they decided to bury her, but she looked as if she were alive - her cheeks were still beautiful and rosy.
And they said:
How can you bury it in the ground like that?
And they ordered a glass coffin to be made for her, so that she could be seen from all sides, and they laid her in that coffin, and wrote on it in gold letters her name and that she was the king's daughter. They carried the coffin to the mountain, and one of them always remained with it on guard. And animals and birds also came to mourn the Snow Maiden: first an owl, then a raven and, finally, a dove.
And the Snow Maiden lay in her coffin for a long, long time, and it seemed that she was sleeping - she was white as snow, blush like blood, and black-haired like ebony.
But one day it happened that the prince drove into that forest and ended up in the dwarfs’ house to spend the night there. He saw a coffin on the mountain, and in it the beautiful Snow Maiden, and read what was written on it in golden letters. And then he said to the dwarfs:
Give me this coffin, I will give you whatever you want for it.
But the dwarfs answered:
We won't give it up even for all the gold in the world.
Then he said:
So give it to me - I cannot live without seeing the Snow Maiden, I will deeply respect and honor her as my beloved.
When he said this, the good dwarfs took pity on him and gave him the coffin; and the king's son ordered his servants to carry him on their shoulders. But it so happened that they stumbled in the bushes, and from the shock a piece of the poisoned apple fell out of the Snow Maiden’s throat. Then she opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, and then got out of it and came to life again.
Oh, Lord, where am I? - she exclaimed.
The prince, delighted, replied:
You are with me,” and he told her everything that happened, and said: “You are dearer to me than anything in the world; come with me to my father's castle and you will be my wife.
The Snow Maiden agreed and went with him; and they celebrated the wedding with great pomp.
But the Snow Maiden’s evil stepmother was also invited to the wedding feast. She dressed up in a beautiful dress, walked up to the mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered:
You, Madam Queen, are beautiful,
But the princess is a thousand times richer in beauty!
And then the evil woman uttered her curse, and she became so scared, so scared that she didn’t know how to control herself. At first she decided not to go to the wedding at all, but she had no peace - she wanted to go and look at the young queen. She entered the palace and recognized the Snow Maiden, and from fear and horror, as she stood, she froze in place.
But iron shoes had already been placed on the burning coals for her; they were brought, held with tongs, and placed in front of her. And she had to step her feet into red-hot shoes and dance in them until she finally fell, dead, to the ground.
On a winter day, while the snow was falling in flakes, the queen sat alone and sewed under the window, which had an ebony frame. She sewed and looked at the snow, and pricked her finger with a needle until it bled. And the queen thought to herself: “Oh, if only I had a child white as snow, ruddy as blood, and black as ebony!”
And soon her wish was definitely fulfilled: her daughter was born - white as snow, ruddy as blood, and black-haired; and was named the Snow Maiden for her whiteness.
And as soon as the daughter was born, the queen mother died. A year later, the king married someone else. This second wife of his was a beauty, but she was also proud and arrogant, and could not tolerate that anyone could equal her in beauty.
Moreover, she had such a magic mirror, in front of which she loved to stand, admire herself and say:
Then the mirror answered her:
You, queen, are dearer than everyone here.
And she walked away from the mirror, happy and satisfied, and knew that the mirror would not tell her a lie.
Meanwhile, the Snow Maiden grew up and became prettier, and by the time she was eight years old she was as beautiful as a clear day. And when the queen once asked the mirror:
Mirror, mirror, say quickly,
Who is the most beautiful here, who is the cutest?
The mirror answered her:
You, queen, are beautiful;
But the Snow Maiden is still more beautiful.
The queen was horrified, turned yellow and green with envy. From the hour she used to see the Snow Maiden, her heart was ready to break into pieces out of anger. And envy and pride, like weeds, began to grow in her heart and grow wider and wider, so that finally she had no peace day or night.
And then one day she called her hound and said: “Take this girl out into the forest so that she doesn’t come into my sight again. Kill her and, as proof that my order has been carried out, bring me her lung and liver.”
The huntsman obeyed, took the girl out of the palace into the forest, and as he took out his hunting knife to pierce the innocent heart of the Snow Maiden, she began to cry and ask: “Good man, don’t kill me; I will run away into the dense forest and never return home.”
