The brothers Grimm greatly appreciated the wealth of folk poetry. The Snow Maiden, a summary of which we will consider, was included in their first collection, Children's and Family Tales, published in 1812. A.S. Pushkin met him. The work "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Heroes" has direct parallels with what was published by the brothers Grimm. "Snow Maiden", a summary of which we will consider, this will be confirmed by almost every line.
The beginning of the tale
The queen, looking at the snow-covered landscape outside the window, sewed and pricked her finger to blood and began to dream that the baby would be born like snow, white as blood, rosy, and with black hair like tree trunks.
When her wish came true, and a pretty, white, ruddy brunette girl was born, the baby was named Snow White, or Snegurochka. The mother died soon after. A year later, the widower married a proud and arrogant beauty.
She had a magic mirror with which she often talked and always asked the same thing: "Who is the most beautiful in the world?" The answer was the same: "You are the most beautiful."
Grown up princess
Once, to her favorite question, the mirror gave the queen a terrible answer that the Snow Maiden was more beautiful. So the Snow Maiden continues (the summary of the tale becomes more dramatic), by order of her mother, is taken into the forest and must be killed. But they took pity on her and left her alive.
The gnomes
In the forest, the girl came across a neat little hut. She tasted the food on the table. Tired, she fell asleep on the crib. The owners came - 7 dwarfs - and noticed the sleeping girl. They did not wake her up, and in the morning, having learned her terrible story, they offered to live with them and monitor the household.
This is a continuation of the fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. The Snow Maiden (a brief summary of the fairy tale continues) in the house of the gnomes easily kept everything in order. But the dwarfs warned her to beware of her stepmother's wiles.
What did the evil queen do
She learned from the mirror that her stepdaughter surpassed her beauty. Then the queen changed into a tradeswoman and went with elegant belts and ribbons to the house of the dwarfs. She persuaded the girl to buy a lace and tightened the corset on her so tight that the girl fell down dead. When the dwarfs returned, they cut the tight ribbons, and the girl regained consciousness.
The stepmother did not calm down. She made a poisonous comb and came again. The comb was so beautiful that the Snow Maiden bought it, and her stepmother combed her hair. The girl fell again, dying. The stepmother left the comb in her hair. The gnomes, seeing this terrible picture, rescued the girl by removing the comb from her head.
For the third time, the stepmother half-poisoned the ruddy apple and went to treat the girl to them in order to kill her for sure. To prove it was tasty and healthy, she cut it in half. She herself ate the barrel without poison, and the Snow Maiden bit off a poisonous piece and died.
The rescue
The gnomes could not revive the beauty, but she was as if alive. They mourned the Snow Maiden for 3 days. Then they carried the crystal coffin with the girl to the top of the mountain and began to guard it. And then the prince appeared. He fell in love with a girl who seemed to be only fast asleep. The dwarfs gave the coffin to the prince, his servants carried the girl. They stumbled, and a piece of a poisonous apple fell out of the neck of the Snow Maiden. She came to life.
End of the tale
The delighted prince played a wedding with the princess. The first beauty of the Universe, the stepmother, was also invited to it. But she learned from the mirror that the young bride was more beautiful than she was. The villainess went to find out who surpassed her beauty, and saw the Snow Maiden. She was punished, and she died as cruelly as she had done all her life.
Characters (edit)
The heroes of the fairy tale "Snow Maiden" are traditional. The Brothers Grimm relied on folk tales of kings and queens, mothers and stepmothers, daughter and stepdaughter, a noble prince-savior and hardworking dwarfs who seek copper and gold in the mountains. The storytellers have processed a huge amount of material and collected all the best.
The Brothers Grimm, "The Snow Maiden": theme, plot and symbolism
The theme of the tale is revealed through the plot and symbols. The main engine is the stepmother - the personified evil, which is actively acting.
The number 3 occurs repeatedly in the tale. 3 drops of blood fell from the finger of his own mother, 3 visits to the evil queen, 3 items a comb and an apple), which the villainess gave the Snow Maiden as gifts of Death. The number 3 goes back to the Holy Trinity. According to Jung, Satan was the 2nd son of God. Wasn't his stepmother his female incarnation? It is no coincidence that she is the 2nd wife of the king. The number 7 is associated with time. 7 Dwarfs are metaphorical 7 days of the week.
