Where does the real Snow White come from?
They are making a real big deal about his here for quite a while now. So here is again what was researched by a local pharmacist several years ago:
After looking into the fairytale’s details, he came away convinced that the Brothers Grimm had Lohr in mind when they published their story. They allegedly did some of their fairytale writing while staying at one of the local establishments.
The locals believe that snow white was a young baroness from Lohr named Maria Sophia Margaretha Catharina (Freifräulein von Erthal, born July 19th, 1729) who, in the mid-18th century, fought with a stepmother and eventually had to flee into the woods. You can even read up about it on wikipedia.
She was the daughter of Freiherrn Philipp Christoph von Erthal (1689 – 1748) and Maria Eva von Erthal. Her mother died young and her father remarried Claudia Elisabeth von Reichenstein.
Her father bought his new wife (also known as the evil stepmother) a mirror from the local mirror manufacturers that had an inscription that read “Elle brille à la lumière”, which means “she shines as bright as the light” or “she is as beautiful as the light”. (great now I want to sing “shine bright like a diamond”…wow I move from Eminem to Rihanna today LOL)
Isn’t it gorgeous? |
And to top things off the men who worked the mines in the surrounding hills were mostly of short stature. Do you think what I’m thinking? The seven dwarfs? But did you also know that they didn’t have any names in the original Grimm version. No names at all just numbers. The names came way later added by the movie industry and modern books. HERE is a fun little list where you can see all the names throughout time and even different numbers of dwarfs.
image via wikipedia |
I searched google everywhere for a painting of Maria Sophia Margaretha Catharina von Erthal but the only thing I found was a JPG named with her name on a spanish website and this is it:
image via |
She sure looks like a snow white, doesn’t she?
Unfortunately there isn’t any illustration of her in the museum either. Such a bummer 🙁
Well, lets say that the local people of Lohr love fantasizing about their very own Snow White fairy tale and my little daughter (of course) loves it.
Let me show you around the castle and museum. There isn’t much left of the way that snow white used to live but you can see a lot of history from the area.
Let me show you my kids favorite areas in the castle:
The other day we walked passed the castle and there was an approaching storm on the horizon. I was seriously searching for a witch on a broom to fly by 😉 |
When you enter you get to see the vintage/antique store that used to be still in business when my mom moved to Lohr as a young married woman. My kids love to look at it:
And in the basement which my kids think is super spooky they showcase an old black smith oven:
Old jail cell with all kinds of spooky items. |
They get so freaked out by the oil paintings of “ugly people whose eyes follow you everywhere you go” (how they phrase it)! |
My little snow white boy in the Snow White room! LOL |
What’s an old mirror manufacturing town without a silly fun house mirror. |
And some gorgeous local venetian style mirrors. |
And the scariest part, how children used to be punished in school. Yes kiddos that’s right…bend over and put your head through the wooden hole so the teacher can beet you with a stick. Their faces are priceless every year when they see this:
I wish there would be more Snow White items to look at but that’s about it. My kids love it and they don’t get tired of running through the castle every year once or twice.
I feel so out of touch with blogging right now because I don’t have much time to read other blogs and comment. I hope y’all understand. I’ll be back to my former self when I’m in my routine at home, ok?
We are planning on driving to the alps next week so I might post on Monday but won’t take my laptop with me when we go on our little trip. I’m not sure yet if we’ll have wifi at the hotel.
But y’all will be here when I get back, right?
I wish you all an awesome weekend.
Tschüß
2015 post
Switzerland: Lucerne, Küssnacht
Switzerland: Fürenalp Engelberg
Hope you have a fantastic time in the Alps! Loved this little folklore lesson today. My girls are so into the Disney princesses right now. Like, almost to the point of it being a sickness 🙂
My Lilly is too and it is a sickness LOL, I’m fighting her on having a princess room 😉
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This is so cool, such a neat little story. I love following along on all your vacation adventures! 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks!
Hey-ho, hey-ho, it’s off to Lohr we go…..(Oh how I wish!!) This, and Sleeping Beauty, were my all-time favorites. Sounds like y’all are having a ball! Enjoy! Hx 🙂
Haha, that’c cute. And yes we are.
What an interesting story…I had no idea that there was a real life inspiration for the Disney character! I have an old book that i picked up at the thrift shop of The Brother’s Grimm….Fin loves looking at the pictures and I find them super creepy…I’ll have to take another look through it though and see if there are any pictures of said castle!
We visited the town where the brother’s Grimm lived last year and I agree some of their original stories are creepy.
I don’t think that there is a picture of my hometown castle though.
I believe the pharmacist was right. 🙂 How fun. And have fun in the Alps! Like anyone has to be told that. lol
It’s nice to believe the pharmacist, right? And I think we will have fun!
WOW!!!!! this was so fun! i love hearing the backstory about the potentially real woman it was based on. after all, most fiction is loosely based on fact.
I love hearing about all of the history and stories too. I think that’s why I love historical fiction so much.
I thoroughly loved reading all the history about the writing and background of Snow White. It makes so much sense.
The mirrors are gorgeous!
Your trip next week sounds wonderful.
Thanks Patty. I hope that people aren’t getting sick of reading my posts because they miss the DIY stuff 😉
Fun, Fun! Wow, who knew she was based on a real woman. What a great story, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading and coming over Jane!
Your kids are getting so much history…what a huge blessing and so much fun!!! XO, Aimee
They are and they love it. Will you visit Germany with your kids/family one day?
I just discovered your blog today and I love it!
My oldest daughter, a junior in college, still loves Snow White. She is turning 20 tomorrow and when I asked her what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she replied “a princess one”! No kidding.
I have got to take my daughters to that castle the next time I am in Europe (I am originally from Belgium but have been in the states for 25 years).
Nice to meet you and I totally believe it. I love Snow White.
I have been in the States for 17 years now.
Me too and I love that the kids are into it too.
🙂 yes, of course we will be here when you come back Juila! 🙂 enjoy your vacation!
& love this tour you gave us and that red mirror that belonged to the ‘evil’ stepmother too!
wish you are having a great weekend 🙂
I do not think that image could be her, for the style of gown she is wearing is from the early 19th century, about the 1810-20’s so she would have been an elderly woman in that time period.
You might be right. The dress is what you call Biedermeier in Germany.