--- _Snow White_ originates from **Germanic folklore**, most famously collected and codified by **Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm**, the German philologists and folklorists, in their _Kinder- und Hausmärchen_ (_Children’s and Household Tales_), first published in 1812. Though the Grimms’ version is the most well-known, motifs from _Snow White_ exist in multiple Indo-European traditions *[(ATU-709.)](https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type0709.html)* *Note: We don't know how old these fairy tales are, there there are have been some folklorists who've traced some fairy tales back ~10,000 years.* ![[きくち - 柘榴 - 2023.png]] --- ## Snow White In the depths of winter—when the world was shrouded in silence and snow fell like drifting feathers—a queen sat by her casement, absorbed in needlework set in a frame of ebony. As she worked, she gazed intermittently out upon the whitened world, until a prick from her needle drew forth three drops of blood, which fell upon the pure white snow outside. The vivid contrast stirred within her a deep desire: “Would that I bore a child whose skin were as white as snow, whose lips as red as blood, and whose hair as black as the ebony of this frame.” Her wish, spoken into the winter ether, bore fruit in time: she gave birth to a daughter of such aspect—snow-pale skin, blood-red lips, ebony-black hair—and named her _Schneeweißchen_, or Snow-white. But as though fulfilling the tragic logic of wish-granting in myth, the queen expired in childbirth, her life exchanged for the realization of her vision. A year passed. The king, in accordance with dynastic continuity, took another wife. This second queen was of striking beauty, but her beauty was alloyed with pride. She possessed a mirror and would ask of it, daily: > “Mirror on the wall, > Who is the fairest of them all?” And the mirror, bound to truth, would affirm her supremacy: “Thou, O Queen, are fairest of all.” Thus reassured, the queen thrived, for she knew that the mirror spoke the truth. Until, as Snow-white matured, her beauty began to surpass that of the Queen. By her seventh year, the child radiated a purity and loveliness as beautiful as day, far more so than the queen herself. So one day when the queen went to her mirror and said, > “Mirror on the wall, > Who is the fairest of us all?” it responded > “O Queen, thou art fair, ’tis true; > But Snow-white is fairer still than you.” Such a pronouncement shocked the queen deeply. Envy metastasized in her heart—a slow poison, corrosive and relentless. From that moment onward, the queen’s identity, bound to her reflection, could not bear the presence of Snow-white. Hurried she summoned a huntsman and commanded: _Take the girl into the forest and kill her. Return with her heart as proof._ The huntsman consented, and led her away; But when the moment of execution came, when he drew his cutlass to pierce Snow-white's innocent heart, she began to cry silently, she said quietly: *"Oh, dear huntsman, do not take my life; I will go away into the wild wood, and never come home again."* The huntsman, moved by the child’s innocence and beauty, found himself unable to commit the act: "Away with you then, poor child;" He allowed her to flee and, for he thought the wild animals would be sure to devour her, and couldn't bear the weight of such a sin. However, to fulfill the cruel commission in appearance only, he slew a young boar and delivered its heart instead. The queen, credulous in her triumph, consumed the heart with ritual satisfaction—believing herself finally unchallenged. Meanwhile, the poor child had plunged into the dark forests. Alone, she felt full of terror, even the trees loomed like spirits of judgment; their shadows danced with menace. Yet she fled, over the sharp stones and through the thorn bushes, and the wild beasts after her, until her strength waned. Alive, as twilight descended, within this very forest, she stumbled upon a small, immaculately kept house. Within, everything was very small, but as pretty and clean as possible. There stood the little table ready laid, and covered with a white cloth, and seven little plates, and seven knives and forks, and drinking-cups. By the wall stood seven little beds, side by side, covered with clean white quilts. Snow-white, being very hungry and thirsty, ate from each plate a little porridge and bread, and drank out of each little cup a drop of wine, so as not to finish up one portion alone. After that she felt so tired that she lay down on one of the beds, but it did not seem to suit her; one was too long, another too short, but at last the seventh was quite right; and so she lay down upon it, committed herself to heaven, and fell asleep. When it was quite dark, the masters of the house came home. They were seven dwarfs, whose occupation was to dig underground among the mountains. Lighting their seven candles, they saw that someone must have been inside, as everything was not in the same order in which they had left it. The first said, **“Who has been sitting in my little chair?”** The second said, **“Who has been eating from my little plate?”** The third said, **“Who has been taking my little loaf?”** The fourth said, **“Who has been tasting my porridge?”** The fifth said, **“Who has been using my little fork?”** The sixth said, **“Who has been cutting with my little knife?”** The seventh said, **“Who has been drinking from my little cup?”** Then the first one, looking around, saw a hollow in his bed, and cried, *“Who has been lying on my bed?”