Week 15 Story: The Huntsman
I spent my days wandering the woods, hunting for deer and boar. This was my livelihood, and with my rewards from my hunt, I provided for my lovely wife and young daughter. I dearly loved them both and did my best to care for them.
One day, one of the king's messengers sent for me. I obliged to come forth, though I questioned why he would summon such a common huntsman as myself. I later learned that the queen had summoned me to do away with her step-child. She loathed the child greatly, for the child had grown to so beautiful that the queen's beauty paled in comparison.
The queen bade me to lead her step-child, Snow-White, in the middle of the woods and take her heart out as a token of the treacherous deed. Now, I was reluctant at first, for I was unwilling to kill such a young and fair maiden. Still, the queen persisted, offering large amounts of gold and silver to me. Knowing that I should do well to support and care for my own family, I agreed to do her bidding.
So, I led the young child out to the woods and was set to put an end to her life. Alas, the young child fell upon her knees, weeping and begging for her life. Taken aback, I could not help but think of my own daughter back home. Oh, how could I hurt such an innocent soul! So, I agreed that Snow-White shall run off in the woods to never return, and I shall return to the queen.
As it happened, a young boar ran across the clearing. Seeing the opportunity, I killed the young boar and took its heart to the queen, bidding my condolences to the young child as she embarked into the woods. Upon receiving the heart, the queen bid farewell to me, showering with gifts of gold and silver as I made my departure. So, I lived out the rest of my days in leisure, with enough wealth to support my dearly beloved wife and daughter.
Author's Note: The original story of Snow-White tells of how the child is born to a queen, who died once Snow-White was born. Snow-White was quite fair and grew prettier and prettier with each passing year. Now, the king had married another woman, who was quite envious of other maidens' beauty. She desired to be the fairest in the land and would not have otherwise. When the queen learned that Snow-White was now the fairest of them all from her magic looking-glass, she had a huntsman carry Snow-White off to the woods to kill her. Alas, the huntsman took pity upon the poor child. Instead, the huntsman returned to the queen with the heart of a boar, and Snow-White escaped into the woods, never to return. For my rendition of the original story, I opted to retell the tale from the perspective of the huntsman. I think this breathes fresh life into the tale that most people have heard when they were children. Readers can now learn more about the huntsman's family and why he took pity upon Snow-White when he was tasked with killing her for her evil step-mother. His own daughter illustrates the empathy and love he has for his family, and his poor heart could not put an end to Snow-White. This rendition captures the love and pity that the huntsman feels as he embarks to do the queen's bidding. Alas, his heart could not follow through with the evil deed, and he tricks the queen with a boar's heart. I think readers will find this story to be a fresh take on a classic tale, allowing readers to view the story from an outsider to the main conflict.
Bibliography: Snow-White from Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886)
One day, one of the king's messengers sent for me. I obliged to come forth, though I questioned why he would summon such a common huntsman as myself. I later learned that the queen had summoned me to do away with her step-child. She loathed the child greatly, for the child had grown to so beautiful that the queen's beauty paled in comparison.
The queen bade me to lead her step-child, Snow-White, in the middle of the woods and take her heart out as a token of the treacherous deed. Now, I was reluctant at first, for I was unwilling to kill such a young and fair maiden. Still, the queen persisted, offering large amounts of gold and silver to me. Knowing that I should do well to support and care for my own family, I agreed to do her bidding.
So, I led the young child out to the woods and was set to put an end to her life. Alas, the young child fell upon her knees, weeping and begging for her life. Taken aback, I could not help but think of my own daughter back home. Oh, how could I hurt such an innocent soul! So, I agreed that Snow-White shall run off in the woods to never return, and I shall return to the queen.
As it happened, a young boar ran across the clearing. Seeing the opportunity, I killed the young boar and took its heart to the queen, bidding my condolences to the young child as she embarked into the woods. Upon receiving the heart, the queen bid farewell to me, showering with gifts of gold and silver as I made my departure. So, I lived out the rest of my days in leisure, with enough wealth to support my dearly beloved wife and daughter.
Disney's Huntsman from Snow-White - Courtesy of Disney Wiki - Fandom
Author's Note: The original story of Snow-White tells of how the child is born to a queen, who died once Snow-White was born. Snow-White was quite fair and grew prettier and prettier with each passing year. Now, the king had married another woman, who was quite envious of other maidens' beauty. She desired to be the fairest in the land and would not have otherwise. When the queen learned that Snow-White was now the fairest of them all from her magic looking-glass, she had a huntsman carry Snow-White off to the woods to kill her. Alas, the huntsman took pity upon the poor child. Instead, the huntsman returned to the queen with the heart of a boar, and Snow-White escaped into the woods, never to return. For my rendition of the original story, I opted to retell the tale from the perspective of the huntsman. I think this breathes fresh life into the tale that most people have heard when they were children. Readers can now learn more about the huntsman's family and why he took pity upon Snow-White when he was tasked with killing her for her evil step-mother. His own daughter illustrates the empathy and love he has for his family, and his poor heart could not put an end to Snow-White. This rendition captures the love and pity that the huntsman feels as he embarks to do the queen's bidding. Alas, his heart could not follow through with the evil deed, and he tricks the queen with a boar's heart. I think readers will find this story to be a fresh take on a classic tale, allowing readers to view the story from an outsider to the main conflict.
Bibliography: Snow-White from Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886)
This story brings back so many memories as a child. I loved Snow White, often thinking I was going to be a princess one day. What I enjoyed was how you made him think of his own child back home, because that was not originally told. I enjoyed how you ended his story right there too and gave it a happy ended. It astonished me when I was a child how cruel adults were, and I swore I didn't want to grow up. This story makes me wish I was still a kid and not an adult. I would have liked to have something more dramatic, and maybe a little more in detail from the beginning to have a better visualization on what was occurring through the process of him thinking he was going to take her heart to him killing a boar instead. I think it would have brought an extra experience to the story.
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie!
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a fresh new take on Snow White! I never really thought much about the huntsman, but I am glad you did! I would say that I might feel even more connected to the huntsman if you had given him a name along with his wife and daughter, so it could be cool to continue this and expand on the backstory of the huntsman's life and his family. However, this is a cool story by itself, so good job!
Hey Jackie!
ReplyDeleteAs an avid Disney fan I naturally gravitated to this specific retelling. I really enjoyed how you took the perspective of the huntsman as it was always a rather disregarded part at least in the Disney interpretation that it so popular. The inclusion of a backstory or character profile made him feel like a brand new character in the story.