Evil Queen
| The Evil Queen | |
|---|---|
| Snow White character | |
The Evil Queen with her mirror in an American illustration from 1913 | |
| First appearance | Grimms' Fairy Tales (1812) |
| Created by | The Brothers Grimm (adapted from pre-existing fairy tales) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Queen consort, witch (secretly) |
| Spouse | King (unnamed) |
| Children | Snow White (daughter in the original version, stepdaughter since the 1819 revision) |
The Evil Queen (German: böse Königin), also called the Wicked Queen or simply the Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. In the Grimm's story, the Queen is Snow White's stepmother obsessed with being "the fairest in the land". When the Queen's magic mirror reveals that the young princess Snow White is considered more beautiful than her, the Queen decides to kill Snow White using witchcraft. When this attempt fails, Snow White is rescued and the Queen is executed for her crimes. A stock character of this type also appears in a number of other fairy tales and legends.
The Grimms' tale is didactic, meant as a warning to young children against the dangers of narcissism, pride, and hubris, and demonstrates a triumph of good over evil. In some revisions, however, the Queen has been reworked or portrayed more sympathetically, serving as the protagonist, antihero, or tragic hero. Her many variants in adaptations notably include the Disney version.