Other complex symbolism aside, we return to what lies on the surface. The brothers Grimm ("Snow Maiden") transferred the ideal from folk tales to their work. The main idea of the tale: good always triumphs over evil.
It was in the middle of winter. Snowflakes fell like fluff from the sky, and the queen sat by the window — its frame was of ebony — and the queen sewed. While she was sewing, she looked into the snow and pricked her finger with a needle - and three drops of blood fell on the snow. And the red on the white snow looked so beautiful that she thought to herself: "Now, if I had a child, white as this snow, and ruddy as blood, and black-haired, like a tree on a window frame!"
And the queen soon gave birth to a daughter, and she was as white as snow, blush as blood, and as black-haired as an ebony - and that is why they called her Snegurochka. And when the child was born, the queen died.
A year later, the king took another wife. This was a beautiful woman, but proud and arrogant, she could not stand when someone surpassed her beauty. She had a magic mirror, and when she stood in front of him and looked into it, she asked:
And the mirror answered:
You, the queen, are the prettiest in the country.
And she was pleased because she knew that the mirror was telling the truth.
And the Snow Maiden during this time grew up and became more and more beautiful, and when she was seven years old, she was as beautiful as a clear day, and more beautiful than the queen herself. When the queen asked her mirror:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
The mirror answered like this:
But the Snow Maiden is a thousand times richer in beauty.
The queen was frightened then, turned yellow, turned green with envy. It happened to see the Snow Maiden - and her heart breaks, she so disliked the girl. And envy and arrogance grew like weeds, higher and higher in her heart, and from now on there was no rest for her, neither day nor night.
Then she called one of her gamekeepers and said:
Take this girl into the forest - I can't see her anymore. You must kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as proof.
The huntsman obeyed and took the girl into the forest; but when he pulled out his hunting knife and was about to pierce the innocent heart of the Snow Maiden, she began to cry and ask:
Ah, dear huntsman, keep me alive! I will run far, far away into the dense forest and never return home.
And because she was so beautiful, the huntsman took pity on her and said:
So be it, run, poor girl!
And he thought to himself: "Anyway, wild animals will soon eat you there," and it was as if a stone had fallen from his heart when he did not have to kill the Snow Maiden.
And just at that time a young deer ran up, the huntsman stabbed him, cut out his lungs and liver and brought them to the queen as a sign of proof that her orders had been fulfilled. The cook was ordered to boil them in salt water, and the evil woman ate them, thinking that they were the lungs and liver of the Snow Maiden.
The poor girl was left alone in the dense forest, and in fear she looked at all the leaves in the trees, not knowing how to proceed, how to help her grief.
She started to run, and ran along sharp stones, through thorny thickets; and wild animals jumped about her, but they did not touch her. She ran as long as she could, but now it was finally getting dark. Suddenly she saw a small hut and went into it to rest. And everything in that hut was so small, but beautiful and clean, that you cannot say in a fairy tale or describe it with a pen.
There was a table covered with a white tablecloth, and on it were seven small plates, a spoon next to each plate, and seven small knives and forks and seven small cups. There were seven small beds in a row against the wall, and they were covered with snow-white bedspreads.
The Snow Maiden wanted to eat and drink, she took a little vegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine from each cup - she did not want to drink everything from one. And since she was very tired, she lay down in one of the beds, but none of them suited her: one was too long, the other too short; but the seventh was, at last, just right for her; she lay down in it and, surrendering to the mercy of God, fell asleep.
When it was already completely dark, the owners of the hut came; there were the seven dwarfs who mined ore in the mountains. They lit seven of their bulbs, and when it became light in the hut, they noticed that they had someone, because not everything turned out to be in the order in which it was before. And the first dwarf said:
Who was this sitting in my chair?
Who ate this from my plate?
Who took a piece of my loaf?
Fourth:
And who ate my vegetables?
Who took it with my fork?
Who cut it with my knife?
The seventh asked:
Who was drinking from my little goblet?
The first one looked around and noticed a small fold on his bed, and asked:
Who was that lying on my crib?
Then the rest came running and began to say:
And in mine, too, someone was lying.
The seventh dwarf looked at his bed, saw that the Snow Maiden was lying in it and sleeping. Then he called the others; They ran up, began to shout in surprise, brought seven of their bulbs and lit the Snow Maiden.
Oh my god! Oh my god! they exclaimed. - What, however, a beautiful child!
They were so happy that they did not wake her up and left her to sleep in bed. And the seventh dwarf slept with each of his comrades for an hour - and so the night passed.