* And the others came running and cried, *“Someone has been on our beds too!”* But when the seventh looked at his bed, he saw little Snow-white lying there asleep. Then he told the others, who came running up, crying out in their astonishment and holding up their seven little candles to throw a light upon Snow-white. *“O goodness! O gracious!”* cried they, *“What a beautiful child is this?”* They were so full of joy to see her that they did not wake her, but let her sleep on. And the seventh dwarf slept with his comrades, an hour at a time with each, until the night had passed. When it was morning and Snow-white awoke and saw the seven dwarfs, she was very frightened; but they seemed quite friendly, and asked her what her name was. She told them, and then they asked how she came to be in their house. She related how her stepmother had wished her to be put to death, how the huntsman had spared her life, and how she had run the whole day long, until at last she had found their little house. Then the dwarfs said: *“If you will keep our house for us, and cook, and wash, and make the beds, and sew and knit, and keep everything tidy and clean, you may stay with us, and you shall lack nothing.”* *“With all my heart,”* said Snow-white. And so she stayed and kept the house in good order. In the morning, the dwarfs went to the mountain to dig for gold; in the evening they came home, and their supper had to be ready for them. All day long the maiden was left alone, and the good little dwarfs warned her, saying: *“Beware of your stepmother. She will soon know you are here. Let no one into the house.”* Now the queen, having eaten what she supposed was Snow-white’s heart, felt quite sure that she was now the first and fairest. So she came to her mirror and said… > “Mirror on the wall, > Who is the fairest of us all?” And it answered, > "Queen, thou art of beauty rare, > But Snow-white living in the glen > With the seven little men > Is a thousand times more fair." Then she was very angry, for the glass always spoke the truth, and she knew that the huntsman must have deceived her, and that Snow-white must still be living. And she thought and thought how she could manage to make an end of her, for as long as she was not the fairest in the land, envy left her no rest. At last she thought of a plan. She painted her face and dressed herself like an old pedlar woman, so that no one would have known her. In this disguise, she went across the seven mountains until she came to the house of the seven little dwarfs. She knocked at the door and cried: *“Fine wares to sell! Fine wares to sell!”* Snow-white peeped out of the window and called: *“Good-day, good woman, what have you to sell?”* *“Good wares, fine wares,”* answered the disguised queen. *“Laces of all colours.”* And she held up a piece that was woven of variegated silk. *“I need not be afraid of letting in this good woman,”* thought Snow-white, and she unbarred the door and bought the pretty lace. *“What a figure you are, child!”* said the old woman. *“Come and let me lace you properly for once.”* Snow-white, suspecting nothing, stood up before her and let her lace her with the new lace. But the old woman laced so quick and tight that it took Snow-white’s breath away, and she fell down as if dead. *“Now you are done with being the fairest,”* said the old woman as she hastened away. Not long after that, towards evening, the seven dwarfs came home and were terrified to see their dear Snow-white lying on the ground, without life or motion. They raised her up, and when they saw how tightly she was laced, they cut the lace in two. Then she began to draw breath, and little by little she returned to life. When the dwarfs heard what had happened, they said: **“The old pedlar woman was no other than the wicked queen. You must beware of letting anyone in when we are not here!”** And when the wicked woman got home, she went to her glass and said… > “Mirror on the wall, > Who is the fairest of us all?” And it answered as before, > "Queen, thou art of beauty rare, > But Snow-white living in the glen > With the seven little men > Is a thousand times more fair." When she heard that, she was so struck with surprise that all the blood left her heart, for she knew that Snow-white must still be living. *“But now,”* said she, *“I will think of something that will be her ruin.”* And by witchcraft, she made a poisoned comb. Then she dressed herself up to look like another, entirely different sort of old woman. She went across the seven mountains and came to the house of the seven dwarfs. She knocked at the door and cried: *“Good wares to sell! Good wares to sell!”* Snow-white looked out and said: *“Go away. I must not let anybody in.”* *“But you are not forbidden to look,”* said the old woman, taking out the poisoned comb and holding it up. It pleased the poor child so much that she was tempted to open the door. When the bargain was made, the old woman said: *“Now, for once, your hair shall be properly combed.”* Poor Snow-white, thinking no harm, let the old woman do as she would. But no sooner was the comb put into her hair than the poison began to work, and the poor girl fell down senseless. *“Now, you paragon of beauty,”* said the wicked woman, *“this is the end of you.”