SNOW WHITE ALTERNATIVE TEXTS

Confirmations and Alternatives to the phrase "Mirror, mirror upon the wall,"

Compiled by: Kay E. Vandergrift

This page provides alternative or confirming translations and interpretations of the above phrase in thirty-six text versions. The various editions used are listed chronologically. For the convenience of the English reader, German editions have not been included although they have been consulted. Since most picture books do not include pagination, I have counted the pages from the beginning picture and/or text to facilitate finding the appropriate passage. The various spellings of particular words that appear in the texts have been retained; these are not misspellings but reflect textual accuracy.

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

  1. Note that the mirror sequence takes on different linguistic patterns. How do these differences alter our responses to the tale?
  2. Examine various picture book versions for conflicts between the visual and textual descriptions of the mirror?
  3. Does the inclusion of the concept "magical" regarding the mirror add anything to our understanding?
  4. Does the mirror have a voice? Are you aware of other stories in which this convention is used?
  5. Does the phrase "she stood before" evoke judgment?
  6. Is the mirror that speaks only the truth similar to any other object in traditional tales?
  7. How is "beauty" used as a key element in the story?
  8. Is Snow White an "empty" beauty?
  9. Given the age of Snow White in several versions, is "age" or "aging" a key element?
  10. Does the substitution of water, a trout, or the moon for the mirror alter the impact of this aspect of the story?

Household Stories from the Collection of the Bros. Grimm. Translated by Lucy Crane. Illus. by Walter Crane. London: Macmillan, 1882, pp. 212--221.

"She had a magic looking-glass, and she used to stand before it, and look in it, and say,

"Looking-glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?" p.213.


"Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree," in Celtic Fairy Tales. Written and Edited by Joseph Jacobs. Illus. by John D. Batten. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, n.d. [c. 1892] pp. 97-101.

"On a certain day of the days, Gold-tree and Silver-tree went to a glen, where there was a well, and in it there was a trout.
Said Silver-tree, "Troutie, bonny little fellow, am I not the most beautiful queen in the world?" p. 97.

Favorite Fairy Tales: The Childhood Choice of Representative Men and Women. Illus. by Peter Newell. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1907, pp. 173-192.

"She had a wonderful mirror, and whenever she walked up to it, and looked at herself in it, she said:

Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest among us all?" p.174.


The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Translated by Mrs. Edgar Lucas. Illus. by Arthur Rackham. London: Constable & Co., 1909, pp.161-170.

"She had a magic looking-glass, and when she stood before it and looked at herself she used to say:

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of us all?" p. 161


Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Illus. by Dinah. London: Raphael Tuck & Sons, [c. 1936] pp. 1-14.

"Each day she would consult her mirror.

Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" p. 1.


Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Freely Translated and Illustrated by Wanda Gag. New York: Coward-McCann, 1938, pp. 9-43.

"She had a mirror, a magic one, and when she looked in it she would say:

"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
Who's the fairest one of all?" p.10


Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Story adapted by Jane Werner. Illus. by the Walt Disney Studio adapted by Campbell Grant. Racine, WI: Golden Press, 1952, pp. 1-20.

"Now the Queen's most prized possession was a magic mirror. Every day she looked into it and asked:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of us all?" p.3.


Snow White And Other Stories From Grimm. Retold by Jeanne Cappe. Translated by Marie Ponsot. Illus. by J.L. Huens. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1957, pp. 3-18.

"She owned a magic mirror, and with great folly, asked it every day:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Am I not most fair of all?" p. 4.


"Nourie Hadig," in 100 Armenian Tales and Their Folkloristic Relevance. Collected and Edited by Susie Hoogasian-Villa. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1966, pp. 84-91.

"Every month when the moon appeared in the sky, the wife asked: "New moon, am I the most beautiful or are you?" p. 84.

"Myrsina, or Myrtle," in Folktales of Greece. Ed. by Georgios A. Megas. Translated by Helen Colaclides. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1970, pp. 106-113.

"Once upon a time there were three sisters who were orphans.
. . . One day they thought they would find out who was the best of the three. So, just as the sun was about to rise, they went onto a sun porch and stood, the three of them, in a row and said to the sun, "Sun on the sun porch, who is the best of us all?" pp. 106-107.

The Fairy Tale Treasury. Selected by Virginia Haviland. Illus. by Raymond Briggs. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1972, pp. 128-137.

" She had a magic looking-glass, and she used to stand before it, and look in it, and say,

"Looking-glass upon the wall.
Who is fairest of us all?" p. 128.


Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm. Translated by Randall Jarrell. Illus. by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1972, pp. 1-26.

"She had a wonderful mirror, and when she stood in front of it and looked in it and said:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?" p. 3.


The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm: Selected by Lore Segal and Maurice Sendak. Translated by Lore Segal with four tales translated by Randall Jarrell. Illus. by Maurice Sendak. 2 Volumes. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973, pp. 256-274.
[The translation of "Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs," is that of Randall Jarrell first published in The Golden Bird and Other Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm New York: Macmillan, 1962.]

"She had a wonderful mirror, and when she stood in front of it and looked in it and said:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?" p. 257.


The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights. Alexander Pushkin. Translated by Peter Tempest. Illus. by V. Konashevich. Moscow, USSR: Progress Publishers, 1973.
"In her dowry rich and vast
Was a little looking-glass.
It had this unique distinction:
It could speak with perfect diction.
Only with this glass would see
In a pleasant humour be.
Many times a day she'd greet it
And coquettishly entreat it:
Tell me, pretty looking-glass,
Nothing but the truth, I ask:
Who in all the world is fairest
And has the beauty of the rarest?" p. 5.

Snow White By the Brothers Grimm. Freely Translated from the German by Paul Heins. Illus. by Trina Schart Hyman. Boston, MA: Little Brown, 1974, pp. 1-43.

"She had a marvelous mirror, and she would stand before it and view herself, saying,

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is most beautiful in the land?" p.3.


The Classic Fairy Tales. Iona Opie and Peter Opie. London: Oxford University Press, 1974, pp. 175-182.

"She had a magical looking-glass, to which she used to go and gaze upon herself in it, and say,

"Tell me, glass, tell me true!
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is the fairest? Tell me who?" p. 177.


Grimms' Tales for Young and Old: The Complete Stories. Translated by Ralph Manheim. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977, pp. 184-191. [Translated from the Winkler-Verlag (Munich) edition of the Complete Kinder- und Hausmaerchen (Tales for Young and Old) by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, as first published in 1819.]

"She had a magic mirror, and when she went up to it and looked at herself, she said:

"Mirror, Mirror, here I stand.
Who is the fairest in the land?" p.183.


"Bella Venezia" [Abruzzo] in Italian Folktales. Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino. Translated by George Martin. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980, pp. 395-398.

"The innkeeper's name was Bella Venezia, and while travelers sat at the table, she would strike up a conversation. "What town do you come from?"
"From Milan."
"Did you ever see any woman in Milan lovelier than I am?" p. 395.

"Giricoccola," [Bologna] in Italian Folktales. Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino. Translated by George Martin. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980, pp. 154-156.

"After dinner they all three sat down by the window to spin. People passing by and glancing at the girls always stared at the youngest. That night the moon rose and looked in the window, saying:
"Lovely is the one with gold,
Lovelier still is the one with silver,
But the one with silk surpasses them both.
Good night, lovely girls and ugly girls alike." p. 154.

Best-Loved Folktales of the World. Selected by Joanna Cole. Illus. by Jill Karla Schwarz. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982, pp. 53-61.

"She had a magic looking glass, and she used to stand before it, and look in it, and say:

"Looking glass upon the wall,
Who is the fairest of us all?" p.54.


Favorite Tales from Grimm. Text retold by Nancy Garden. Illus. by Mercer Mayer. New York: Four Winds Press, 1982, pp. 5-19.

"Every morning the queen stood in front of her magic mirror and said:

"Looking glass upon my wall,
Who is the fairest one of all?" p. 5.


Snow White. Adapted from the Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm. Illus. by Bernadette Watts. Winchester, MA: Nord-Sud/Faber & Faber, 1983. pp. 1-25.

"She owned a magic mirror and whenever she stood before it and asked:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?" p. 1.


My Pop-Up Book of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Illus. by Anne Grahame Johnstone. London: Deans International, 1983, pp. 1-10.

