Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty is a fairy tale about a princess who pricks her finger on a poison spindle and falls into a death-like sleep to only be awakened by the kiss of a prince.

Fast Facts

1. Genre: Fairy Tale
2. Made popular by Charles Perrault
3. Charles Perraults version published in 1697
4. Has been adapted to film, stage, ballet, opera
5. Made into a popular Walt Disney movie Sleeping Beauty
6. Several versions

Synopsis

In Sleeping Beauty, after trying for several years, the King and Queen finally give birth to a daughter. To celebrate, they invited some fairies to a party in hopes the fairies would bless their daughter with good things.

An old fairy, they presumed to be dead, showed up at their party and was upset she was not invited. As the fairies gave the princess their blessings the old fairy stood in line waiting to do the same. Only, instead of a blessing she placed a curse on the princess that she would prick her finger and die. One of the other fairies quickly changed the curse that the princess would fall asleep for 100 years instead of die.

When the King and Queen heard this they ordered all the spindles to be removed from the castle. All went well until the princess reached the age of 16. The princess wandered upon a woman spinning and asked what she was doing. The princess managed to prick her finger and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Sleeping Beauty History

"Sleeping Beauty's earliest influence apparently comes from "Perceforest," a French romance first printed in 1528. While not a Sleeping Beauty tale, Perceforest (1528) contains many elements similar to the later Sleeping Beauty tales."

"The next known version of the tale came from Giambattista Basile's "Sun, Moon, and Talia" also known more formally as Il Pentamerone, Day 5, Tale 5 (1636)."

"After Perrault, the Grimms wrote down "Briar Rose" for their own collection of tales. This version is the tamest and does not involve any of the cannibalism, adultery or rape that is found in some of the earlier renditions." — SurLaLune Fairy Tales

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