“Vilfridr soon felt the pangs of the tightening belt, and after suffering dreadful tortures and agonies, was found in a death-swoon by the dwarfs, when they came home.”[1]
“When she awoke, she asked where the dwarfs were. Of this the king knew nothing. He now walked, at Vilfridr’s request, a little way along the shore with her, till they came to the place where the dwarfs were. But alas! they were both dead…”[2]
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” ~ John 15:13
“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds.” ~ 1 Peter 2:24
On Tuesday, I focused on Vilfridr’s disobedience, and how it was very similar to the Israelites’ behavior towards God.
If we’re honest, it’s similar to our behavior towards God, too.
But what does God do in those situations? Why, the same thing the dwarves did: make it right again. The dwarves did the one thing that would save Vilfridr. Likewise, God did the one thing that would save us. It cost far more than mere gold. It cost the life of His One and Only Son.
And in the end, it would cost the dwarves’ lives as well…
The Dwarves’ Heroism
As in many of the Snow White tales, the third time is the charm, so to speak. Vala finds out Vilfridr has escaped once more, and is determined to kill her this time. She goes once more to Vilfridr, saying she has an heirloom belt, the “gem of the family,”[3] and wishes to give it to her. Vala claims she is sorry for all she’s done, and will “make good atonement” for it. To Vilfridr’s credit, she waits until evening – longer than the previous times – to let her mother in.
But let her in she does, and Vala has changed her spell. This time, the belt is “never to be loosened, till the king of Saxland try to undo it!”[4]
Vilfridr has just enough time to tell the dwarves the spell, and they immediately leap into action. They knew the king of Saxland was sailing, and so they “took each forth a pipe” and “blew so violently that a storm arose, and the sea became greatly agitated.”[5] The king of Saxland sought shelter where Vilfridr was, and, upon finding her, loosened her belt. (I like to think it was because she clearly wasn’t breathing and her belt was clearly too tight…). Vilfridr awakes and asks for her saviors, the dwarves.
As the story says: alas, it was too late. They had blown their pipes so hard that they had died.
But their death was Vilfridr’s salvation. Without the death of the kind and powerful dwarves, Vilfridr would have been dead. They gave her the chance to live after death.
Better than the Dwarves
Just as the dwarves displayed the greatest love for Vilfridr, Jesus displayed the greatest love for us by laying down his life for us. Just as the dwarves bore the penalty for Vilfridr’s foolishness by dying, so, too, Jesus bore the penalty for our sinfulness by dying on the cross. Without the death of our kind and powerful Savior, we would have been dead in our sins.
The difference, of course, is that Jesus not only died, but rose again. He defeated death, and thus there is no danger that can touch us after we die – not even the grave.
That does not mean, however, that our lives on this earth will be free of trials. In fact, it often means the Enemy will intensify his threats…
Sources
[1] Heidi Anne Heiner, “Vilfridr Fairer-Than-Vala,” Sleeping Beauties, 197.
[2] Ibid., 198.
[3] Ibid., 197.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid., 198.