The huntsman took pity on the pretty girl and said: “Well, go. God be with you, poor girl! And he himself thought: “Wild animals will quickly tear you to pieces in the forest,” and yet it was as if a stone had been lifted from his heart when he spared the child.
Just at this time a young deer jumped out of the bushes; the huntsman pinned him, took out his lung and liver and brought them to the queen as proof that her order had been carried out.
The cook was ordered to salt and cook them, and the evil woman ate them, imagining that she was eating the Snow Maiden’s lung and liver.
And so the poor thing found herself alone in a dense forest, and she became so scared that she examined every leaf on the trees, and did not know what to do and what to do.
And she started to run, and ran over sharp stones and thorny bushes, and wild animals scurried past her back and forth, but did not cause her any harm.
She ran as long as her quick little legs carried her, almost until the evening; when she got tired, she saw a small hut and entered it.
Everything in this hut was small, but so clean and beautiful that it was impossible to say. In the middle of the hut there was a table with seven small plates, and on each plate there was a spoon, and then seven knives and forks, and with each utensil there was a glass. Near the table there were seven little beds in a row, covered with snow-white bed linen.
The Snow Maiden, who was very hungry and thirsty, tasted vegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine from each glass, because she did not want to take everything away from one. Then, tired from walking, she tried to lie down on one of the beds; but not a single one suited her; one was too long, the other was too short, and only the seventh was just right for her. She lay down in it, crossed herself and fell asleep.
When it became completely dark, its owners came to the hut - seven gnomes who were rummaging in the mountains, mining ore. They lit their seven candles, and when it became light in the hut, they saw that someone had visited them, because not everything was in the order in which they had left everything in their home.
The first one said: “Who was sitting on my chair?” Second: “Who ate my plate?” Third: “Who broke off a piece of my bread?” Fourth: “Who tasted my food?” Fifth: “Who ate with my fork?” Sixth: “Who cut me with a knife?” Seventh: “Who drank from my glass?”
Then the first one turned around and saw that there was a small fold on his bed; he immediately said: “Who touched my bed?” Everyone else ran to the beds and shouted: “Someone was lying in mine, and in mine too!”
And the seventh, looking into his bed, saw the sleeping Snow Maiden lying in it. He called the others, and they came running and began to exclaim in amazement, and brought their seven candles to the crib to illuminate the Snow Maiden. "Oh my god! - they exclaimed. “How beautiful this little one is!” - and everyone was so happy about her arrival that they did not dare to wake her up, and left her alone on that bed.
And the seventh gnome decided to spend the night like this: in the crib of each of his comrades he had to sleep for one hour.
When morning came, the Snow Maiden woke up and, seeing seven dwarfs, got scared. They treated her very kindly and asked her: “What is your name?” “My name is Snegurochka,” she answered. “How did you get into our house?” - the gnomes asked her.
Then she told them that her stepmother had ordered to kill her, but the huntsman spared her - and so she ran all day until she came across their hut.
The gnomes said to her: “Would you like to look after our household needs - cook, wash for us, make beds, sew and knit? And if you do all this skillfully and neatly, then you can stay with us for a long time and will not lack anything.” “If you please,” answered the Snow Maiden, “with great pleasure,” and she stayed with them.
She kept the dwarves' house in great order; in the morning they usually went to the mountains in search of copper and gold, in the evening they returned to their hut, and then food was always ready for them.
All day the Snow Maiden remained alone in the house, and therefore the good gnomes warned her and said: “Beware of your stepmother! She will soon find out where you are, so don’t let anyone into the house except us.”
And the queen-stepmother, after she ate the Snow Maiden’s lung and liver, suggested that she was now the first beauty in the whole country, and said:
Mirror, mirror, say quickly,
Who is the most beautiful here, who is the cutest?
Then the mirror answered her:
You, queen, are beautiful,
The Queen was afraid; she knew that the mirror never lied, and she realized that the huntsman had deceived her and that the Snow Maiden was alive.
And she began to think about how she could get rid of her stepdaughter, because envy haunted her and she certainly wanted to be the first beauty in the whole country.
