What if fairy tales are rooted in truth? Often, when something is so far-fetched or unbelievably perfect, we accuse it of being a fairy tale. So why not? When I began historical research for my time travel retelling of Snow White, I stumbled across a startling tidbit of information—the Grimm Brothers might not have made up the story of Snow White. Here is some of the surprising research I gathered before writing my novel (sources are included).
Snow White
Dwarves
Functioning copper mines scattered the area surrounding Margaretha's home, most of which were operated with child labor and owned by Margaretha's brother. Work conditions were horrible, and the hard labor often stunted the growth of the children so they never grew to full height, dwarfing them. (5.) It is supposed that the mine gasses also grayed their hair prematurely. The workers lived in small cottages that often housed up to thirty occupants at a time.
The Magic Mirror
In a neighboring kingdom of Lohr, was another princess, Maria Sophia Margaretha Catherina von Erthal. There is often some debate between the castles of Lohr and Waldeck about who was the true inspiration for the Snow White tale. I think it is likely the Grimm brothers drew from multiple fantastical stories from the area to compile into their fairy tale. After Maria's mother died and her father remarried, a large looking glass was given to her step-mother as a gift. The mirror still stands in the Lohr Schloss where tourists are told of the connection to the Snow White fairy tale. (6.) The high-quality glassworks of the area were known to be so clear that they "only spoke the truth" and contained little aphorisms in the upper left corner meant to inspire self-love.
Poisoned Apples
There are records of a man in the village of Wildungen who became fed up with local thieves and began handing out poisoned apples to the children he suspected were stealing from him. (7.) The man was later arrested and his crime became well known in the area.
These were just some of the real-life historical elements that I found while researching for my novel, Shattered Snow. The main thing that inspired me was how the Grimm brothers weren't satisfied with Margaretha's sad tale, and immortalized her happily ever after with a new ending. It inspired me to write an alternative history of my own.
Shattered Snow is a time-travel retelling of Snow White, based on the real-life history of Margaretha von Waldeck.
"Charming, addictive, and sets the bar for all fairytale retellings." -Readers' Favorite Five Star Read
"A beautiful reimagining filled with engaging new characters and fresh new ideas. Literary escapism achieved!" -Brian Crosby, Creative Director of Marvel Themed Entertainment.
A magic mirror could change her destiny.
Margaretha von Waldeck is a young German countess who desires nothing more than to honor her father and live up to her step-mother's expectations. But, when she discovers a mysterious mirror in the woods that transforms her world into shadows and ice, her future shatters.
Keltson Grammar is a time traveling vigilante who doesn’t mind breaking a few international laws. Hiding behind mirrors, he rescues unfortunate souls in the past and leads them to happier endings. When he sends his newest assistant to save a young countess from being poisoned, a single misstep sets a huntsman on his trail.
If Keltson is discovered, Margaretha's story will be reset to its original dismal fate, and Keltson’s future will end permanently behind bars.
★2019 Swoony Award Winner: Best Fairytale Retelling Romance ★2019 Whitney Award Finalist: YA Speculative Fiction ★Deep Magic Ezine highlighted novel, Fall 2019
Sources:
1. Schneewittchen: blonde Tochter einer Adligen aus Ostfriesland: Eine historische Spurensuche BoD 2013, Dekker, p. 33.
3. Grudrun Anne Dekker, Schneewittchen: blonde Tochter einer Adligen aus Ostfriesland: Eine historische Spurensuche, BoD 2013. Dekker, pp. 31-32
4. Schneewittchen: blonde Tochter einer Adligen aus Ostfriesland: Eine historische Spurensuche BoD 2013, Dekker, p. 40
5. Schneewittchen: Marchen oder Wahrheit?, Sanders
6. Werner Loibl, Die kurmainzische Spiegelmanufaktur Lohr am Main in der Zeit Kurfürst Lothar Franz von Schönborn (1698-1729), p.277f, in the catalogue: Glück und Glas, Zur Kulturgeschichte des Spessarts, Munich, 1984; Loibl is the foremost expert in the history of 17th and 18th-century glasshouses in Germany, according to Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk, formerly Curator of European Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY), since 2008 Director of the Hentrich Museum of Glass (Düsseldorf, Germany). Cf. now the history of the 17th- and 18th-century glasshouses in Lohr and in the Spessart written by Werner Loibl: Die kurmainzische Spiegelmanufaktur Lohr am Main (1698 - 1806) und die Nachfolgebetriebe im Spessart, 3 volumes, Aschaffenburg 2012, ISBN978-3-87965-118-4.
7. https://andreacefalo.com/2016/03/17/was-the-real-snow-white-a-16th-century-countess/