"Snow White" is a German fairy tale known in many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. The German version features such elements as the magic mirror, the poisoned apple, the glass coffin, and the seven dwarfs, who were first given individual names in the Broadway play Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1912) and then given different names in Walt Disney's 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Grimm story, which is commonly referred to as "Snow White", should not be confused with the story of "Snow White and Rose Red", another fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.

Once upon a time, as a Queen sits sewing at her window, she pricks her finger on her needle and three drops of blood fall on the snow that had fallen on her ebony window frame. As she looks at the blood on the snow, she says to herself, "Oh, how I wish that I had a daughter that had skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony". Soon after that, the Queen gives birth to a baby girl who has skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony. They name her Snow White, and soon after, the Queen dies. The King takes a new wife, who is beautiful but also very vain. The new Queen possesses a mirror, an animate object that answers any question, to whom she often asks: "Magic mirror on the wall / Who is the fairest of them all?" The mirror always replies, "You, my Queen, are fairest of all." But, when Snow White reaches the age of seven, she becomes as beautiful as the day, and when the Queen asks her mirror, it responds: "Queen, you are full fair, it is true, but Snow White is fairer than you." In another version of the tale, the mirror simply replies: "Snow White is the fairest of them all."

The Queen becomes jealous and orders a huntsman to take Snow White into the woods to be killed. She demands as proof that Snow White is dead, he return with her lungs and liver (in other versions, it was her heart). The huntsman takes Snow White into the forest. After raising his knife, he finds himself unable to kill her as he has fallen deeply in love with her. Instead, he lets her go telling her to flee and hide from the Queen. He then brings the Queen the lungs and liver of a boar, which is prepared by the cook and eaten by the Queen.

In the forest, Snow White discovers a tiny cottage belonging to a group of seven Dwarfs, where she rests. There, the Dwarfs take pity on her, saying "If you will keep house for us, and cook, make beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want." They warn her to take care, to let no one in when they are away delving in the mountains. Meanwhile, the Queen asks her mirror once again, "Who is the fairest of them all?" She is horrified to learn that Snow White is not only alive and well, residing with Dwarfs, but is still the fairest of them all. The story continues from here.