The story of Snow White is best known today through the efforts of two German folklore scholars, Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, and Walt Disney’s animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was based on their tale. Both the movie and the Grimm folk story contain the same basic elements: a beautiful young girl sent from her home, dwarfs, and a poisoned apple provided by a wickedly jealous stepmother.
So where did this most popular of fairy tale stories derive from? Was it simply the result of oral tradition that had morphed over generations? Or, were its roots founded in history?
In 1994, the German scholar, Eckhard Sander, published Schneewittchen: Marchen oder Wahrheit? (Snow White: Is It a Fairy Tale?). In this work, he points out interesting similarities between the Grimm Brothers’ account and the life of Margarete von Waldeck (1513-1534) -- similarities that suggested to Sander that Margarete was the original Snow White.
The Life of the Real Snow White
Countess Margarete was the daughter of Philip IV, the German Count von Waldeck-Wildungen. At the age of 16, she was sent to live at the court in Brussels where she attracted the attention of a young prince who would later become Phillip II of Spain. The two became lovers, much to the dismay of her stepmother, who hated her, and Philip’s father, the King of Spain. They saw a possible marriage between Margarete and young Philip as having the potential of being politically inconvenient.
Thus, Sander and other researchers believe a plot was created to end the relationship in a violent manner. These scholars believe that Spanish agents poisoned the young 21 year-old woman, making it look like an illness. Sander, for one example, cites the evidence of Margarete’s will, written shortly before she died. Her handwriting shows evidence of a trembling which he claims is symptomatic of poisoning.
Although Margarete’s stepmotheractually died before her step-daughter, her hatred of the young woman has a strong similarity to the Grimm account.
Other Similarities With the Snow White Tale
- The 7 Dwarfs. Margarete grew up in Bad Wildungen where her brother owned several copper mines. The majority of workers at these mines were young children. Often stunted in their growth by malnutrition and the horrid working conditions and rarely living to 20, these children were referred to as dwarfs.
- The Poison Apple. Sander also makes mention of a Bad Wildungen man from that time period who was arrested for giving poison apples to children who he believed had stolen from him. Sander believes that the Grimm Brothers knew of this incident and added it to the fairy story.
- Hair Coloring. Margarete was allegedly a beautiful woman with blond hair. The later versions of Snow White emphasize her black hair, but the earliest version of the Grimm fairy tale states that Snow White’s hair was “yellow.” In itself this proves nothing, but it does add to the other evidence.
It is hard to give a definite “yes” answer to the question of whether Margarete von Waldeck was the inspiration for Snow White, but Eckhard Sander and others have presented strong arguments as to why she should be considered.
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John K. Davis - John is a retired teacher/librarian and has also been doing freelance writing since the late 1970s. Over this period of time, he has had ...
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