In the depth of winter, as snowflakes drifted down like feathers from the heavens, a queen sat by her ebony-framed window, sewing. A sudden prick of her needle drew blood—three drops, crimson against the white snow. The sight inspired her wish for a child “white as snow, red as blood, and black as ebony.” Thus begins the Brothers Grimm’s tale of Snow White. These three drops of blood, seemingly a fleeting detail, set the stage...