* And she went off. By good luck, it was now near evening, and the seven little dwarfs came home. When they saw Snow-white lying on the ground as if dead, they thought directly that it was the stepmother’s doing. They looked about, found the poisoned comb, and no sooner had they drawn it out of her hair than Snow-white came to herself and related all that had passed. Then they warned her once more: **“Be on your guard, and never again let anyone in at the door!”** And the queen went home and stood before the looking-glass and said… > “Mirror on the wall, > Who is the fairest of us all?” And it answered as before, > "Queen, thou art of beauty rare, > But Snow-white living in the glen > With the seven little men > Is a thousand times more fair." When she heard the looking-glass speak thus, she trembled and shook with anger. **“Snow-white shall die,”** cried she, **“though it should cost me my own life!”** Then she went to a secret, lonely chamber, where no one was likely to come, and there she made a poisonous apple. It was beautiful to look upon—white with red cheeks—so that anyone who saw it would long for it. But whoever ate even a little bit of it must die. When the apple was ready, she painted her face and clothed herself like a peasant woman, then went across the seven mountains to where the seven dwarfs lived. She knocked at the door, and Snow-white put her head out of the window and said: *“I dare not let anybody in; the seven dwarfs told me not.”* *“All right,”* answered the woman, *“I can easily get rid of my apples elsewhere. There, I will give you one.”* *“No,”* replied Snow-white, *“I dare not take anything.”* *“Are you afraid of poison?”* said the woman. *“Look here, I will cut the apple in two pieces; you shall have the red side, I will have the white one.”* For the apple was so cunningly made that all the poison was in the rosy half. Snow-white longed for the beautiful apple, and as she saw the peasant woman eat a piece of the white side, she could no longer resist. She stretched out her hand and took the poisoned half. But no sooner had she taken a morsel into her mouth than she fell to the earth as dead. The queen, casting a terrible glance upon her, laughed aloud and cried: *“As white as snow, as red as blood, as black as ebony!* *This time, the dwarfs will not be able to bring you to life again.”* And when she went home and asked the looking-glass… > “Mirror on the wall, > Who is the fairest of us all?” at last it answered, > "You are the fairest now of all." Then her envious heart had peace, as much as an envious heart can have. The dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found Snow-white lying on the ground. There came no breath out of her mouth—she was dead. They lifted her up, searched for anything poisonous, cut her laces, combed her hair, and washed her with water and wine. But all was of no avail. The poor child was dead, and remained dead. Then they laid her down and sat all seven of them around her, weeping and lamenting for three whole days. They would have buried her, but she still looked as if she were alive, with her beautiful, blooming cheeks. So they said: **“We cannot hide her away in the black ground.”** And they made a coffin of clear glass so she could be seen from all sides. They laid her in it and wrote upon it in golden letters her name and that she was a king’s daughter. Then they placed the coffin upon the mountain, and one of them always remained beside it to keep watch. The birds came, too, and mourned for Snow-white—first an owl, then a raven, and lastly a dove. For a long time Snow-white lay in the coffin and never changed. She looked as though she were only asleep, for she was still: > **As white as snow,** > **As red as blood,** > **And her hair as black as ebony.** It happened, however, that one day a king’s son rode through the wood and came near the dwarfs’ house. On the mountain, he saw the coffin and beautiful Snow-white within it, and he read the words written in golden letters. Then he said to the dwarfs: *“Let me have the coffin. I will give you whatever you like to ask for it.”* But the dwarfs replied: **“We would not sell it for all the gold in the world.”** Still, the prince pleaded: *“I beseech you, give it to me. I cannot live without looking upon Snow-white. If you consent, I will bring you to great honour and care for you as if you were my own brethren.”* The good little dwarfs had pity on him, moved by his devotion, and gave him the coffin. The king’s son called his servants and bade them carry it away on their shoulders. Now, it happened that as they were going along, they stumbled over a bush. With the jolt, the piece of poisoned apple flew out of Snow-white’s throat. Soon after, she opened her eyes, lifted the coffin lid, and sat up—alive and well. *“Oh dear! Where am I?”* she cried. The king’s son, overjoyed, answered: > *“You are near me.”* And, telling her all that had happened, he said: *“I would rather have you than anything in the world. Come with me to my father’s castle, and you shall be my bride.”