''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german:
Dornröschen
''Dornröschen'' (''Sleeping Beauty'') is a 1902 opera by Engelbert Humperdinck. The libretto, based on the story of Sleeping Beauty, was by fairy tale writer Elisabeth Ebeling and Bertha Lehrmann-Filhés, mother of , with a dialogue version by ...
, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
about a princess
cursed by an evil fairy to
sleep for a hundred years before being awoken by a handsome prince. A good fairy, knowing the princess would be frightened if alone when she wakes, uses her
wand
A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic.
Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, which c ...
to put every living person and animal in the palace and forest asleep, to waken when the princess does.
The earliest known version of the tale is found in the narrative ''
Perceforest
''Perceforest'' or ''Le Roman de Perceforest'' is an anonymous prose chivalric romance, written in French around 1340, with lyrical interludes of poetry, that describes a fictional origin of Great Britain and provides an original genesis of the Art ...
'', written between 1330 and 1344. Another was published by
Giambattista Basile
Giambattista Basile (February 1566 – February 1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. His collections include the oldest recorded forms of many well-known (and more obscure) European fairy tales. He is chiefly remembere ...
in his collection titled
''The Pentamerone'', published posthumously in 1634
and adapted by
Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales ...
in ''
Histoires ou contes du temps passé
''Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités'' or ''Contes de ma mère l'Oye'' (''Stories or Tales from Past Times, with Morals'' or ''Mother Goose Tales'')Zipes (2000), 236 ff. is a collection of literary fairy tales written by C ...
'' in 1697. The version collected and printed by the
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
was one orally transmitted from the Perrault.
The
Aarne-Thompson classification system for fairy tales lists ''Sleeping Beauty'' as a Type 410: it includes a princess who is
magically forced into sleep and later woken, reversing the magic. The fairy tale has been adapted countless times throughout history and retold by modern storytellers across a variety of media.
Origin
Early contributions to the tale include the medieval courtly romance ''
Perceforest
''Perceforest'' or ''Le Roman de Perceforest'' is an anonymous prose chivalric romance, written in French around 1340, with lyrical interludes of poetry, that describes a fictional origin of Great Britain and provides an original genesis of the Art ...
'' (published in 1528). In this tale, a princess named Zellandine falls in love with a man named Troylus. Her father sends him to perform tasks to prove himself worthy of her, and while he is gone, Zellandine falls into an enchanted sleep. Troylus finds her and rapes her in her sleep; when their child is born, the child draws from her finger the flax that caused her sleep. She realizes from the ring Troylus left her that he was the father, and Troylus later returns to marry her. Another early literary predecessor is the
Provençal
Provençal may refer to:
*Of Provence, a region of France
* Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France
*''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language
*Franco-Provençal language, a distinct Roman ...
versified novel (c. 1320-1340).
The second part of the Sleeping Beauty tale, in which the princess and her children are almost put to death but instead are hidden, may have been influenced by
Genevieve of Brabant
Genevieve (also Genoveva or Genoveffa ) of Brabant is a heroine of medieval legend. The story is told in the "Golden Legend" and concerns a virtuous wife falsely accused of infidelity.
Legend
Her story is a typical example of the widespread ta ...
.
[Charles Willing]
"Genevieve of Brabant"
/ref> Even earlier influences come from the story of the sleeping Brynhild
Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( non, Brynhildr , gmh, Brünhilt, german: Brünhild , label=Modern German or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess Brunhilda o ...
in the Volsunga saga and the tribulations of saintly female martyrs in early Christian hagiography
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...
conventions. Following these early renditions, the tale was first published by Italian poet Giambattista Basile who lived from 1575 to 1632.
Plot
The folktale
A folktale or folk tale is a folklore genre that typically consists of a story passed down from generation to generation orally.
