Snow White

Snow White is one of the most iconic fairy tales in the Western world - thanks in part to the 1937 Disney film, but its origins go much deeper. The version most people are familiar with comes from the Brothers Grimm, first published in 1812 in Grimm’s Fairy Tales. On the surface, it’s a simple story about good versus evil, beauty, jealousy, and love. But like many classic fairy tales, there’s a dark, haunting quality beneath the surface that gives it its enduring power.

At the heart of the story is Snow White, a princess whose skin is “as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.” Her beauty is both her blessing and her curse. Her stepmother, the wicked queen, is consumed by jealousy and obsessed with being the “fairest of them all.” When her magic mirror informs her that Snow White has surpassed her, she’s not just annoyed - she’s murderous. There’s something almost Shakespearean about the queen’s vanity and obsession, which drives the story forward.

Snow White is cast out, left for dead in the forest, but finds refuge with seven dwarfs - each with their own charm and quirks, depending on which version you read. In the Grimms’ original, they’re unnamed and a bit more mysterious. In modern retellings - especially the Disney version - they’re given distinct personalities: Grumpy, Sleepy, Dopey, and the like, which has become part of the cultural fabric.

While Snow White herself can sometimes seem a little passive by modern standards - she’s more acted upon than active - there’s still something admirable about her gentleness and optimism. Even after being betrayed, poisoned, and nearly killed, she retains a quiet strength. In many ways, she represents innocence and goodness in a world that’s often cruel and unfair.

What’s particularly striking about the original tale is just how dark it is. The queen tries multiple times to kill Snow White - first with a corset so tight it nearly suffocates her, then with a poisoned comb, and finally with the infamous poisoned apple. And the ending isn’t exactly subtle, either. In the Grimms’ version, the queen is forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she dies - a bit of poetic justice, perhaps, but hardly a gentle conclusion.

Snow White has been retold countless times in film, literature, and even ballet. Each version reflects the values of its time - Disney’s Snow White is sweet and innocent, while modern retellings often give her more agency and grit. But the core of the story remains the same: beauty and jealousy, kindness and cruelty, life and death.

In British culture, Snow White is a familiar face in Christmas pantomimes, often with a wink and a nod to the audience and a bit of cheeky humour. That balance of dark and light - of danger and delight - is part of what keeps the story alive.

In the end, Snow White is more than just a fairy tale. It’s a mirror - one that shows us how stories evolve, how beauty is both praised and punished, and how even the darkest forests can lead us home.