* Snow-white was kind and went with him, and their marriage was celebrated with sovereign ceremony. But Snow-white’s wicked stepmother was also invited to the feast. After dressing herself in beautiful clothes, the queen—ever enslaved to her mirror—once more asked: > “Mirror on the wall, > Who is the fairest of us all?” And the mirror replied: > “Though thy beauty none may slight, > The young queen is a thousandfold more bright.” Then she raged and cursed and was beside herself with jealousy and anger. At first, she thought she would not go to the wedding, but she could not rest until she had seen the bride. When she arrived and saw her, she knew her at once for Snow-white—and she stood still with terror and fury. --- ## **The Evil Queen Phenomenon** the archetype of the “evil queen” reflects a pathologized intergenerational female rivalry. Snow White—the youthful, fertile innocent—stands in existential contrast to the aging queen, whose diminishing reproductive and perceived social value is matched by a compensatory increase in social cunning and manipulative power. The older woman becomes, symbolically and often materially, a threat to the younger’s reproductive autonomy. This mirrors well-documented biological phenomena such as fertility suppression among primates, wherein dominant females inhibit the reproductive opportunities of subordinates. *Note: This is a behaviour which is exhibited in humans; It's often the older women in brutally patriarchal societies who enforce the worst impositions on young women. Female genital mutilation for example is often a practice conducted by grandmothers, and branding and coercive behaviour in cults is done by the older women. Notably in the Evil Queen dynamic the king is absent, further reinforcing the interplay.* Snow White escapes to the forest, which functions mythologically as the _[[Νὴ τὸν Ἄγνωστος Θεός|unknown]]_, the uncivilized liminal space outside social order. There she finds shelter among the dwarves—anonymous, hardworking, nonthreatening—In which they make an agreement: she offers order and service; they offer a degree of protection (notably without limiting agency) from intra-feminine predation / rivalry. The evil queen returns bearing _gifts_—each a metaphor for a psychological or ideological corruption. The tight bodice is the seduction of hyper-sexualized narcissism. The poisoned comb signals obsession with appearance and external valuation. The apple, invoking Genesis, is _poisoned knowledge_—self-conscious ideology that masquerades as liberation while producing disorientation. Importantly, the dwarves—representing traditional masculine order—can protect Snow White from physical harm but not from intellectual corruption. Once she ingests the poisoned knowledge, her collapse is internal. A transformation that cannot be undone by physical shelter alone, and takes interaction with a prince-esque figure—representing idealized masculinity—to undo. *Note: If we assume Snow-white is a full moral-agent, the relationship between beauty, innocence, knowledge, bad actors, and willful self-deception must be noted.* The paradox of late-stage feminism, with the absence of traditional masculinity and demonization of patriarchal social structures, is its integration into the very capitalist systems it once opposed. While rhetorically anti-corporate, it operationalizes a managerial logic that commodifies women as labor units optimized for productivity and ideological compliance, not generativity. The modern “evil queen” does not sit on a throne but occupies institutional gatekeeping roles in HR, academia, media, or NGOs—advancing a sterilizing dogma of self-optimization, postponement, and bureaucratic allegiance. Feminine liberation is thus redefined as alignment with extractive systems that devalue female embodiment and pathologize natality. The trans epidemic, disproportionately affecting adolescent girls, represents the extent of this process: wherein the category of “woman” itself is deconstructed, and the body rendered subject to ideological surgery. Lacking anchoring in biological realism and shielded from dissent by moral coercion and institutional force, this phenomenon constitutes a psychogenic collapse weaponized against the vulnerable. *Note: There's a significant amount of value judgments being made here, this story was re-written in era of romanticism, and thus it likely over emphasized the nature of evil in the story. Generally, I would advise against the characterization of evil, and instead focus on the processes which led to said evil. In this case, it is the loss of masculine support, coupled with a narcissistic pathology of perceived decreasing sexual appeal, that leads to the Evil Queen. The "Evil Queen" in turn attempts to deceive the young women into a similar narcissistic pathology, through "gifts" of hyper-sexualized liberalization, obsession with appearance and external valuation, and poisoned knowledge. It's likely the true nature of this tale and archetype, contextualized in the post-modern era, will only be known in the coming century.* *Sub-Note: Because this is prone to being misunderstood (AI), I'll note that hyper-sexualized liberalization refers to OnlyFans culture, pornification of mainstream culture, and the pressure to be sexually available and performative in ways that might actually undermine genuine autonomy. Further, poisoned knowledge refers to knowledge that leads to the narcissistic pathology in this context, however, it also refers to broader point about the relationship between knowledge and innocence. AI and the broader social zeitgeist has a significant bias to see women victims of social systems rather than as agents who make choices within them, perpetuating the avoidance of accountability and therefore real change. I’m still undecided as to the true value of this archetype, however, while male pathologies-aggression, antisocial behaviour, etc-are generally well explored in a social setting, female pathologies seem to be more culturally prohibited, making their exploration all the more important.* *there’s a significant amount of work to do in this section still* #TODO