Folktale may also refer to:
Categories of stories
* Folkloric tale from oral tradition
* Fable (written form of the a ...
begins with a princess whose parents are told by a wicked fairy that their daughter will die when she pricks her finger on a particular item. In Basile's version, the princess pricks her finger on a piece of flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
. In Perrault's and the Grimm Brothers
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
' versions, the item is a spindle
Spindle may refer to:
Textiles and manufacturing
* Spindle (textiles), a straight spike to spin fibers into yarn
* Spindle (tool), a rotating axis of a machine tool
Biology
* Common spindle and other species of shrubs and trees in genus ''Euony ...
. The parents rid the kingdom of these items in the hopes of protecting their daughter, but the prophecy is fulfilled regardless. Instead of dying, as was foretold, the princess falls into a deep sleep. After some time, she is found by a prince and is awakened. In Giambattista Basile's version of Sleeping Beauty, ''Sun, Moon, and Talia
''Sun, Moon, and Talia'' () is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the ''Pentamerone''. Charles Perrault retold this fairy tale in 1697 as '' The Sleeping Beauty'', as did the Brothers Grimm in 1812 as ' ...
'', the sleeping beauty, Talia, falls into a deep sleep after getting a splinter of flax in her finger. She is discovered in her castle by a wandering king, who "carrie her to a bed, where he gather the first fruits of love." He leaves her there and she later gives birth to twins.
According to Maria Tatar, there are versions of the story that include a second part to the narrative that details the couple's troubles after their union; some folklorists believe the two parts were originally separate tales.[Maria Tatar, ''The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales'', 2002:96, ]
The second part begins after the prince and princess have had children. Through the course of the tale, the princess and her children are introduced in some way to another woman from the prince's life. This other woman is not fond of the prince's new family, and calls a cook to kill the children and serve them for dinner. Instead of obeying, the cook hides the children and serves livestock. Next, the other woman orders the cook to kill the princess. Before this can happen, the other woman's true nature is revealed to the prince and then she is subjected to the very death that she had planned for the princess. The princess, prince, and their children live happily ever after.
Basile's narrative
In Giambattista Basile's dark version of Sleeping Beauty, ''Sun, Moon, and Talia
''Sun, Moon, and Talia'' () is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the ''Pentamerone''. Charles Perrault retold this fairy tale in 1697 as '' The Sleeping Beauty'', as did the Brothers Grimm in 1812 as ' ...
'', the sleeping beauty is named Talia. By asking wise men and astrologers to predict her future after her birth, her father who is a great Lord learns that Talia will be in danger from a splinter of flax. The splinter later causes what appears to be Talia's death; however, it is later learned that it is a long, deep sleep. After Talia falls into deep sleep, she is seated on a velvet throne and her father, to forget his misery of what he thinks is her death, closes the doors and abandons the house forever. One day, while a king is walking by, one of his falcons flies into the house. The king knocks, hoping to be let in by someone, but no one answers and he decides to climb in with a ladder. He finds Talia alive but unconscious, and "... gathers the first fruits of love." Afterwards, he leaves her in the bed and goes back to his kingdom. Though Talia is unconscious, she gives birth to twins — one of whom keeps sucking her fingers. Talia awakens because the twin has sucked out the flax that was stuck deep in Talia's finger. When she wakes up, she discovers that she is a mother and has no idea what happened to her. One day, the king decides he wants to go see Talia again. He goes back to the palace to find her awake and a mother to his twins. He informs her of who he is, what has happened, and they end up bonding. After a few days, the king has to leave to go back to his realm, but promises Talia that he will return to take her to his kingdom.