When she finally came up with something, she painted her face, dressed as an old merchant and became completely unrecognizable.
In this form, she set off on a journey across the seven mountains to the hut of the seven dwarfs, knocked on their door and shouted: “Various goods, cheap, for sale!”
The Snow Maiden looked out of the window and shouted to the merchant:
“Hello, auntie, what are you selling?” “A good product, of the first grade,” answered the merchant, “laces, multi-colored ribbons,” and she pulled out one lace woven from colorful silk for display. “Well, of course, I can let this merchant in here,” thought the Snow Maiden, unlocked the door and bought herself a beautiful cord. “Uh, child,” the old woman said to the Snow Maiden, “who do you look like!” Come here, let yourself be laced properly!”
The Snow Maiden did not suggest anything bad, turned her back to the old woman and let her lace herself with a new lace: she laced herself quickly and so tightly that the Snow Maiden immediately lost her breath and she fell to the ground dead. “Well, now you will no longer be the first beauty!” - said the evil stepmother and left hastily.
Soon after that, in the evening, the seven dwarves returned home and were so frightened when they saw the Snow Maiden stretched out on the ground; Moreover, she did not move or move, she was as if dead.
They lifted her up and, seeing that she had died from lacing too tightly, they immediately cut the lace, and she began to breathe again, at first little by little, and then came to life completely.
When the dwarves heard from her what had happened to her, they said: “This old merchant was your stepmother, the godless queen; Be careful and don’t let anyone into the house in our absence.”
And the evil woman, returning home, approached the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror, say quickly,
Who is the most beautiful here, who is the cutest?
And the mirror still answered her:
You, queen, are beautiful,
But still the Snow Maiden is behind the mountain
Lives in the house of the mountain gnomes,
Many will surpass you in beauty.
Hearing this, the evil stepmother was so frightened that all her blood rushed to her heart: she realized that the Snow Maiden had come to life again.
“Well, now,” she said, “I’ll come up with something that will finish you off right away!” - and with the help of various charms in which she was skilled, she made a poisonous comb. Then she changed clothes and took on the image of another old woman.
She went over the seven mountains to the house of the seven dwarfs, knocked on their door and began shouting: “Goods, goods for sale!”
The Snow Maiden looked out of the window and said: “Come in, I don’t dare let anyone into the house.” “Well, it’s true that you’re not forbidden to look at the goods,” said the old woman, pulled out a poisonous comb and showed it to the Snow Maiden. The girl liked the comb so much that she allowed herself to be fooled and opened the door to the merchant.
When they agreed on the price, the old woman said: “Let me comb your hair properly.” Nothing bad came into Poor Snow Maiden’s head, and she gave the old woman complete freedom to comb her hair as she pleased; but as soon as she ran the comb into her hair, its poisonous properties took effect, and the Snow Maiden lost consciousness. “Come on, you, perfection of beauty! - said the evil woman. “Now it’s over with you,” and she walked away.
Fortunately, this happened in the evening, around the time when the dwarves were returning home.
When they saw that the Snow Maiden was lying dead on the ground, they immediately suspected the stepmother, began to search and found a poisonous comb in the girl’s hair, and as soon as they took it out. The Snow Maiden came to her senses and told everything that happened to her. Then they once again warned her to be careful and not open the door to anyone.
Meanwhile, the queen, having returned home, stood in front of the mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror, say quickly,
Who is the most beautiful here, who is the cutest?
And the mirror answered her, as before:
You, queen, are beautiful,
But still the Snow Maiden is behind the mountain
Lives in the house of the mountain gnomes,
Many will surpass you in beauty.
When the queen heard this, she trembled with rage. “The Snow Maiden must die! - she exclaimed. “Even if I had to die with her!”
Then she retired to a secret little room, into which no one but her entered, and there she made a poisonous apple. In appearance, the apple was wonderful, plump, with ruddy barrels, so that everyone, looking at it, wanted to taste it, but just take a bite and you will die.
When the apple was made, the queen painted her face, dressed as a peasant and went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarves.
