Schneewittchen Franz Juttner - 1910
Public Domain image wikimedia commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franz_J%C3%BCttner_Schneewittchen_2.jpg
Snow White is a German fairy tale which was known across much of Europe. Now it is one of the most famous fairy tales worldwide. It was published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 in the first edition of their collection, simply titled: Grimms’ Fairy Tales. In German the tale was titled Sneewittchen. Sneewittchen went through various revisions until 1854. At first it had been regarded as a fictional tale, until research suggested otherwise.
Margaretha
von Waldeck
Bergfreiheit
AxelHH at German Wikipedia / Public domain:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Bergfreiheit_HE_Dorf.jpg
The story of Margaretha von
Waldeck is first real life story that may have inspired the tale of Snow White.
In 1994, the German historian Eckhard Sander published Snow White: Fairy Tale
or True Story? He claimed he had uncovered an account that may have inspired
the Grimm fairy tale.
Margaretha von Waldeck was the
daughter of Philip IV, Count of Waldeck-Wildungen, born 1493 and died 1574, and
his first wife, Margaret Cirksena, born 1500 and died 1537, daughter of Edzard
I, Count of East Frisia. According to the Bad Wildungen city documents, she was
a famous beauty. From the year 1539 she had a very strict stepmother, Katharina
von Hatzfeld (1510 -1546). At that time Margaretha lived in Weilburg at the
court of Philip III, Count of Nassau-Weilburg. In 1545, she travelled through
Siebengebirge (seven hills) to live with her mother’s brother Johann Cirksena
at Valkenburg castle, which is now known as Limburg in the Netherlands. Later
in 1549 she was sent by her father to the Brussels court of Mary of Hungary, to
the governor of the Habsburg Netherlands and sister of Charles V, Holy Roman
Emperor. Margaretha’s presence at court was meant to improve the relations with
the emperor and help secure the release of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, who
had been imprisoned in Brussels for his role in the Schmalkaldic War.
However, the situation in court
became complicated as several high ranking men sought the hand of
Margaretha, including Lamoral, Count of Egmont. He arrived in court from
Spain in 1549. As she was Lutheran and Lamoral Catholic her parents
refused his request to marry Margaretha. However, as most of Netherlands
was Catholic at that time it wasn’t a viable excuse. It would seem that her
father wished for her to marry for political connections in Netherlands. A move
to Spain with Lamoral, would not suit his political agenda.
Margaretha died at the age of 21
in March 1554. The three surviving letter she sent to her father show that her
health had steadily declined over the time. In the Waldeck chronicles it was
suggested that she had been poisoned. Around the time of her death, an old man
had been caught giving out apples
laced with poisonous nightshade to children. However, since her father’s second
wife died in 1546 and he only remarried again in October 1554, her stepmother
was never suspected in the alleged poisoning.
Margaretha’s father owned
several copper minds, many of the workers were children, giving reference to
the seven dwarfs. The child workers lived in groups of about 20 in a single
room house. The residence of the dwarfs has been suggested to be the former mining
village of Bergfreiheit, which is now a district of Bad Wildungen, which calls
itself the Snow White Village.
Maria Sophia von Erthal
Another real life tale is that of Maria of Maria
Sophia von Erthal, who was born on the 15th June 1729 in Lohr
am Main in Bavaria, Germany. She was the daughter of Prince Philipp
Christoph von Erthal, a landowner and his wife, Baroness von Bettendorff. After
the death of his wife the prince married Claudia Elisabeth Maria von Venningen,
Countess of Rechenstein. It was said that she disliked her stepchildren. The
castle where they lived, which is now a museum, was home to a mirror that was
famous for its smooth and even surface. Apparently this is something that was
uncommon in that period. They referred to it as the “talking mirror,” because
“it always spoke the truth” (this mirror is also in the museum). The mirror was
manufactured in 1720 in Lohr. The left side of the mirror has the words
“self love” etched into it. It had been in the house at the time
Maria’s stepmother lived there.
The dwarfs are again linked to a mining town,
Bieber, located west of Lohr and lays amongst seven mountains. The mine tunnels
could only be accessed by short miners, they often wore bright red hoods. The
glass coffin may be linked to the regions famous glassworks and the poisoned
apple’s association may be with the deadly nightshade poison that grows in
abundance in the Lohr.
Greek
and Roman Mythology
KHIONE (Chione) was a nymph of Mount Haimos
(Haemus) in Thrake (north of Greece). She was a daughter of Boreas, god of the
north-wind, and Oreithyia, the lady of mountain gales. Khione is thought to be
the goddess of snow (khiôn).She became by
Poseidon the mother of Eumolpus, and in order to conceal the event, she threw
the boy into the sea; but the child was saved by Poseidon
Scholar Graham Anderson compares the
story of Snow White to the Roman legend of Chione, recorded in Ovid's Metamorphoses. The name Chione means
"Snow" in Greek and, in the story, she is described as the most
beautiful woman in the land, so beautiful that the gods Apollo and Mercy both
fell in love with her. Mercury put her to sleep with the touch of his caduceus.
Margaretha
von Waldeck
Bergfreiheit
AxelHH at German Wikipedia / Public domain:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Bergfreiheit_HE_Dorf.jpg
The story of Margaretha von Waldeck is first real life story that may have inspired the tale of Snow White. In 1994, the German historian Eckhard Sander published Snow White: Fairy Tale or True Story? He claimed he had uncovered an account that may have inspired the Grimm fairy tale.
Margaretha von Waldeck was the
daughter of Philip IV, Count of Waldeck-Wildungen, born 1493 and died 1574, and
his first wife, Margaret Cirksena, born 1500 and died 1537, daughter of Edzard
I, Count of East Frisia. According to the Bad Wildungen city documents, she was
a famous beauty. From the year 1539 she had a very strict stepmother, Katharina
von Hatzfeld (1510 -1546). At that time Margaretha lived in Weilburg at the
court of Philip III, Count of Nassau-Weilburg. In 1545, she travelled through
Siebengebirge (seven hills) to live with her mother’s brother Johann Cirksena
at Valkenburg castle, which is now known as Limburg in the Netherlands. Later
in 1549 she was sent by her father to the Brussels court of Mary of Hungary, to
the governor of the Habsburg Netherlands and sister of Charles V, Holy Roman
Emperor. Margaretha’s presence at court was meant to improve the relations with
the emperor and help secure the release of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, who
had been imprisoned in Brussels for his role in the Schmalkaldic War.
However, the situation in court
became complicated as several high ranking men sought the hand of
Margaretha, including Lamoral, Count of Egmont. He arrived in court from
Spain in 1549. As she was Lutheran and Lamoral Catholic her parents
refused his request to marry Margaretha. However, as most of Netherlands
was Catholic at that time it wasn’t a viable excuse. It would seem that her
father wished for her to marry for political connections in Netherlands. A move
to Spain with Lamoral, would not suit his political agenda.
Margaretha died at the age of 21
in March 1554. The three surviving letter she sent to her father show that her
health had steadily declined over the time. In the Waldeck chronicles it was
suggested that she had been poisoned. Around the time of her death, an old man
had been caught giving out apples
laced with poisonous nightshade to children. However, since her father’s second
wife died in 1546 and he only remarried again in October 1554, her stepmother
was never suspected in the alleged poisoning.
Margaretha’s father owned
several copper minds, many of the workers were children, giving reference to
the seven dwarfs. The child workers lived in groups of about 20 in a single
room house. The residence of the dwarfs has been suggested to be the former mining
village of Bergfreiheit, which is now a district of Bad Wildungen, which calls
itself the Snow White Village.
Maria Sophia von Erthal
Another real life tale is that of Maria of Maria
Sophia von Erthal, who was born on the 15th June 1729 in Lohr
am Main in Bavaria, Germany. She was the daughter of Prince Philipp
Christoph von Erthal, a landowner and his wife, Baroness von Bettendorff. After
the death of his wife the prince married Claudia Elisabeth Maria von Venningen,
Countess of Rechenstein. It was said that she disliked her stepchildren. The
castle where they lived, which is now a museum, was home to a mirror that was
famous for its smooth and even surface. Apparently this is something that was
uncommon in that period. They referred to it as the “talking mirror,” because
“it always spoke the truth” (this mirror is also in the museum). The mirror was
manufactured in 1720 in Lohr. The left side of the mirror has the words
“self love” etched into it. It had been in the house at the time
Maria’s stepmother lived there.
The dwarfs are again linked to a mining town,
Bieber, located west of Lohr and lays amongst seven mountains. The mine tunnels
could only be accessed by short miners, they often wore bright red hoods. The
glass coffin may be linked to the regions famous glassworks and the poisoned
apple’s association may be with the deadly nightshade poison that grows in
abundance in the Lohr.
Greek
and Roman Mythology
KHIONE (Chione) was a nymph of Mount Haimos
(Haemus) in Thrake (north of Greece). She was a daughter of Boreas, god of the
north-wind, and Oreithyia, the lady of mountain gales. Khione is thought to be
the goddess of snow (khiôn).She became by
Poseidon the mother of Eumolpus, and in order to conceal the event, she threw
the boy into the sea; but the child was saved by Poseidon
Scholar Graham Anderson compares the
story of Snow White to the Roman legend of Chione, recorded in Ovid's Metamorphoses. The name Chione means
"Snow" in Greek and, in the story, she is described as the most
beautiful woman in the land, so beautiful that the gods Apollo and Mercy both
fell in love with her. Mercury put her to sleep with the touch of his caduceus.