Morning has come. The Snow Maiden woke up, saw seven dwarfs and was frightened. But they were affectionate with her and asked her:
What is your name?
My name is Snegurochka, - she answered.
How did you get into our hut? the dwarfs continued to ask.
And she told them that her stepmother wanted to kill her, but the huntsman took pity on her, and that she fled all day until she finally found their hut.
The dwarfs asked:
Do you want to run our farm? Cooking, whipping beds, washing, sewing and knitting, keeping everything clean and tidy - if you agree to this, then you can stay with us, and you will have enough of everything.
Well, - said the Snow Maiden, - with great willingness, - and stayed with them.
Watch out for your stepmother: she will soon know that you are here. Be careful not to let anyone into the house.
And the queen, having eaten the lungs and liver of the Snow Maiden, began to think again that she was now the very first beauty in the country. She went to the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered:
You queen are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, beyond the mountains,
At the seven charles outside the walls,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
The queen was frightened then - she knew that the mirror was telling the truth, and realized that the huntsman had deceived her, that the Snow Maiden was still alive. And she began to think again and wonder how she would lime it out. And there was no peace for her out of envy, because she was not the very first beauty in the country.
And in the end she thought of something: she put on makeup on her face, disguised herself as an old saleswoman, and now it was impossible to recognize her. She went through the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door and said:
The Snow Maiden looked out the window and said:
Hello my dear! What are you selling?
Good goods, wonderful goods, - she answered, - multi-colored laces, - and took out one of them to show her, and it was woven of variegated silk.
“This respectable woman can, perhaps, be allowed into the house,” thought the Snow Maiden. She opened the door bolt and bought herself nice laces.
Oh, how they suit you, girl, - said the old woman, - let me lace up your bodice properly.
The Snow Maiden, not foreseeing anything bad, stood in front of her and gave her new laces to be tightened. And the old woman began to lace up, so quickly and so tightly that the Snow Maiden choked and fell dead to the ground.
This is because you were the most beautiful, - said the queen and quickly disappeared.
And soon, in the evening, the seven dwarfs returned home, and how frightened they were when they saw that their sweet Snow Maiden was lying on the floor - she would not move, she would not move, as if she were dead! They lifted her up and saw that she was laced up tightly; then they cut the laces, and she began to breathe a little and gradually came to herself.
When the dwarfs heard about how it all happened, they said:
The old merchant was actually an evil queen. Beware, do not let anyone in when we are not at home.
Meanwhile, the wicked woman returned home, went up to the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
The mirror answered her, as before:
You queen are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, beyond the mountains,
At the seven charles outside the walls,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
When she heard such an answer, all the blood rushed to her heart, she was so frightened - she realized that the Snow Maiden came to life again.
Well, now, ”she said,“ I’ll come up with something that will surely ruin you, ”and, knowing various sorceries, she prepared a poisonous comb. Then she changed and pretended to be another old woman. And she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door and said:
I sell good goods! I sell!
The Snow Maiden looked out the window and said:
Perhaps you can have a look, ”said the old woman, took out a poisonous comb and, lifting it up, showed it to the Snow Maiden.
The girl liked him so much that she let herself be deceived and opened the door. They agreed on a price, and the old woman said:
Well, now let me do your hair properly.
Poor Snow Maiden, suspecting nothing, allowed the old woman to comb her hair; but as soon as she touched her hair with a comb, the poison immediately began to act, and the girl fell senseless to the ground.
You, written beauty, - said the wicked woman, - now the end has come for you! “And having said that, she left.
But, fortunately, it was late afternoon, and the seven dwarfs soon returned home. Noticing that Snegurochka was lying on the floor, dead, they immediately suspected their stepmother of this, began to look for what was the matter, and found a poisonous comb; and as soon as they pulled him out, the Snow Maiden again came to her senses and told them about everything that had happened. Then the dwarfs once again warned her to be careful and not open the door to anyone.
And the queen returned home, sat down in front of the mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered, as before:
You queen are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, beyond the mountains,
At the seven charles outside the walls,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
Hearing what the mirror was saying, she trembled all over, trembled with anger.
The Snow Maiden must die, she shouted, even if it cost me my own life!
And she went to a secret room, where no one had ever entered, and cooked a poisonous, venomous apple there. It looked very beautiful, white with red specks, and anyone who saw it would want to eat it; but whoever ate even a piece would certainly have died.
