Snow White's flower

Fairy tales are full of twists and turns, woven with glistening folklore and earthly wisdom. I shall focus on the main plant featured in another favourite fairy story. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is the subject today. There are many significant flowers involved, whether indirectly or symbolically. From the black ebony wood, to the dark forest, the main plant in the story is the apple. 

This apple was poisoned by the wicked queen, who wanted to kill Snow-White. Such poisoned apples are not unknown, but apples appear in many old myths and legends. From the golden apples in Greek and Norse myths that prolong life, to the apple in the Garden of Eden containing knowledge that changed humanity forever, and of doom in the Judgement of Paris that set off the devastating Trojan War. 

A poisoned apple was meant to kill Snow White but it actually changed her story. Her collapse and deathlike sleep caused a prince to find her and wake her up. The poison apple appears in an Arthurian tale that resulted in the death of a knight. 

In history, poisoned apples were once thought to be rumours of various people trying to kill someone. During the 18th century, "poisoned apples" was the name used to call contaminated tomatoes,  covered in lead. Few people really died from a poisonous apple and they were in the 20th century. 

Can apples be poisonous naturally? Yes. Within apples are pips that are full of cyanide, as is widely believed. Inside an apple pip are tiny amounts of amygdalin that could result in becoming cyanide. If the pips are crushed or eaten by chewing, it releases cyanide in just a low amount. It's understood you need to eat 100 apple pips at once to become poisoned. In Snow White's case, she was restored by the kiss of a prince and was reborn. 

Storm Valkyrie