Magic returned to ABC (or CTV for us in Canada) last Sunday, 30 Sept, after a summer hiatus from Storybrooke in Once Upon A Time (henceforth referred to as OUAT).
Now that all of Storybrooke remembers who they really are (i.e. fairytale characters or, as in the case with Emma and Henry, descendents of two of these well-known characters), it’s time to learn about why Snow White, or ‘Snow’, liked the name ‘Mary Margaret’ and came to be called Mary Margaret Blanchard in modern-day Storybrooke.
Perhaps many of you assumed it was just a catchy lovely noble-like name. According to The Dark Forest, it appears that OUAT (the writers, and Ginnifer Goodwin, who plays Snow / Mary Margaret) was aware of the two possible historical ‘Snow Whites’.
Margarete von Waldeck or Maria Sophia Margarethe von Erthal? Type in both names, and this portrait always appears (despite the fact that her costume dates back to the Regency era, at least 100-300 years after both Margaretes!)
Maria Sophia Margaretha Catherina von Erthal
(source: Snow White – Could she be Maria?)
- Born on 15 June 1729 in Lohr am Main, Bavaria
- Her father remarried in 1743, and her stepmother, Claudia Elisabeth von Erthal, was presented with a ‘talking’ mirror – an acoustic toy – made in Lohr as a wedding present. (The stepmother’s mirror is housed at what is now the Spessart Museum. See Deutsche Welle‘s article here.)
- “Presumably the hard reality of life for Maria Sophia under this woman was recast as a fairy story by the Brothers Grimm,” – Dr Bartels (Once upon a time, Snow White lived in Bavaria (independent.ie))
Margarete von Waldeck
(source: Snow White – Could She be Margarete?)
- Born in 1533 in Waldeck, Germany
- Her father was Count Philipp IV von Waldeck-Wildungen and her mother – Margarethe von Ostfriesland – died when her second daughter was only 4 years old. He then married Katharina von Hatzfeld.
- She moved to Brussels at 16/17 and captured the attention of Prince Philip, later to become Philip II of Spain.
- She became ill and eventually died in 1554 at age 21. People thought she’d been poisoned.
- Who poisoned her? It could not have been her stepmother, who’d died 8 years before, in 1546.
So what do you think? What became of Maria Sophia Margarethe? Who poisoned Margarete?
Either way, it seems both noble ladies’ tragic lives inspired the fairytale of Snow White, otherwise known in Germany as Schneewittchen.
SOURCES
- Snow White (wikipedia)
- Schloss Lohrer (wikipedia.de)
Related articles
- The Real Snow White: A 16th Century Countess? (andreacefalo.com)
The Lady and the Rose 
I NEVER once thought that Snow White was a real person…though I always longed for her pigmentation. So do these possible Snow Whites fall into the correct time frame as the style of the Disney dress she wore?
I tried to do a paper on the Grimms’ fairytales. These tales all came from somewhere! Looks they were born a century apart or so and the one in Disney is dressed in a 1940’s version of a [late?] 1490’s gown. 🙂
True that…Sleeping Beauty’s gown is the biggest anachronism though. It’s got that obviously 1950’s neckline.
Yes, that neckline is far too scandalous! Oh did you see my post on historical clothing & Disney princesses? https://ladyandtherose.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/setting-the-disney-princesses-in-the-correct-period/
I totally remember that one and being scandalized that there was only 1 princess in a tiara or any royal headgear for that matter.
I blame Princess Aurora for making me think that royals ought to wear tiaras or crowns all the time. Such a waste to have these lovely head ornaments sit in some fortress all the time!
I know! It keeps me up at night!
I think a royal member wrote a book on why royals don’t wear crowns/tiaras. Can’t remember who though!
Well, I know some of them weigh over 5 pounds, causing migraines, neck pain…but if they simply don’t WANT them…dibs! 😉
Haha, I love that. Yes, that’s why they’re trained to carry books on their heads. 😉
Speaking of which, I saw photos of girls in Liberia carrying water containers and sewing machines on their heads. Best postures ever! :O
God, my posture used to be flawless. I could do anything with Mom’s uni dictionary on my head.
What happened?! 😦
I used to have very good posture when I was younger. Then I returned to Canada and started slouching. BAD idea! ;(
Or maybe it’s the awkward body changes.
I definitely have better posture/am skinnier in Europe. It’s the walking. You can’t walk anywhere in North America. Last time we were in San Sebastien for a month, I had foix gras, cheese & 6 glasses of cava a night & still lost 7 pounds. Not a commentary on body complexes, a commentary on how dumb America is. Instead of a S. Sebastien diet it’s salads & sitting in a car. Ick!
I did notice that whenever I visited the States, I’d probably be lost without a car. I can’t drive and so far, everywhere I’ve lived (Vancouver and Kingston in Canada; Heidelberg and Munich in Germany) have been very transit accessible or walkable. I’m a walker so maybe that’s why I’ve stayed the same weight? Not to mention my high metabolism.
Would you move back to Europe? 🙂
in a heartbeat
What’s keeping you from going?
If life were that simple, We’d have never left!
Insufficient funds is keeping me from going back right now but I’m hoping that will change soon. 🙂
Sounds like our situation!