Friday, December 3, 2010

Fairy Tale Fridays: Snow White and Rose Red

Special Thanks to my Personal Faery Friend for the Button Art: Ye Olde Faery Shoppe 

This week's selection for Fairy Tale Fridays is a classic that may be a little more well-known than some of our recent selections . . . Snow White and Rose Red.  Considering the classic, many may already know of Snow White, but this tale is a different one.  She does not lose her mother.  She does not eat a poison apple.  She does have a loving sister.  And, she does live happily both at the beginning and the end of the story!

For a quick summary . . . Meet Snow White, a calm and gentle girl, and her sister Rose Red, a free spirit that is the perfect balance to her sister.  They live happily in a quiet cottage with their widowed mother.  One winter night, a guest appears to warm upon their hearth.  He is so well-loved and accepted by the girls that he continues to visit every night at the same time until the spring.  Once the warm weather arrives, he must leave to tend to other business and we then move to the girls meeting another important character . . . a dwarf.  The dwarf is discovered by the girls in a time of need, and the girls being helpful and polite, assist the pitiful man.  Two more times the sisters come upon the dwarf in a bit of pickle and each time they help him with no questions asked.  Finally, on one evening, the special guest and the dwarf both appear, a secret is revealed, a spell is broken, and ever after is the result!

I remember this being another favorite story from my childhood and even as I read it again today, it brings back fond memories.  The Grimm Brothers do not elaborate on their violence, though it does exist in a subtle way.  There is no evil step mothers, no fathers without a backbone.  It is simply two sisters who live with their mother, all with a kind heart, willing to help those in need.  And, their good deeds pay off in the end.  It is simply a sweet tale that I will visit again and again!

Do you prefer this Snow White to the more main stream one (i.e., Disney version)?  Either way, what draws you to your preferred tale?

UPCOMING TALES:
Friday, December 10th:  The Snow Man by Hans Christian Andersen
Friday, December 17th:  The Elves by The Brothers Grimm
Friday, December 24th:  The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

3 comments:

  1. I didn't really think much about "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" tale when I was reading this one. They seem to have so little in common besides the name so it was easy for me to think of them as separate stories. I think I like this one better for its sweetness and elegant simplicity although the dwarves in the Disney version are much more endearing. ;)

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  2. I actually hadn't read this one before. Honestly I'm a big Snow White fan, either of them.

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  3. lisa :) . . . Isn't it such a sweet little tale?!? I just love it! But, I do have to agree about the dwarves in the Disney version! MUCH more endearing! :)

    carolsnotebook . . . I am so glad that you were able to discover this one then, being a fan of Snow White! :) I can't wait to read your post about it!

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