She knocked at their house, and the Snow Maiden stuck her head out the window and said: “I don’t dare let anyone in here, the seven dwarves forbade me to do this.” - “What does that matter to me? - answered the peasant woman. - Where can I go with my apples? I think I’ll give you one thing.” “No,” answered the Snow Maiden, “I don’t dare accept anything.” - “Aren’t you afraid of poison? - asked the peasant woman. “So, look, I’ll cut the apple in half: you can eat the rosy half, and I’ll eat the other half myself.” And her apple was so skillfully prepared that only the rosy half of it was poisoned.
The Snow Maiden really wanted to taste this wonderful apple, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating her half, she could no longer resist this desire, stretched out her hand from the window and took the poisoned half of the apple.
But as soon as she took a bite of it, she fell dead on the floor. Then the queen stepmother looked at her with malicious eyes, laughed loudly and said: “Here you are, white as snow, and blush like blood, and black as ebony!” Well, this time the gnomes won’t be able to revive you!”
And when she came home, she stood in front of the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror, say quickly,
Who is the most beautiful here, who is the cutest? -
The mirror finally answered her:
You, queen, are the cutest here.
The fairy tale “The Snow Maiden” by the Brothers Grimm, a summary You can read in 5 minutes.
Brothers Grimm "The Snow Maiden" summary
Snegurochka (Snow White) is a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, published in 1812 and expanded in 1854, about the beautiful daughter of a king who is sheltered in the forest by dwarfs, saving her from the wrath of her evil stepmother who owns a magic mirror.
One snowy winter day, the queen sits and sews by a window with an ebony frame. By chance she pricks her finger with a needle, drops three drops of blood and thinks: “Oh, if only I had a baby, white as snow, red as blood and black as ebony.” Her wish comes true and a girl is born, who is named Snow White; the dreams of the Queen Mother are embodied in her: she had snow-white skin, black hair and a healthy blush on her cheeks. After the birth of her daughter, the queen mother dies, and the king a year later marries another, proud and arrogant beauty. When Snow White turns 7, the proud queen's magic mirror recognizes her stepdaughter as the most beautiful in the land. The queen instructs the huntsman to take the girl into the forest and kill her, and to bring her a lung and liver as proof. Taking pity on Snow White, the hound brings the queen a lung and the liver of a young deer, which she cooks and eats.
Snow White finds a hut in the forest in which a table is set for seven people and, in order to satisfy her hunger, she takes some vegetables, bread and wine from each portion, and then, crossing herself, falls asleep on one of the beds. When it gets dark, the owners come to the hut, who turn out to be seven mountain gnome miners. They see the baby and are captivated by her beauty. In the morning, after listening to Snow White's story, the dwarves invite the girl to stay with them and run the household. They also warn against communicating with strangers, fearing the machinations of her stepmother. Having learned from her mirror that Snow White is still alive beyond seven mountains, the queen comes three times, disguised as different people, in her arsenal - a strangling dress lace, a poisonous comb and a poisoned apple. Twice Snow White is saved by the dwarfs, but the third time they fail to recognize the reason for the death of their favorite. But even the lifeless Snow White was fresh and rosy, so the dwarves do not dare to bury her; they make a transparent crystal coffin with a gold inscription and place it on the top of the mountain. Even animals and birds come to mourn the king’s daughter, and the good gnomes, one by one, stand guard in shifts. The evil queen receives confirmation from her mirror that she herself is now more beautiful and sweeter than everyone else.
Snow White lies in the coffin for a very long time, seems to be sleeping and still looks beautiful. One day, a prince passes by and, seeing a girl, falls in love with her. The prince asks the gnomes to exchange gifts or give him a coffin, since he can no longer live without looking at his beloved. Out of sympathy, the dwarves give his servants the coffin with the beauty, which they carry on their shoulders, but they stumble, and a piece of the poisoned apple jumps out of Snow White’s throat. Life is returning to her. The prince and Snow White are celebrating a wedding, to which the evil queen is also invited. Having learned from the mirror that the newlywed is more beautiful than her, the queen panics. However, curiosity takes over and the stepmother appears at the wedding celebration, where she recognizes her stepdaughter. As punishment for her deeds, the villainess must dance in red-hot iron shoes until she drops dead.