Once upon a time in a far away land, a beautiful girl was born to the king and queen. Fairies from all over were invited for the celebrations. They brought with them special gifts and blessed the little princess so that she would become a clever, beautiful and a kind girl.

Just then, an old wicked fairy came to the palace and cursed the princess, On your sixteenth birthday you’ll touch a spindle and die, she screamed in the anger and vanished. Everybody was shocked.

A young fairy was called in the palace. She said,I can’t take the evil witch’s curse but I’ll try to help. When the princess will touch spindle she’ll not die but will instead fall into a deep sleep and will only be awakened with a kiss of a prince who loves her.

The king and the queen were so worried for their dear daughter that they ordered all the spinning wheels of the kingdom to be destroyed forever. However, unknown to them, one spinning wheel was still left.

As the years went by, the baby grew to be a lovely, charming young girl. On her sixteenth birthday, when she was roaming about the castle, she came upon a secret room at the very top of the castle towers. Curious, she wanted to help an old woman bent over a spinning wheel.

Oh! What is this?, she cried as she had never seen it before. She pleaded with the woman: «Please do let me try this as well. But the minute she touched the needle of the spindle, she fell to the ground. The witch’s spell come true.

With a heavy heart, the king ordered her to be taken to the grand room, where she would lie for many years. The whole kingdom was sad for the sleeping beauty. The youngest fairy watched all of this and she said with a wave of her hand.

Let the whole kingdom fall asleep with the princess so when is woken by her prince, she will not be alone. The moment she said all this, all the people and animals in the kingdom fell asleep where they were. Everything stopped.

As the years passed by, a thick forest grew around the palace and the kingdom was hidden. Exactly, hundred years later, a handsome prince was passing through the forest and he discovered the strange kingdom.

While exploring it, he was surprised to find the sleeping beauty lying fast asleep and immediately fell in love with her. I want to know who she is? How gentle and peaceful she looks!, he said. He leaned down and kissed her.

Instantly, the spell was lifted, the princess and all the people awoke. It was joy and celebration all around. The prince and princess were soon married and they lived happily ever after.

Once upon a time, in the days when there were fairies, a king and queen reigned in a country far away. Now this king and queen had plenty of money, plenty of fine clothes to wear, plenty of good things to eat and drink and a coach to ride out in every day. However, although they had been married many years, they had no children. This saddened them very much, as they dearly wanted a child.

One day, as the queen was walking by the side of the river at the bottom of the garden, she saw a poor little fish that had thrown itself out of the water and lay gasping and nearly dead on the bank. The queen took pity on the little fish and threw it back again into the river. Before it swam away, it raised its head out of the water and said “I know what your wish is and it shall come true, in return for your kindness to me — you will soon have a daughter.”

KIng and queen smiling at new baby girl. Background the queen is putting fish into water.

What the little fish had said soon happened and the queen had a little girl, so very beautiful, that the king could not stop looking at her he was so happy. He said he would throw a great party and show the child to all the land, so he asked his kinsmen, nobles, friends, and neighbours. But the queen said “I will have the fairies also, that they might be kind and good to our little daughter.”

Now there were thirteen fairies in the kingdom, but as the king and queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat out of, they were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her. So twelve fairies came, each with a high red cap on her head, red shoes with high heels on her feet and a long white wand in her hand. After the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess. One gave her goodness, another beauty, another riches, and so on till she had all that was good in the world.

Just as eleven of them had done blessing her, a great noise was heard in the courtyard and word was brought that the thirteenth fairy had come, with a black cap on her head, black shoes on her feet and a broomstick in her hand. She quickly came up into the dining-hall. Now, as she had not been asked to the feast she was very angry, scolded the king and queen very much and set to work to take her revenge. So she cried out “The king’s daughter shall, in her fifteenth year, be wounded by a spindle, and fall down dead.”

Disgruntled fairy dressed in black casts spell on Sleeping Beauty who is lying in cot. Anguished king and queen in background with other good fairies.

Then the twelfth of the friendly fairies, who had not yet given her gift, came forward, and said that the evil wish must be fulfilled, but that she could soften its mischief; so her gift was, that the king’s daughter, when the spindle wounded her, should not really die, but should only fall asleep for a hundred years.

However, the king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from the threatened evil, so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be bought up and burnt. But all the gifts of the first eleven fairies came true in the meantime, for the princess was so beautiful, well behaved, good and wise, that everyone who knew her loved her.

images of Sleeping beauty. One as toddler chasing a butterfly, one about 10 years old and then as about 16. Castle in background.

It happened that, on the very day she was fifteen years old, the king and queen were not at home and she was left alone in the palace. So she roved about by herself, and looked at all the rooms and chambers, until at last she came to an old tower, to which there was a narrow staircase ending with a little door. In the door there was a golden key, and when she turned it the door sprang open, and there sat an old lady spinning away very busily.

“Why how now, good mother,” said the princess, “what are you doing there?”

“Spinning,” said the old lady, nodding her head and humming a tune, while the wheel buzzed.

“How prettily that little thing turns round!” said the princess, who took the spindle and began to try and spin. But scarcely had she touched it before the fairy’s prophecy was fulfilled. The spindle wounded her and she fell down lifeless on the ground.

Sleeping Beauty pricking finger on spindle black fairy in background.

However, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a deep sleep. The king and the queen, who had just come home, and all their court, fell asleep too. The horses slept in the stables, the dogs in the court, the pigeons on the house-top and the very flies slept upon the walls. Even the fire on the hearth left off blazing and went to sleep and the spit that was turning about with a goose upon it for the king’s dinner stood still. The cook, who was at that moment pulling the kitchen-boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep. The butler, who was slyly tasting the ale, fell asleep with the jug at his lips. And thus everything stood still, and slept soundly.

A large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace and every year it became higher and thicker. At last, the old palace was surrounded and hidden, so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen. But there went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleeping princess, so that, from time to time, several kings’ sons came and tried to break through the thicket into the palace. This, however, none of them could ever do, for the thorns and bushes laid hold of them, as it were with hands and there they got stuck and could not escape.

After many, many years there came a king’s son into that land and an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns, how a beautiful palace stood behind it and how a wonderful princess lay in it asleep, with all her court. He told, too, how he had heard from his grandfather that many, many princes had come and had tried to break through the thicket, but that they had all stuck fast in it. Then the young prince said, “All this shall not frighten me; I will go and see this sleeping princess.” The old man tried to hinder him, but his mind was made up to go.

Now that very day the hundred years were ended and as the prince came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs. He got through them with ease and they shut in after him as thick as ever. Then he came at last to the palace and there in the court lay the dogs asleep. The horses were standing in the stables and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep, with their heads under their wings. And when he came into the palace, the flies were sleeping on the walls, the spit was standing still, the butler had the jug of ale at his lips, the maid sat with a chicken in her lap ready to be plucked and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand, as if she was going to beat the boy.

Handsome prince walking through palace on his way to find Sleeping Beauty with all the sleeping figures around frozen in position.
Then he went on still farther, and all was so still that he could hear every breath he drew. At last he came to the old tower and opened the door of the little room in which the princess was and there she lay, fast asleep on a couch by the window. She looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her, so he stooped down and gave her a kiss.

Handsome prince kissing Sleeping Beauty to wake her up.

But the moment he kissed her, she opened her eyes and awoke, smiled upon him and they went out together. Soon the king and queen also awoke and all the court and gazed on each other with great wonder. And the horses shook themselves, the dogs jumped up and barked, the pigeons took their heads from under their wings and looked about and flew into the fields, the flies on the walls buzzed again, the fire in the kitchen blazed up, round went the spit, with the goose for the king’s dinner upon it; the butler finished his drink of ale, the maid went on plucking the fowl and the cook gave the boy the box on his ear.

The prince and the princess were married, there was a tremendous wedding feast and they lived happily together for the rest of their lives.

Long ago there lived a King and Queen who said every day, «If only we had a child!» But for a long time they had none.

One day, as the Queen was bathing in a spring and dreaming of a child, a frog crept out of the water and said to her, «Your wish shall be fulfilled. Before a year has passed you shall bring a daughter into the world.»

And since frogs are such magical creatures, it was no surprise that before a year had passed the Queen had a baby girl. The child was so beautiful and sweet that the King could not contain himself for joy. He prepared a great feast and invited all his friends, family and neighbours. He invited the fairies, too, in order that they might be kind and good to the child. There were thirteen of them in his kingdom, but as the King only had twelve golden plates for them to eat from, one of the fairies had to be left out. None of the guests was saddened by this as the thirteenth fairy was known to be cruel and spiteful.

An amazing feast was held and when it came to an end, each of the fairies presented the child with a magic gift. One fairy gave her virtue, another beauty, a third riches and so on — with everything in the world that anyone could wish for.

After eleven of the fairies had presented their gifts, the thirteenth suddenly appeared. She was angry and wanted to show her spite for not having been invited to the feast. Without hesitation she called out in a loud voice,

«When she is fifteen years old, the Princess shall prick herself with a spindle and shall fall down dead!»

Then without another word, she turned and left the hall.

The guests were horrified and the Queen fell to the floor sobbing, but the twelfth fairy, whose wish was still not spoken, quietly stepped forward. Her magic could not remove the curse, but she could soften it so she said,

«Nay, your daughter shall not die, but instead shall fall into a deep sleep that will last one hundred years.»

Over the years, the promises of the fairies came true — one by one. The Princess grew to be beautiful, modest, kind and clever. Everyone who saw her could not help but love her.

The King and Queen were determined to prevent the curse placed on the Princess by the spiteful fairy and sent out a command that all the spindles in the whole kingdom should be destroyed. No one in the kingdom was allowed to tell the Princess of the curse that had been placed upon her for they did not want her to worry or be sad.

On the morning of her fifteenth birthday, the Princess awoke early — excited to be another year older. She was up so early in the morning, that she realized everyone else still slept. The Princess roamed through the halls trying to keep herself occupied until the rest of the castle awoke. She wandered about the whole place, looking at rooms and halls as she pleased and at last she came to an old tower. She climbed the narrow, winding staircase and reached a little door. A rusty key was sticking in the lock and when she turned it, the door flew open.

In a little room sat an old woman with a spindle, busily spinning her flax. The old woman was so deaf that she had never heard the King’s command that all spindles should be destroyed.

«Good morning, Granny,» said the Princess, «what are you doing?»

«I am spinning,» said the old woman.

«What is the thing that whirls round so merrily?» asked the Princess and she took the spindle and tried to spin too.

But she had scarcely touched the spindle when it pricked her finger. At that moment she fell upon the bed which was standing near and lay still in a deep sleep.

The King, Queen and servants had all started their morning routines and right in the midst of them fell asleep too. The horses fell asleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the doves on the roof and the flies on the wall. Even the fire in the hearth grew still and went to sleep. The kitchen maid, who sat with a chicken before her, ready to pluck its feathers, fell asleep. The cook was in the midst of scolding the kitchen boy for a mess he’d made but they both fell fast asleep. The wind died down and on the trees in front of the castle not a leaf stirred.

Round the castle a hedge of brier roses began to grow up. Every year it grew higher until at last nothing could be seen of the sleeping castle.

There was a legend in the land about the lovely Sleeping Beauty, as the King’s daughter was called, and from time to time Princes came and tried to force their way through the hedge and into the castle. But they found it impossible for the thorns, as though they were alive, grabbed at them and would not let them through.

After many years a Prince came again to the country and heard an old man tell the tale of the castle which stood behind the brier hedge and the beautiful Princess who had slept within for a hundred years. He heard also that many Princes had tried to make it through the brier hedge but none had succeeded and many had been caught in it and died.

The the young Prince said, «I am not afraid. I must go and see this Sleeping Beauty.»

The good old man did all in his power to persuade him not to go, but the Prince would not listen.

Now the hundred years were just ended. When the Prince approached the brier hedge it was covered with beautiful large roses. The shrubs made way for him of their own accord and let him pass unharmed.

In the courtyard, the Prince saw the horses and dogs lying asleep. On the roof sat the sleeping doves with their heads tucked under their wings. When he went into the house, the flies were asleep on the walls and the servants asleep in the halls. Near the throne lay the King and Queen, sleeping peacefully beside each other. In the kitchen the cook, the kitchen boy and the kitchen maid all slept with their heads resting on the table.

The Prince went on farther. All was so still that he could hear his own breathing. At last he reached the tower and opened the door into the little room where the Princess was asleep. There she lay, looking so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her. He bent down and gave her a kiss. As he touched her, Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

Throughout the castle, everyone and everything woke up and looked at each other with astonished eyes. Within the month, the Prince and Sleeping Beauty were married and lived happily all their lives.

Once upon a time there was a king and a queen. The queen had wanted a child for a very long time but couldn’t have one. One day the miracle finally happened and all the bells in the kingdom started ringing to announce the birth of a young princess.

The king and the queen organized a huge celebration for the little girl’s christening. All the seven fairy godmothers arrived to the royal party to give the little angel their gifts. As they were special guests, the royal family had prepared a gift for each of them. Laid on the table in front of each of the godmothers was a gold case, containing a knife, fork and spoon – all made of pure gold and set with rubies and diamonds.

As the guests were enjoying the celebration, the door opened with a crash. It was an old, hump-backed fairy, wearing black rags. The king immediately ordered to bring her gold tableware, but he couldn’t give her a gold case, because he had only had seven of them made.

The old woman thought that they didn’t respect her enough and hissed some curse towards the newborn. Luckily, sitting next to her was a young and a very farsighted fairy, who noticed how fiercely the old woman was looking towards the baby. When the fairies left the table, she hurried to hide herself behind the curtains.

Soon the fairies gathered around the baby and one after another started giving their gifts in the form of a spell. The youngest of them wished for the princess to grow beautiful, the next one wished for the princess to have a kind and generous soul, the third wished for the princess to do everything with grace. The fourth wished for the girl to dance as light as a feather, the fifth one wished, “May she sing like a bird” and the sixth said, “May she play all musical instruments beautifully!”.

Next it was the old fairy’s turn and she bent over the child “May you have your hand pierced with a spindle and die of the wound!” When she said her terrible spell, she grinned showing her ugly yellow teeth.
At that moment the wise fairy godmother, who had been hiding behind the curtains, came out and said, “Calm down everyone! The princess won’t die, but she will fall in a deep and long sleep, which will last for a hundred years, and when that period ends, a young prince will come and wake her up.”

When she saw that she was tricked the old woman ran away crying because she couldn’t do any more harm. To avoid his daughter piercing her finger, the king went out and ordered that all women who owned or used a spindle to be beheaded.

Fifteen or sixteen years passed and nothing happened. But one day the young princess was wandering around the castle and noticed something very curious while climbing up the tower. In a small room there was an old lady, spinning her spindle. “What are you doing, madam?” the princess asked and the old woman replied, “I am spinning, your highness.” The princess found the activity really interesting decided to try it.

But as soon as she took the spindle, the end pierced the princess’s finger and she fainted on the floor. The old lady cried out for help. In a moment help came and they tried to revive her. Someone sprinkled her face with water, another loosened her clothes, a third massaged her arms, but despite all this the princess lay still. The king arrived and at the sight of his daughter, he remembered the old fairy godmother’s spell.

The time had come and the king ordered the princess to be laid on a bed embroidered with gold and silver. As she slept, her beauty remained vivid and she looked like an angel.

The farsighted fairy godmother that had saved the girl’s life was told what had happened. She rushed to reach the kingdom as fast as possible, because she was twelve thousand miles away.

When she arrived the king helped her out of her magic coach. When the fairy godmother saw what had been done by the time she arrived, she was impressed. However, the thought of the princess waking up a hundred years later, surrounded by people she didn’t know terrified the fairy, and so she put everyone in the king dom into a deep sleep. Nannies, servants, noblemen, butlers, soldiers and even the princess’ small puppy went to sleep.

Then the king and the queen wiped their tears away, kissed their child and gave the orders that no one should approach the castle. In less than fifteen minutes thick and dark woods and bushes grew before the eyes of the king and the queen. No one could see the castle and even if they saw it no one would have the courage to enter.

The years passed and the king and queen passed away. The kingdom was still and not a single sound could be heard from its halls and chambers. The princess was still sleeping. One day, a hundred years later, a young prince was passing by the enchanted wood when he suddenly saw something he had never seen before – through the trees he could see towers. He asked a passer-by what they were. “I am not sure, my lord, but I remember that my father once told me a story about the most beautiful princess in the world, who was cursed to fall into a deep sleep for a hundred years. One prince has been chosen to be the only one who can wake her up.”

At the news the brave prince went into the woods and fought for a long time with branches and roots. As soon as he got past one tree, the woods would close up behind him. He found this scary but spurred himself on with the thought that he might be the chosen prince from the story.

The prince finally reached the castle. He was shocked to see people sleeping everywhere! Judging by their clothes, they had been there for a century!

He didn’t give up and started searching the rooms one after another until he finally found her. A fifteen or sixteen-year old princess was lying in a bed. The prince went to the bed and kissed the princess. She opened her beautiful eyes and smiled at him. “I have been waiting for you to come,” she said, “What took you so long?”

Everyone else in the kingdom woke up at the same time. They all went back to work. The prince and the princess organised a lavish wedding and invited the whole kingdom to it. There was food and drinks for everyone. The brave prince married the beautiful princess and they both lived happily ever after.