Snow White

My name is Snezana, I grew up with this fairy tale and I have a desire to share the story with you.

The whole world knows the story of Snow White - a beauty, a prince, an evil stepmother, a poisonous apple, dwarfs… After the Disney film adaptation from 1937, this fairy tale beautified the childhoods of generations of children.The original story was probably written by the Brothers Grimm according to the fate of a real princess.

"Snow White" (also known as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" or "Snow White") is originally a German fairy tale. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection "Children's and domestic fairy tales". Since then, it has been changed several times to get the final version in 1854.

From then until today, many researchers have theorized about whether a fairy tale is based on real events, ie personalities. Today, the most accepted theory is that of the German historian Eckhard Sander, which he published in 1994 in the book "Snow White: Fairy Tale or Truth?"

The beauty perished as a victim of court intrigue

According to Sander, the character of Snow White is based on the character of Countess Margaret von Waldeck. Margaret was the daughter of Count Philip IV, born in 1533 and widely known for her beauty.

Margaret was just a girl when her father, a widower, remarried. Because of her disagreement with her stepmother, Margaret was sent to live in the small mining town of Waldeck in northwestern Germany.

When she was 16, Margaret's father sent her to Brussels, to the court of Mary of Hungary, who was the ruler of the Netherlands and the sister of the Spanish king and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V.

The beauty immediately attracted the attention of the courtiers and many fought for her affection, but she fell in love, no less and no more, than with the heir to the throne, Charles' son Prince Philip. Allegedly, he was not immune to the beautiful princess either, and a romance broke out between them soon after they met.

Unfortunately, the story did not have a happy ending. Margaret did not end up with the prince but died of a mysterious disease at the age of 21. Allegedly, she was poisoned and was the victim of court intrigues by someone who did not like the possibility of her becoming the queen of Spain.

Although this story has never been proven, one thing is for sure - there was no stepmother behind the conspiracy because in 1554, when Margaret died, she too was long dead!

There is another similarity with a fairy tale. Namely, in the mines run by her father, mostly children worked, so that could have been the inspiration for the dwarves mentioned in the fairy tale. As in the story, these children dug all day in the mines and lived in communal houses made especially for them.

Some "other Snow White"

Another historical figure is a possible inspiration for the fairy tale about Snezana - Maria Sofia von Ertal. She lived in Germany in the 18th century and was the daughter of the landowner Prince Philip Christopher von Erthal. After the death of her mother, the father remarried Countess Claudia Elizabeth Maria von Weningen. It was rumored that she could not stand her husband's children from her first marriage, and that she showed special intolerance towards Maria.

However, even if Marija was beautiful, there is no mention of that in historical sources today, and there is no record of how she died. Her grave was not found until 2019.

Whether Maria Sofia von Ertal was also buried in a glass coffin is a debatable question, but it is known that this girl really existed and that she served as the inspiration for the fairy tale about Snezana.

Her tombstone, which had disappeared, recently reappeared. The monastery in Bamberg has little preserved evidence of the life of Maria Sophia von Ertal, but her death was recorded in 1796. Her will is kept in the City Archives in Bamberg, a deceased in the University Library in Würzburg, and now a tombstone has been found in the house. the finder inherited.

The finder probably found on Google that the tombstone was dedicated to a woman who served as the inspiration for the fairy tale about Snow White - says Norbert Jung, the priest of the Archdiocese Cathedral in Bamberg.

It was then that he realized that the artifact was significant and donated it to the parish museum in Bamberg, where it is now on display. It is a dark gray oval marble slab with a few tiny white stars. It reads:

"Noble Christian heroine: after the victory of faith, she rests here ready for a brilliant resurrection."

The pharmacist connected the fairy tale with a historical figure

While sipping wine under the mirror, the pharmacist from Laura, Karl Heinz Bartels, invented the "Fairy Tale" in 1986. And that fits in perfectly, because there are certain parallels between the fairy tale about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the life of Maria Sophia von Ertal in Franconia.

Maria Sophia grew up not far from Laura on the Main in the Tauberbischofsjahm castle, which was the seat of the officials of the elected princes of the Holy Roman Empire of the German people in Mainz. Her father ran a mirror factory. When she was 18, he remarried, and that woman was known to be unjust and power-hungry. Marija Sofija was born in Špesart, a "dense forest", and "Vizener šrase" leads over seven hills from there.

Dwarfs used to work in the mines in that area, and in order to protect themselves from the stone, they wore clothes with hoods. Bartels interpreted the glass coffin and iron slippers, in which the evil stepmother had to play, as a reflection of the tradition of producing glass and iron hammers in the area.

Lor in the Main, meanwhile, presents itself as "Snow White City" and thus attracts tourists. At the Spessart Museum, visitors can see the famous mirror. The fact is that the Brothers Grimm lived only 70 kilometers away, at almost the same time as Maria Sofia von Ertal. Therefore, it is easily possible that she really inspired them.

Apart from this, there is another connection. Today, the castle is a museum, and everyone who visits it can see the famous "magic mirror". Mary's father bought it for his second wife and on his frame are still legible inscriptions - "Self-love" and "She is beautiful as light".

Sounds familiar?

Thank you for reading my stories and giving me your support. @Snezana28