Richilde

Richilde turns Show White

When the Grimms wrote Schneewittchen (Snow White), they knew an earlier version (called Richilde) written by Karl August Musäus (1735-1787) – see underneath (it’s a long story) – but they omitted one of the main actors, a Jewish doctor, who was inherently pious and didn’t want to commit murder crime. 

Karl August Musäus. 

By User Manu on de.wikipedia - Originally from de.wikipedia; description page is (was) here17:16, 10. Okt 2004 Manu 200 x 276 (20.767 Byte), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=834914

Fairy Tale Richilde

The story is unbelievably lengthy with lots of side stories. But finally, Richilde becomes stepmother of a beautiful girl named Bianca who lives at one of the former places of Richilde's new husband. 

Now, Richilde was extraordinarily vain and for that she used a magical mirror that could prove that she was and still is the most beautiful - as in the later fairy tale the stepmother of Snow White would do.

Spiegel blink, Spiegel blank, 

Goldner Spiegel an der Wand, 

Zeig mir an die schönste Dirn in Brabant 

Mirror shiny, Mirror blank 

Golden mirror on the wall 

Show me who is the most beautiful maid in Brabant

In the course of the events (we know how long they are), Richilde uses the Jewish doctor Sambul to poison a Pomegranate that should be given to her beautiful stepdaughter Bianca – in exchange for 50 gold pieces –  which made the Jew happily strike his beard and comply with her request (or so it seems, but the Fairy Tale tells us later that he intentionally used only a strong narcotic substance for injection into one side of the pomegranate). And yes, Bianca survived the murder attack.

The poisonous soap is delivered

Furious about the Jew’s assumed incompetence, she demanded from him to make a poisonous soap that was to be delivered by a treacherous woman. But also this attempt failed, because the Jew had only used strong poppy tears. 

⁋ This time, the Jew was put in custody (tower), chained and severely punished: his beard was pulled off hair by hair and his ears cut off. 

At this point the story tells us:  though the doctor Sambul was in principle a pious Israelite who did not take pleasure in any mischievous work, except when the predilection for the noble metals sometimes stretched his narrow conscience a little bit.

Then he was ordered to prepare a poisoned letter. In order to save his life, he wanted to comply but Bianca’s protective angel fought with him heavily until he agreed to not to make a poisonous substance, but, as before, only a strong sedative. 

 

⁋ Not making a real poisonous substance meant that he was willing to endanger his live.            Then the letter was handed out to Bianca and she ‘died’.

Richilde, the stepmother, believed she was dead (thanks to the Jewish doctor). But Bianca was resurrected by a young pilgrim / knight who wanted to marry her, but before doing so he wanted to take revenge on Bianca’s stepmother. For this, he travelled to Richilde and pretended to be willing to marry her (to which she happily agreed).

Resurrection

Then, Richilde officially reinstated the doctor (without ears) for he may again proof valuable to get rid of her forthcoming new mother-in-law.  

She agreed to travel to her new home and after arriving she started to prepare the wedding, not knowing that she was tricked.  At the wedding day she was confronted with a story about a murderous woman and Richilde (in order to show deep embarrassment and circumvent any doubt that may fall on her)  she sentenced the fictitious mother to having to dance in heated-up iron shoes. Finally, her own murderous deeds were revealed and she was condemned to suffer the same punishment she had suggested.

So, she had to dance in heated-up iron shoes. After that ordeal, Sambul cooked a balm to sooth her pain.

Heating up the iron shoes

Richilde in the Tower

Bianca and her husband enjoyed their paradise-like marriage and rewarded Sambul because he did not kill her though he could have done. And because of this, he was also blessed by the heavenly realm. His off-springs blossomed. One of his descendants (the Jew Samuel Sambul) stood tall as a cedar in the house of Israel and served well the Mauritanian majesty, King of Morocco, and lived – with the exception of some bastinados on the soles of his feet, happily ever after.

… well, indeed a looong and convoluted story (not as nicely polished as the Grimm tales), wherein a Jew plays an important part. He is depicted to be skillful, not adverse to monetary rewards, but still with a conscience that could be awakened ot strengthened (if only by force), and  finally unwilling to commit murder even when his life was in danger. 

His descendants blossomed and one of them was well respected by the King of Morocco … but still it seems he needed some good bastinados on the soles of his feet from time to time !!!

Now, The Grimm Brothers knew this story, but when they transformed it into Snow White, they omitted the Jewish doctor. Nice move (or not)?

(Oh, sorry, have I forgotten to mention the dwarves? Oh dear, I’m afraid I left them out intentionally (to make a long story a little shorter).