When the apple was ready, the queen made up her face, disguised herself as a peasant and set off on a journey-road - over the seven mountains, to the seven dwarfs. She knocked; The Snow Maiden stuck her head out the window and says:
I was not ordered to let anyone into the house - seven dwarfs forbade me to do this.
It is correct, - answered the peasant woman, - but where am I going to put my apples? Do you want me to give you one of them?
No, - said the Snow Maiden, - I was not ordered to take anything.
Are you afraid of the poison? the old woman asked. - Look, I will cut the apple into two halves: you will eat the ruddy one, and I will eat the white one.
And the apple was made so cunningly that only the ruddy half of it was poisoned. The Snow Maiden wanted to taste a beautiful apple, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating it, the girl could not resist, stuck her hand out of the window and took the poisoned half. As soon as she took a bite, she immediately fell dead to the ground. The queen looked at her with her terrible eyes and, laughing out loud, said:
Bela like snow, blush like blood, black hair like ebony! Now your dwarfs will never wake you up!
She returned home and began to ask the mirror:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror finally answered:
You, queen, are more beautiful in the whole country.
Then her envious heart calmed down, how much such a heart can find peace for itself.
The dwarfs, returning home in the evening, found the Snow Maiden lying on the ground, lifeless and dead. They lifted her up and began to look for poison: they unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but nothing helped - the poor girl, as she was dead, remained dead.
They put her in a coffin, sat all seven around her, began to mourn her, and cried like that for three whole days. Then they decided to bury her, but she looked as if she were alive - her cheeks were still beautiful and rosy.
And they said:
How can you bury it like that in the ground?
And they ordered a glass coffin to be made for her so that one could see her from all sides, and they put her in that coffin, wrote her name on it in gold letters and that she was a royal daughter. They carried the coffin to the mountain, and always one of them remained on guard with her. And animals and birds also appeared to mourn the Snow Maiden: first an owl, then a raven, and finally a dove.
And for a long, long time the Snow Maiden lay in her coffin, and it seemed that she was asleep - she was white as snow, blush like blood, and black hair like an ebony tree.
But one day it happened that the prince drove into that forest and ended up in the house of dwarfs to spend the night there. He saw a coffin on the mountain, and in it a beautiful Snow Maiden, and read what was written on it in golden letters. And then he said to the dwarfs:
Give me this coffin, I will give you whatever you want for it.
But the dwarfs replied:
We will not give it up even for all the gold in the world.
Then he said:
So give it to me - I cannot live without seeing the Snow Maiden, I will deeply respect and honor her as my beloved.
When he said this, the good dwarfs took pity on him and gave him the coffin; and the prince ordered his servants to carry him on their shoulders. But it so happened that they stumbled in the bushes, and from the concussion a piece of the poisoned apple fell from the Snegurochka's throat. Then she opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, and then got out of it and came to life again.
Oh, my God, where am I? - she exclaimed.
The prince, delighted, replied:
You are with me, - and told her everything that happened, and said: - You are dearer to me than anything in the world; come with me to my father's castle and you will be my wife.
The Snow Maiden agreed and went with him; and they celebrated the wedding with great pomp.
But the evil stepmother of the Snow Maiden was also invited to the wedding feast. She dressed in a beautiful dress, went to the mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered:
You, madam queen, are beautiful of you,
But the princess is a thousand times richer in beauty!
And then the wicked woman uttered her curse, and she became so scared, so scared that she did not know how to control herself. At first she decided not to go to the wedding at all, but there was no rest for her - she wanted to go and look at the young queen. She entered the palace and recognized the Snow Maiden, and from fear and horror - as she stood, she stood still and froze.
But iron shoes were already placed for her on the burning coals, they were brought, holding them with tongs, and placed in front of her. And she had to put her feet in red-hot shoes and dance in them until, at last, she fell, dead, on the ground.
It was in the middle of winter. Snowflakes fell like fluff from the sky, and the queen sat by the window — its frame was of ebony — and the queen sewed. While she was sewing, she looked into the snow and pricked her finger with a needle - and three drops of blood fell on the snow. And the red on the white snow looked so beautiful that she thought to herself: "Now, if I had a child, white as this snow, and ruddy as blood, and black-haired, like a tree on a window frame!"
And the queen soon gave birth to a daughter, and she was as white as snow, blush as blood, and as black-haired as an ebony - and that is why they called her Snegurochka. And when the child was born, the queen died.
