The True Grisly Ending Of Snow White
Public DomainThe seven dwarfs grieve over Snow White in this 1852 illustration from an Icelandic translation of the fairy tale.
The Brothers Grimm version of “Little Snow-White” opens with the title character’s mother dying in childbirth. The 1937 Disney film starts later in the story, when Snow White is already a teenager, but the rest of the plot follows the original fairy tale rather faithfully until the evil queen orders her young stepdaughter’s death.
In the movie, the queen asks the huntsman to bring her Snow White’s heart as proof that he murdered her. In the book, she orders him to cut out the girl’s lungs and liver — so she can eat them.
Aside from two additional instances in which the queen tries to kill Snow White, the rest of the tale isn’t too different from the dark Disney story seen onscreen, at least not until the very end. The young princess falls into a deep sleep from a poisoned apple, and the prince rescues her.
But while the queen falls from a cliff in the movie, the Brothers Grimm give Snow White a more active role in her stepmother’s death:
“Then they put a pair of iron shoes into burning coals. They were brought forth with tongs and placed before her. She was forced to step into the red-hot shoes and dance until she fell down dead.”
After reading about the true origins of these dark Disney stories, look through vintage photos of Disneyland. Then, read about these popular and creepy legends that are actually true.