"She had a magic mirror into which she looked often and asked.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
who is the fairest one of all?" p. 1


The Brothers Grimm Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Translated and adapted by Anthea Bell. Illus. by Chihiro Iwasaki. New York: Picture Book Studio, USA., 1984, pp 1-38.

"She had a magic mirror, and when she went to look in this mirror she would say:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?" p. 9.


Snow White in New York. Fiona French. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986, pp. 1-30.

"She liked to see herself in the New York Mirror." p. 4.

Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Based on Walt Disney's full-length animated classic. Adapted by Suzanne Weyn. New York: Scholastic, 1987. [original copyright 1937] paperback, pp. 1-73.

"In the chamber stood a Magic Mirror. When the Queen entered the room she walked up to the Mirror and gazed into it, admiring her own great beauty.. . .

"Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" pp. 1-2.


The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: Volume I Tales I-100. Translated by Jack Zipes. Illus. by John B. Gruelle. New York: Bantam, 1987, pp.213-222. [The present translation is based in part on the first of the Kinder- und Hausmaerchen published in two volumes in 1812 and 1815. The first 211 tales in this translation are based on the seventh and final edition published in 1857. Illustrations by John B. Gruelle first appeared in Grimm's Fairy Tales, translated by Margaret Hunt in 1914.]

"She had a magic mirror and often she stood in front of it, looked at herself, and said:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
who in this realm is the fairest of all?" p. 213.


The Child's Fairy Tale Book. Illus. by Kay Chorao. New York: Dutton, 1990, pp. 6-19.

"Every day the new queen stood before her mirror and said,
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is fairest of us all?" p. 7.

Snow White. Retold by Josephine Poole. Illus. by Angela Barrett. New York: Knopf, 1991, pp. 1-30.

"Now, this queen had a magic mirror, which hung on her bedroom wall. Sometimes, when she was alone, she would unveil it and look at herself . . . After that she would whisper into the glass, sweetly, pleasantly,

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of us all?" p. 3


Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. Retold by Jennifer Greenway. Illus. by Erin Augenstine. Kansas City, MS: Ariel Books, 1991.

"Now this queen had a magic mirror and whenever she looked into it, she would say:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who's the fairest of them all?" p. 11.


Favorite Fairy Tales. Compiled by Cooper Edens and Harold Darling. San Francisco, CA: Blue Lantern Studio/Chronicle Books, 1991, pp. 30-37.

"She had a magical mirror, and whenever she walked up to it to look at herself, she said:

"Little glass upon the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?" p. 31


Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Adapted from the Film by Jim Razzi. Illus. by Fernando Guell and Fred Martin. New York: Disney Press, 1993.

"In a dark and foreboding part of the castle, the queen kept a magic mirror. And every day she would stand before the ornate mirror and chant,

"Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" p. 1


The Rainbow Fairy Book: Classic Fairy Tales. Ed. by Andrew Lang. Illus. by Michael Hague. New York: Books of Wonder/Morrow, 1993, pp. 207-221.

"She possessed a magic mirror, and when she used to stand before it gazing at her own reflection and ask:

"Mirror, mirror, hanging there,
Who in all the land's most fair?" p.207.


Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life & Times. James Finn Garner. New York: Macmillan, 1994, pp. 43-56.

"The queen's prized possession was a magic mirror . . . Physical beauty was the one standard she cared about now, and she defined herself solely in regard to her personal appearance. So every morning the queen would ask her mirror:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who's the fairest one of all? p. 44


Rimonah of the Flashing Sword: A North African Tale. Adapted by Eric A. Kimmel. Illus. by Omar Rayyan. New York: Holiday House, 1995.

"Now the queen possessed several magic treasures which she kept hidden in a tower room. Her favorite was a porcelain bowl. Whenever the queen filled the bowl with water, a face appeared that answered any question she asked it. One night the queen filled the magic bowl and asked,
"Who is the fairest?" p. 4.

Snow White: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm. Illus. by Charles Santore. New York: Park Lane Press, 1996, pp. 1-44.

"She had a magic mirror, and when she stood before it gazing at her own reflection she would ask:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?" p.3.

To send mail to Kay E. Vandergrift
Created January 6, 1997 and is continuously revised