A year later, the king took another wife. This was a beautiful woman, but proud and arrogant, she could not stand when someone surpassed her beauty. She had a magic mirror, and when she stood in front of him and looked into it, she asked:
And the mirror answered:
You, the queen, are the prettiest in the country.
And she was pleased because she knew that the mirror was telling the truth.
And the Snow Maiden during this time grew up and became more and more beautiful, and when she was seven years old, she was as beautiful as a clear day, and more beautiful than the queen herself. When the queen asked her mirror:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
The mirror answered like this:
But the Snow Maiden is a thousand times richer in beauty.
The queen was frightened then, turned yellow, turned green with envy. It happened to see the Snow Maiden - and her heart breaks, she so disliked the girl. And envy and arrogance grew like weeds, higher and higher in her heart, and from now on there was no rest for her, neither day nor night.
Then she called one of her gamekeepers and said:
Take this girl into the forest - I can't see her anymore. You must kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as proof.
The huntsman obeyed and took the girl into the forest; but when he pulled out his hunting knife and was about to pierce the innocent heart of the Snow Maiden, she began to cry and ask:
Ah, dear huntsman, keep me alive! I will run far, far away into the dense forest and never return home.
And because she was so beautiful, the huntsman took pity on her and said:
So be it, run, poor girl!
And he thought to himself: "Anyway, wild animals will soon eat you there," and it was as if a stone had fallen from his heart when he did not have to kill the Snow Maiden.
And just at that time a young deer ran up, the huntsman stabbed him, cut out his lungs and liver and brought them to the queen as a sign of proof that her orders had been fulfilled. The cook was ordered to boil them in salt water, and the evil woman ate them, thinking that they were the lungs and liver of the Snow Maiden.
The poor girl was left alone in the dense forest, and in fear she looked at all the leaves in the trees, not knowing how to proceed, how to help her grief.
She started to run, and ran along sharp stones, through thorny thickets; and wild animals jumped about her, but they did not touch her. She ran as long as she could, but now it was finally getting dark. Suddenly she saw a small hut and went into it to rest. And everything in that hut was so small, but beautiful and clean, that you cannot say in a fairy tale or describe it with a pen.
There was a table covered with a white tablecloth, and on it were seven small plates, a spoon next to each plate, and seven small knives and forks and seven small cups. There were seven small beds in a row against the wall, and they were covered with snow-white bedspreads.
The Snow Maiden wanted to eat and drink, she took a little vegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine from each cup - she did not want to drink everything from one. And since she was very tired, she lay down in one of the beds, but none of them suited her: one was too long, the other too short; but the seventh was, at last, just right for her; she lay down in it and, surrendering to the mercy of God, fell asleep.
When it was already completely dark, the owners of the hut came; there were the seven dwarfs who mined ore in the mountains. They lit seven of their bulbs, and when it became light in the hut, they noticed that they had someone, because not everything turned out to be in the order in which it was before. And the first dwarf said:
Who was this sitting in my chair?
Who ate this from my plate?
Who took a piece of my loaf?
Fourth:
And who ate my vegetables?
Who took it with my fork?
Who cut it with my knife?
The seventh asked:
Who was drinking from my little goblet?
The first one looked around and noticed a small fold on his bed, and asked:
Who was that lying on my crib?
Then the rest came running and began to say:
And in mine, too, someone was lying.
The seventh dwarf looked at his bed, saw that the Snow Maiden was lying in it and sleeping. Then he called the others; They ran up, began to shout in surprise, brought seven of their bulbs and lit the Snow Maiden.
Oh my god! Oh my god! they exclaimed. - What, however, a beautiful child!
They were so happy that they did not wake her up and left her to sleep in bed. And the seventh dwarf slept with each of his comrades for an hour - and so the night passed.
Morning has come. The Snow Maiden woke up, saw seven dwarfs and was frightened. But they were affectionate with her and asked her:
What is your name?
My name is Snegurochka, - she answered.
How did you get into our hut? the dwarfs continued to ask.
And she told them that her stepmother wanted to kill her, but the huntsman took pity on her, and that she fled all day until she finally found their hut.
The dwarfs asked:
Do you want to run our farm? Cooking, whipping beds, washing, sewing and knitting, keeping everything clean and tidy - if you agree to this, then you can stay with us, and you will have enough of everything.
