The Evil Queen
Lady Grimhilde Malis, erstwhile known as The Evil Queen, was a vile and ambitious tyrant. She gained tremendous magical powers by selling herself body and soul to the evil spirits of the Harz Mountains. She went on to gain her royal position by marrying the widowed King, giving her rule over his kingdom following his death. As the realm's new queen, her every word was law, and all trembled in mortal fear of her wrath.
The vain Queen used her magic to make herself the most beautiful woman in the lands. She owned a magical mirror that she frequently gazed upon. She regularly asked this magical looking glass who is the fairest in the realm. ‘Magic Mirror on the wall,' she would query, 'who is the fairest one of all?’ And each time the mirror would reply that it was she. One day, however, the mirror stated that the fairest of the realm was now the young princess, the Queen’s stepdaughter, Snow White.
The Queen was sent into an envious rage. She dispatches her Huntsman to slay Snow White. Yet the Huntsman was taken by Snow White’s beauty and innocence and he chose to spare her, telling her of the threat and helping her to hide in the woods. Deep in this secluded forest, Snow White found refuge in a cottage and was cared for by seven kindly dwarves.
Ultimately discovering that she had been betrayed by her Huntsman, The Queen decided to kill Snow White herself. She created a poisoned apple that will put whoever eats it into a death-like sleep. This curse could only be broken by ‘love's first kiss,’ yet the Queen was certain Snow White would be buried alive before this could occur.
Using her magic to disguise herself as an old hag, the Queen traveled to the cottage while the dwarfs were away. The animals of the forest saw through the disguise, but were unable to warn Snow White; instead these animals rushed off to alert the dwarves. The Queen fooled Snow White into biting the apple, and she fell into a death-like slumber.
The dwarfs returned with the animals as the Queen was leaving the cottage. They gave chase and the Queen became trapped upon a cliff. She tried to roll a boulder to crush the dwarves but just then she was struck by lightning and fell from the cliff to her death.
Unwilling to bury her in the ground, the dwarves placed Snow White within a glass coffin and kept vigil over her along with the animals of the woods. Some time later, a handsome Prince discovered Snow White's fate and he visited her coffin. Saddened by her apparent death, he kissed her, which had the effect of breaking the spell and awakened her. The dwarves and animals all rejoiced as the prince took Snow White to his castle where together they ushered in a new era of peace and happiness.
Actress Lucille La Verne provided the voice for The Evil Queen, with the villainess first appearing in the 1937 Disney feature, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs.