The Royal Birth
A long time ago, there was a King and Queen who wished every day, “Oh, if only we had a child!” But no matter how long they hoped, their wish never came true.
One day, while the Queen was bathing in a stream, a friendly frog hopped onto the shore. The frog croaked, “Don’t worry! Before the year is over, you shall have a daughter!”
And just as the frog had promised, the Queen soon had a beautiful baby girl. The King was so overjoyed that he ordered a grand celebration! He invited all their family, friends, and even the Wise Women of the kingdom, who had the power to bestow blessings. There were thirteen Wise Women, but the King only had twelve golden plates for them to eat from, so one had to be left out of the feast.
A Gift of Hope
The feast was magnificent, filled with joy and celebration. As it drew to a close, the Wise Women began to give their magical gifts to the baby princess. One granted her virtue, another beauty, a third promised her wealth, and so it went on, each offering a gift more wonderful than the last.
But just as the eleventh Wise Woman made her blessing, the doors suddenly burst open, and in stormed the thirteenth Wise Woman. Furious that she hadn’t been invited, she didn’t greet anyone or waste a single glance. Instead, she pointed to the baby and shouted, “In her fifteenth year, the King’s daughter will prick her finger on a spindle and die!” With that, she spun around and left without another word.
The room fell silent in shock. But the twelfth Wise Woman, who had yet to give her blessing, stepped forward. She couldn’t undo the curse, but she could change it. “The princess will not die,” she said gently, “but she will fall into a deep sleep for one hundred years.”
Horrified by the curse, the King immediately ordered that every spindle in the kingdom be destroyed. As the years passed, the other blessings came true: the princess grew into a girl who was beautiful, kind, and wise, loved by everyone who knew her.
The Hidden Danger
On the day the princess turned fifteen, the King and Queen were away, leaving her alone in the grand palace. Curious and full of adventure, she wandered through different rooms, exploring every corner. Eventually, she came upon an old, spiraling staircase that led to a small door at the top of a tower. A rusty key was in the lock, and with a turn, the door creaked open. Inside, an old woman sat, spinning thread on a spindle.
“Good day, ma’am,” the princess greeted politely. “What are you doing?”
“I’m spinning,” replied the old woman with a nod.
Fascinated by the spindle, the princess asked, “What is this? It spins so wonderfully!” She reached out to try it herself, but the moment she touched it, the spell was fulfilled, and she pricked her finger.
A Kingdom Slumbers
As soon as the princess pricked her finger, she fell onto a nearby bed and drifted into a deep sleep. Instantly, the sleep spread across the entire palace. The King and Queen, who had just returned home, fell asleep in the grand hall, along with everyone in the court. The horses in the stable dozed off, the dogs in the yard curled up and slept, and even the pigeons on the roof stopped fluttering and slept. The flies on the walls became still, the fire on the hearth stopped crackling, and the roast meat on the spit stopped sizzling. Even the cook, who was about to scold the scullery boy, fell asleep mid-argument, letting him go free. The wind outside went silent, and not a single leaf on the trees near the castle stirred.
Around the castle, a thick hedge of thorns began to grow, and with each passing year, it grew taller and denser until it covered the entire castle, hiding it completely, not even showing the flag on the roof. The tale of the sleeping princess, now called “Briar Rose,” spread throughout the land, and many princes came to try and break through the thorny barrier. But the thorns held tightly together, like gripping hands, trapping the princes who tried to enter, and they met their end in the thicket.
The Prince’s Quest
After many, many years, a young prince came to the kingdom and overheard an old man talking about a mysterious thorn-hedge. Behind it, there was said to be a castle where a beautiful princess named Briar Rose had been asleep for a hundred years, along with the King, Queen, and everyone in the court. The old man also told the prince that countless other princes had tried to make their way through the hedge, but all had been trapped by the thorns and met a sad end.
The prince, however, was determined. “I’m not afraid,” he declared. “I will see the beautiful Briar Rose for myself.” Despite the old man’s warnings, the prince pressed on, undeterred.
By this time, a hundred years had just passed, and the day had come when Briar Rose would finally wake up. As the prince approached the thorny hedge, something amazing happened; the thorns transformed into large, beautiful flowers, parting gently to let him pass unharmed. Once he was through, they closed up behind him.
In the castle courtyard, the prince saw horses and hunting dogs lying fast asleep. Pigeons on the roof had tucked their heads under their wings, sleeping peacefully. Inside the castle, everything was frozen in time: the flies on the wall, the cook mid-action, reaching for the scullery boy, and the maid sitting beside a black hen she was about to pluck.
The Awakening
He ventured farther into the castle, where he found the grand hall filled with the entire court, all fast asleep. At the throne, the King and Queen lay peacefully as well. The silence was so complete that he could hear even the softest breath.
Finally, the prince reached the tower and opened the door to the small room where Briar Rose was sleeping. She was so beautiful that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Leaning down, he gently kissed her. In that very moment, Briar Rose opened her eyes and looked at him with a sweet smile.
Together, they walked back down the tower. As they did, the King, Queen, and the whole court began to wake up, blinking in surprise. In the courtyard, the horses stood and shook off their sleep, the hounds leapt up, wagging their tails, and the pigeons on the roof pulled their heads from under their wings, flying off into the sky. The flies on the wall began to buzz again, the fire in the kitchen blazed up, cooking the food, and the roast started sizzling once more. The cook, still in the middle of scolding the boy, gave him a playful smack, and the maid resumed plucking the chicken for dinner.
Soon after, Briar Rose and the prince were married in a grand celebration, and they lived happily ever after.