Well, - said the Snow Maiden, - with great willingness, - and stayed with them.
Watch out for your stepmother: she will soon know that you are here. Be careful not to let anyone into the house.
And the queen, having eaten the lungs and liver of the Snow Maiden, began to think again that she was now the very first beauty in the country. She went to the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered:
You queen are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, beyond the mountains,
At the seven charles outside the walls,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
The queen was frightened then - she knew that the mirror was telling the truth, and realized that the huntsman had deceived her, that the Snow Maiden was still alive. And she began to think again and wonder how she would lime it out. And there was no peace for her out of envy, because she was not the very first beauty in the country.
And in the end she thought of something: she put on makeup on her face, disguised herself as an old saleswoman, and now it was impossible to recognize her. She went through the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door and said:
The Snow Maiden looked out the window and said:
Hello my dear! What are you selling?
Good goods, wonderful goods, - she answered, - multi-colored laces, - and took out one of them to show her, and it was woven of variegated silk.
“This respectable woman can, perhaps, be allowed into the house,” thought the Snow Maiden. She opened the door bolt and bought herself nice laces.
Oh, how they suit you, girl, - said the old woman, - let me lace up your bodice properly.
The Snow Maiden, not foreseeing anything bad, stood in front of her and gave her new laces to be tightened. And the old woman began to lace up, so quickly and so tightly that the Snow Maiden choked and fell dead to the ground.
This is because you were the most beautiful, - said the queen and quickly disappeared.
And soon, in the evening, the seven dwarfs returned home, and how frightened they were when they saw that their sweet Snow Maiden was lying on the floor - she would not move, she would not move, as if she were dead! They lifted her up and saw that she was laced up tightly; then they cut the laces, and she began to breathe a little and gradually came to herself.
When the dwarfs heard about how it all happened, they said:
The old merchant was actually an evil queen. Beware, do not let anyone in when we are not at home.
Meanwhile, the wicked woman returned home, went up to the mirror and asked:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
The mirror answered her, as before:
You queen are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, beyond the mountains,
At the seven charles outside the walls,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
When she heard such an answer, all the blood rushed to her heart, she was so frightened - she realized that the Snow Maiden came to life again.
Well, now, ”she said,“ I’ll come up with something that will surely ruin you, ”and, knowing various sorceries, she prepared a poisonous comb. Then she changed and pretended to be another old woman. And she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs, knocked on the door and said:
I sell good goods! I sell!
The Snow Maiden looked out the window and said:
Perhaps you can have a look, ”said the old woman, took out a poisonous comb and, lifting it up, showed it to the Snow Maiden.
The girl liked him so much that she let herself be deceived and opened the door. They agreed on a price, and the old woman said:
Well, now let me do your hair properly.
Poor Snow Maiden, suspecting nothing, allowed the old woman to comb her hair; but as soon as she touched her hair with a comb, the poison immediately began to act, and the girl fell senseless to the ground.
You, written beauty, - said the wicked woman, - now the end has come for you! “And having said that, she left.
But, fortunately, it was late afternoon, and the seven dwarfs soon returned home. Noticing that Snegurochka was lying on the floor, dead, they immediately suspected their stepmother of this, began to look for what was the matter, and found a poisonous comb; and as soon as they pulled him out, the Snow Maiden again came to her senses and told them about everything that had happened. Then the dwarfs once again warned her to be careful and not open the door to anyone.
And the queen returned home, sat down in front of the mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered, as before:
You queen are beautiful,
But the Snow Maiden is there, beyond the mountains,
At the seven charles outside the walls,
A thousand times richer in beauty!
Hearing what the mirror was saying, she trembled all over, trembled with anger.
The Snow Maiden must die, she shouted, even if it cost me my own life!
And she went to a secret room, where no one had ever entered, and cooked a poisonous, venomous apple there. It looked very beautiful, white with red specks, and anyone who saw it would want to eat it; but whoever ate even a piece would certainly have died.
When the apple was ready, the queen made up her face, disguised herself as a peasant and set off on a journey-road - over the seven mountains, to the seven dwarfs. She knocked; The Snow Maiden stuck her head out the window and says:
I was not ordered to let anyone into the house - seven dwarfs forbade me to do this.
It is correct, - answered the peasant woman, - but where am I going to put my apples? Do you want me to give you one of them?
No, - said the Snow Maiden, - I was not ordered to take anything.
