Shraga – the magic mirror from Funny Fairy Tales and Evans Witches
A magical mirror who believes he is the true mirror from Snow White and likes to tell Funny Fairy Tales. Shraga appears in all six books of the Evans Witches series.
Dragon Fire, Chapter 6:
Shraga was a funny kind of creature. He was somehow convinced that he was the mirror from Snow White. He loved to tell us fairy tales, and got all of them wrong, but humorous.
Forbidden Road, Chapter 13:
“That’s why the queen was so angry. Because I kept telling her that she wasn’t any prettier than the ugly Snow White.”
The kids laughed.
and…
Shraga in Snow White
A long time ago, in a faraway land, there lived a mirror named Shraga.
Shraga was a happy mirror.
His keeper was a happy old magician.
The two of them lived on top of a high mountain and enjoyed the fresh morning air and the beauty of the sunrise. The magician also had an assistant named Anagrola.
Anagrola came from another land, with the ambition of becoming a great sorceress. She didn’t understand how anyone could live happily on the top of that lonely mountain.
“How is it that you two are so well?” Anagrola would ask.
“We have everything we want right here.”
“What about beauty? What about gold? What about power and prestige?”
“What about them?” the magician would ask.
Anagrola liked to ask a lot of questions.
The magician was happy to answer and eager to teach.
Shraga hated her.
That’s because Anagrola’s favorite question was: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
“How many times have I told you to call me Shraga?”
She was very young and very concerned with her looks. There were no Botox treatments at the time, so at least this concern did not cost her a lot of money.
But still, she was very concerned.
The magician saw the sadness in her eyes and tried to help her. “What if I married you to a widowed king, who could give you everything you want and admire your beauty?”
“That would be great!” said Shraga.
“I accept,” said Anagrola.
Shraga was very happy.
“And I want Shraga to come with me.”
“What?!” cried Shraga. “Why?”
“Because you think I’m the fairest of them all.”
“What? No! I never said that.”
“You never denied it.”
“That doesn’t mean anything!”
“I will marry the king if I can have Shraga.”
The magician tried to calm her down and offer her his apothecary table, or his collection of magic stones as a wedding present.
Anagrola was set on having Shraga.
“My dear, I’m not very keen to part with my friend, and it would seem that he is not keen to go either.”
“I’m not!” said Shraga.
“The winds here are very strong. Shraga might fall and break. He would be much safer in a palace.”
Shraga looked at the magician with sad puppy eyes.
“Perhaps we could get you a nice servant and a large mirror and you can talk to the servant while looking in the mirror, and the servant would tell you how beautiful you are. This works well for most queens, and most presidents.”
“But it won’t be the same.” Anagrola was very persistent. She was very concerned with her looks.
“Well, I suppose we could agree to a trial period.”
Shraga screamed, “No! Please, don’t let her take me. I never said she was the prettiest. Please!”
“Are you saying I’m not???”
“No, I’m not saying anything!”
“Then I am!”
“Help me. She’s insane!”
In the end, the magician caved.
Shraga cried.
And Anagrola was married to a king and had Shraga with her.
She had a king to admire her but she didn’t feel pretty. The nights were long and boring, and Shraga was there.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
“My dearest queen,
you won’t delight,
To find you are not fairer
than Snow White.”
Snow White was the king’s ugly daughter from his first marriage.