The Evil Queen, also called the Wicked Queen or the Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White," a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm; similar stories exist worldwide. Other versions of the Queen appear in subsequent adaptations and continuations of the fairy tale, including novels and films. One particularly notable version is Disney's depiction, sometimes known as Queen Grimhilde. The character has also become an archetype that inspired unrelated works.
The Evil Queen with her mirror in an American illustration from 1913
The queen with her mirror, from 1921's My Favourite Book of Fairy Tales (illustrated by Jennie Harbour)
The Queen in disguise, offering lace to Snow White (a late 19th-century German illustration)
The Queen arrives at Snow White's wedding in a 1905 German illustration
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection Grimms' Fairy Tales, numbered as Tale 53. The original German title was Sneewittchen; the modern spelling is Schneewittchen. The Grimms completed their final revision of the story in 1854, which can be found in the 1857 version of Grimms' Fairy Tales.
Schneewittchen by Alexander Zick
The fable's antagonist the Evil Queen with the protagonist Snow White as depicted in The Sleeping Snow White by Hans Makart (1872)
1. The Queen asks the magic mirror
2. Snow White in the forest