Are you afraid of the poison? the old woman asked. - Look, I will cut the apple into two halves: you will eat the ruddy one, and I will eat the white one.
And the apple was made so cunningly that only the ruddy half of it was poisoned. The Snow Maiden wanted to taste a beautiful apple, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating it, the girl could not resist, stuck her hand out of the window and took the poisoned half. As soon as she took a bite, she immediately fell dead to the ground. The queen looked at her with her terrible eyes and, laughing out loud, said:
Bela like snow, blush like blood, black hair like ebony! Now your dwarfs will never wake you up!
She returned home and began to ask the mirror:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror finally answered:
You, queen, are more beautiful in the whole country.
Then her envious heart calmed down, how much such a heart can find peace for itself.
The dwarfs, returning home in the evening, found the Snow Maiden lying on the ground, lifeless and dead. They lifted her up and began to look for poison: they unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but nothing helped - the poor girl, as she was dead, remained dead.
They put her in a coffin, sat all seven around her, began to mourn her, and cried like that for three whole days. Then they decided to bury her, but she looked as if she were alive - her cheeks were still beautiful and rosy.
And they said:
How can you bury it like that in the ground?
And they ordered a glass coffin to be made for her so that one could see her from all sides, and they put her in that coffin, wrote her name on it in gold letters and that she was a royal daughter. They carried the coffin to the mountain, and always one of them remained on guard with her. And animals and birds also appeared to mourn the Snow Maiden: first an owl, then a raven, and finally a dove.
And for a long, long time the Snow Maiden lay in her coffin, and it seemed that she was asleep - she was white as snow, blush like blood, and black hair like an ebony tree.
But one day it happened that the prince drove into that forest and ended up in the house of dwarfs to spend the night there. He saw a coffin on the mountain, and in it a beautiful Snow Maiden, and read what was written on it in golden letters. And then he said to the dwarfs:
Give me this coffin, I will give you whatever you want for it.
But the dwarfs replied:
We will not give it up even for all the gold in the world.
Then he said:
So give it to me - I cannot live without seeing the Snow Maiden, I will deeply respect and honor her as my beloved.
When he said this, the good dwarfs took pity on him and gave him the coffin; and the prince ordered his servants to carry him on their shoulders. But it so happened that they stumbled in the bushes, and from the concussion a piece of the poisoned apple fell from the Snegurochka's throat. Then she opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, and then got out of it and came to life again.
Oh, my God, where am I? - she exclaimed.
The prince, delighted, replied:
You are with me, - and told her everything that happened, and said: - You are dearer to me than anything in the world; come with me to my father's castle and you will be my wife.
The Snow Maiden agreed and went with him; and they celebrated the wedding with great pomp.
But the evil stepmother of the Snow Maiden was also invited to the wedding feast. She dressed in a beautiful dress, went to the mirror and said:
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful in our country?
And the mirror answered:
You, madam queen, are beautiful of you,
But the princess is a thousand times richer in beauty!
And then the wicked woman uttered her curse, and she became so scared, so scared that she did not know how to control herself. At first she decided not to go to the wedding at all, but there was no rest for her - she wanted to go and look at the young queen. She entered the palace and recognized the Snow Maiden, and from fear and horror - as she stood, she stood still and froze.
But iron shoes were already placed for her on the burning coals, they were brought, holding them with tongs, and placed in front of her. And she had to put her feet in red-hot shoes and dance in them until, at last, she fell, dead, on the ground.
or-there was an old man with an old woman. We lived well, amicably. Everything would be fine, but one grief - they did not have children. Here came a snowy winter, snowdrifts piled up to the waist, the children poured out onto the street to play, and the old man and the old woman looked at them from the window and thought about their grief.
And what, old woman, - says the old man, - let us make ourselves a daughter out of the snow.
Come on, says the old woman.
The old man put on his hat, they went out into the garden and began to sculpt his daughter out of the snow. They rolled a snowball, adjusted the handles and legs, and put a snow head on top. The old man sculpted the nose, mouth, chin.
Lo and behold - a y Snow Maiden's lips turned pink, her eyes opened; she looks at the old people and smiles. Then she nodded her head, stirred her arms and legs, shook off the snow - and a live girl came out of the snowdrift.
The old men were delighted, they brought her to the hut. They look at her, do not stop looking at her.
And the daughter of the old people began to grow up by leaps and bounds; every day, it becomes more and more beautiful. She was very white, like snow, a braid light brown to the waist, only there was no blush at all.
