Snow-White and Rose-Red
Encyclopedia
Snow-White and Rose-Red is a German fairy tale
. In the seventeenth century Charles Perrault was the first to write it down, but the best-known version is the one collected by the Brothers Grimm
as tale number 161.
An older, somewhat shorter version, The Ungrateful Dwarf, was written by Caroline Stahl; this in fact appears to be the oldest variant of the tale, as there are no known previous oral versions, although several have been collected since its publication. The oral variants of this tale are very limited in area.
It is not to be confused with the Grimm fairy tale Snow White
(which is written Schneewittchen in German, rather than Schneeweißchen) that provided the basis for the Walt Disney
film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
; this is a completely different character, and she has nothing in common with the other one, other than sharing her name in English, and having an encounter with a dwarf.
, two girls living with their mother, a poor widow
, in a small cottage
. Both sisters are very good little girls, and they love each other dearly. Their mother is very fond of them. As for their personalities, Rose Red is very outspoken and cheerful, and loves to play outside; on the other hand, her sister Snow-White is more quiet and shy, and prefers doing housework and reading.
One winter night, there is a knock at the door. Rose Red opens the door to find a bear
. At first she is terrified, but the bear tells her not to be afraid. "I'm half frozen and I merely want to warm up a little at your place," he says. They let the bear in and he lies down in front of the fire. Snow White and Rose Red beat the snow off the bear; they quickly become quite friendly with him. They play with the bear and roll him around playfully. They let the bear spend the night in front of the fire, and in the morning, he leaves, trotting out into the woods. The bear comes back every night for the rest of that winter and the family grows used to him.
When summer comes, the bear tells them that he must go away for a while to guard his treasure
from a wicked dwarf. During the summer the girls are walking through the forest, when they find a dwarf who has his beard
stuck in a tree. The girls rescue him by cutting his beard free, but the dwarf is ungrateful, and yells at the girls for cutting his beautiful beard. The girls encounter the dwarf several times that summer, rescue him from some peril, and each time the dwarf is ungrateful. Then one day they meet the dwarf once again; this time he is terrified because the bear is about to kill him. The dwarf pleads with the bear, begs it to eat the girls instead of him, but the bear pays no heed and kills the dwarf with one swipe of his paw. Then the bear turns into a prince; the dwarf had bewitched
the prince by stealing his gold
and turning him into a bear, but the curse is broken with the death of the dwarf. Snow White marries the prince and Rose Red marries his brother.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
. In the seventeenth century Charles Perrault was the first to write it down, but the best-known version is the one collected by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
as tale number 161.
An older, somewhat shorter version, The Ungrateful Dwarf, was written by Caroline Stahl; this in fact appears to be the oldest variant of the tale, as there are no known previous oral versions, although several have been collected since its publication. The oral variants of this tale are very limited in area.
It is not to be confused with the Grimm fairy tale Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
(which is written Schneewittchen in German, rather than Schneeweißchen) that provided the basis for the Walt Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
; this is a completely different character, and she has nothing in common with the other one, other than sharing her name in English, and having an encounter with a dwarf.
Story
Snow-White and Rose-Red tells the story of Snow White and Rose RedRose Red
Rose Red is a character in the fairy tale Snow-White and Rose-Red, recorded by the Brothers Grimm. She is the sister of Snow-White, not to be confused with Snow White...
, two girls living with their mother, a poor widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
, in a small cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
. Both sisters are very good little girls, and they love each other dearly. Their mother is very fond of them. As for their personalities, Rose Red is very outspoken and cheerful, and loves to play outside; on the other hand, her sister Snow-White is more quiet and shy, and prefers doing housework and reading.
One winter night, there is a knock at the door. Rose Red opens the door to find a bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
. At first she is terrified, but the bear tells her not to be afraid. "I'm half frozen and I merely want to warm up a little at your place," he says. They let the bear in and he lies down in front of the fire. Snow White and Rose Red beat the snow off the bear; they quickly become quite friendly with him. They play with the bear and roll him around playfully. They let the bear spend the night in front of the fire, and in the morning, he leaves, trotting out into the woods. The bear comes back every night for the rest of that winter and the family grows used to him.
When summer comes, the bear tells them that he must go away for a while to guard his treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
from a wicked dwarf. During the summer the girls are walking through the forest, when they find a dwarf who has his beard
Beard
A beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...
stuck in a tree. The girls rescue him by cutting his beard free, but the dwarf is ungrateful, and yells at the girls for cutting his beautiful beard. The girls encounter the dwarf several times that summer, rescue him from some peril, and each time the dwarf is ungrateful. Then one day they meet the dwarf once again; this time he is terrified because the bear is about to kill him. The dwarf pleads with the bear, begs it to eat the girls instead of him, but the bear pays no heed and kills the dwarf with one swipe of his paw. Then the bear turns into a prince; the dwarf had bewitched
Incantation
An incantation or enchantment is a charm or spell created using words. An incantation may take place during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer, and may invoke or praise a deity. In magic, occultism, witchcraft it may be used with the intention of casting a spell on an object or a person...
the prince by stealing his gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and turning him into a bear, but the curse is broken with the death of the dwarf. Snow White marries the prince and Rose Red marries his brother.
Stahl's version
In The Ungrateful Dwarf, the bear has no encounters with the girls except that in which it eats the dwarf; it is not an enchanted prince. The girls take the treasure that the dead dwarf was carrying and make themselves rich.Other Versions of Snow-White and Rose-Red
- "Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot" (German editions), Brothers Grimm, The.
- "Snow-White and Rose-Red". May Sellar, transl., Andrew Lang, ed., The Red Fairy Book, 1889
- "Rose White and Rose Red". Storybook and cassette from the Once Upon a TimeOnce Upon a Time (Fabbri Publishing)Fabbri's Once Upon a Time series was based on the popular Story Teller series. Like its predecessor, it was a collection of storybooks that came with cassette tapes...
Fairy Tale Series. - "Snow-White and Rose-Red" Margaret Hunt, transl., Grimm's Household Tales, Vol. 2 No. 161.
- "Snow-White and Rose-Red" (short story), Edith Wyatt