Snow White is a character from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (originally "Schneewittchen" or "Schneeweissen"), one of the folk tales collected and published by The Brothers Grimm in the early 19th century. In the story she is a king's daughter, a seven year-old whose natural beauty drives her jealous step-mother to attempted murder. The vain queen learns from a magic mirror that little Snow White outranks her as the "fairest in the land."

The queen orders her huntsman to kill Snow White in the woods and return with the girl's liver and lungs (in later versions, her heart). Snow White escapes and finds refuge in the home of a group of dwarf miners. While the dwarfs are away at the mines, Snow White is visited by the evil queen in disguise. The queen tries to kill Snow White in three attempts, finally succeeding with a poisoned apple. But Snow White isn't quite dead and the dwarfs stick her in a glass coffin and hold a constant vigil...for years, apparently: when she is resurrected by a handsome prince she is old enough to marry him. At their wedding the evil queen is punished by being forced to dance to death in hot iron slippers. The most popular re-telling of this German folk tale is the Walt Disney animated version, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), in which Snow White is a young woman and the dwarfs have names: Doc, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, Dopey, Grumpy and Sneezy.

Margarete von Waldeck (1533-1554)
The story of Snow White may have been intertwined with those of some historical figures. Scholars have uncovered parallels between the legendary Snow White and Margarete von Waldeck (1533-1554). Like Snow White, Margarete was a strikingly attractive young woman. Like Snow White she had a problematic relationship with her stepmother. She grew up in the mining town of Waldeck where small children known as dwarfs worked in the mines. At 16, Margarete moved to Brussels. There, she attracted the romantic interest of several nobles, including Phillip II of Spain. Phillip II hoped to marry her because she was beautiful, but she became ill as a result of poisoning. Ruthless politics were a part of medieval court, where marriage to a powerful personage was often viewed as a way for a clan to gain allies to the detriment of rivals. Margarete died at the age of 21. The handwriting of her will, written shortly before her death, shows evidence of tremor. The perpetrator was never exposed but it could not have been her stepmother, who was already dead at the time. The poignant tale of a beautiful young woman whose life was cut short may have captured the popular imagination and provided inspiration for the folktale.