Old people do not get enough of their daughter, they do not like souls in her. The daughter is growing and smart, and smart, and cheerful. She is affectionate and friendly with everyone. And the work of the Snow Maiden in the hands of argues, and the song will sing - you will listen.
The winter has passed. The spring sun began to warm up. The grass turned green on the thawed patches, the larks began to sing. And the Snow Maiden suddenly became sad.
What about you, daughter? the old people ask. Why have you become so sad? Or do you feel bad?
Nothing, father, nothing, mother, I'm healthy.
So the last snow has melted, flowers bloomed in the meadows, birds have arrived.
And the Snegurochka day by day more and more sad, more and more silent becomes. Hiding from the sun. Everything would be a shadow and a chill, or even better - rain.
Once a black cloud moved in, a large hail fell. The Snow Maiden was delighted with the hail, like rolling pearls. And as the sun peeped out again and the hail melted, the Snow Maiden began to cry, but so bitterly, like a sister after her own brother.
Summer came after spring. The girls gathered for a walk in the grove, their name is Snegurochka:
Come with us, Snegurochka, walk into the forest, sing songs, dance.
The Snow Maiden did not want to go to the forest, but the old woman persuaded her:
Go, daughter, have fun with your girlfriends.
The girls came with the Snow Maiden to the forest. They began to collect flowers, weave wreaths, sing songs, lead round dances. Only one Snow Maiden is still sad.
And as the candle was getting light, they gathered brushwood, made a fire and let one another jump over the fire. Behind everyone, the Snow Maiden stood up.
She ran in her turn for her friends.
I want to tell you about this book separately. Unlike other books, I remember when I got it. It was 1963. Mom then spent almost the whole year in the hospital - she underwent heart surgery. Then such operations were done only in Moscow at the Institute of Rheumatism on Petrovka, it was a rarity, they were kept in the hospital for a long time, then they were treated and observed. In short, so that the child would not be without a patron the whole year, it was decided to settle me with my grandparents in Orekhovo-Zuevo for a year. I also studied there all year in the second grade.
In our progressive Voronezh school, all first-graders were taught to write immediately with fountain pens - it was a real teacher's feat: it was not enough - no "pressure" and "hair", so also the pens were with pipettes and open nibs, therefore, all the children were smeared with ink ... In the Orekhovskaya school, of course, everyone wrote with fountain pens, and I was immediately given one. To say that I wrote was ugly is to say nothing. It turns out that I had to learn to write anew. Our young teacher Vera Vasilievna not only immediately allowed me to write with a fountain pen, but also made a small revolution in our class, transferring all the guys to them. (When I went to my third school in grade 3, the same thing happened again, but the woman-rock Tattyana Kapitonovna was a reactionary: everyone else continued to walk with their non-spills).
Oh, I was distracted by something. So, there, in Orekhovo, I read for the first time and even began to buy books for myself - but more on that later.
Since my grandmother did not have a children's library at home, and in the school one was not allowed to choose, but they imposed some kind of thin, "for kids", I began to suffer.
Somewhere before the new year, I fell ill with chickenpox. Then dad came to visit me, having made a business trip to Moscow. It was he who brought me a thick volume of "Tales by the Brothers Grimm" - he grabbed it somewhere on the occasion. Probably in the Druzhba store, as I think now. Here I lay, spotted, at home and enjoyed a new book.
I am surprised myself, but the dust cover of the book is my own, it has been preserved quite decently. So - "Tales of the Brothers Grimm, ARTIA, 1963 with illustrations by I. Trnka.
I was terribly happy with the book. The only thing that upset me then was the ridiculous illustrations for the fairy tales of the artist, whose name the language refused to pronounce. Well, I didn't like them at all. Now I can examine them, admire them, see this magic and appreciate their real fabulousness, festivity, but then ... It seemed to me that it was terribly funny - to draw like that. I did not understand them, and yet I was fascinated. Now I can formulate: Trnka showed me that you can look at the world this way, draw in a completely different way, almost caricatured, boldly combine colors - in short, be free and ironic in the image.
I like this book weight, its thick paper, large print and a huge number of illustrations - both color and black and white.
Here is the drawing on the flyleaf.
This is one of my favorite illustrations for Little Red Riding Hood.
It took me a long time to get used to these "Breminskys" after that Leipzig folding bed.
Well, and also fabulous, mysterious ...