When he arrives back in his kingdom, his wife hears him saying "Talia, Sun, and Moon" in his sleep. She bribes and threatens the king's secretary to tell her what is going on. After the queen learns the truth, she pretends she is the king and writes to Talia asking her to send the twins because he wants to see them. Talia sends her twins to the "king" and the queen tells the cook to kill the twins and make dishes out of them. She wants to feed the king his children; instead, the cook takes the twins to his wife and hides them. He then cooks two lambs and serves them as if they were the twins. Every time the king mentions how good the food is, the queen replies, "Eat, eat, you are eating of your own." Later, the queen invites Talia to the kingdom and is going to burn her alive, but the king appears and finds out what's going on with his children and Talia. He then orders that his wife be burned along with those who betrayed him. Since the cook actually did not obey the queen, the king thanks the cook for saving his children by giving him rewards. The story ends with the king marrying Talia and living happily ever after.
Perrault's narrative
Perrault's narrative is written in two parts, which some folklorists believe were originally separate tales, as they were in the Brothers Grimm's version, and were later joined together by Giambattista Basile and once more by Perrault. According to folklore editors Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek, Perrault's tale is a much more subtle and pared down version than Basile's story in terms of the more immoral details. An example of this is depicted in Perrault's tale by the prince's choice to instigate no physical interaction with the sleeping princess when the prince discovers her.
At the christening of a king and queen's long-wished-for child, seven good fairies
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...
are invited to be godmothers to the infant princess. The fairies attend the banquet at the palace. Each fairy is presented with a golden plate and drinking cups adorned with jewels. Soon after, an old fairy
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...
enters the palace and is seated with a plate of fine china and a crystal drinking glass. This old fairy is overlooked because she has been within a tower for many years and everyone had believed her to be deceased. Six of the other seven fairies then offer their gifts of beauty, wit, grace, dance, song, and goodness to the infant princess. The evil fairy is very angry about having been forgotten, and as her gift, curse
A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...
s the infant princess so that she will one day prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel and die. The seventh fairy, who has not yet given her gift, attempts to reverse the evil fairy's curse. However, she can only do so partially. Instead of dying, the Princess will fall into a deep sleep for 100 years and be awakened by a king's son ("''elle tombera seulement dans un profond sommeil qui durera cent ans, au bout desquels le fils d’un Roi viendra la réveiller''"). This is her gift of protection.
The King orders that every spindle and spinning wheel in the kingdom be destroyed, to try to save his daughter from the terrible curse. Fifteen or sixteen years pass and one day, when the king and queen are away, the Princess wanders through the palace rooms and comes upon an old woman (implied to be the evil fairy in disguise), spinning with her spindle. The princess, who has never seen anyone spin before, asks the old woman if she can try the spinning wheel. The curse is fulfilled as the princess pricks her finger on the spindle and instantly falls into a deep sleep. The old woman cries for help and attempts are made to revive the princess. The king attributes this to fate and has the Princess carried to the finest room in the palace and placed upon a bed of gold and silver embroidered fabric. The king and queen kiss their daughter goodbye and depart, proclaiming the entrance to be forbidden. The good fairy who altered the evil prophecy is summoned. Having great powers of foresight, the fairy sees that the Princess will awaken to distress when she finds herself alone, so the fairy puts everyone in the castle to sleep. The fairy also summons a forest of trees, brambles and thorns that spring up around the castle, shielding it from the outside world and preventing anyone from disturbing the Princess.
A hundred years pass and a prince from another family spies the hidden castle during a hunting expedition. His attendants tell him differing stories regarding the castle until an old man recounts his father's words: within the castle lies a beautiful princess who is doomed to sleep for a hundred years until a king's son comes and awakens her. The prince then braves the tall trees, brambles and thorns which part at his approach, and enters the castle. He passes the sleeping castle folk and comes across the chamber where the Princess lies asleep on the bed. Struck by the radiant beauty before him, he falls on his knees before her. The enchantment comes to an end, the princess awakens and bestows upon the prince a look “more tender than a first glance might seem to warrant” (in Perrault's original French tale, the prince does not kiss the princess to wake her up) then converses with the prince for a long time. Meanwhile, the rest of the castle awakens and go about their business. The prince and princess are later married by the chaplain in the castle chapel.
After wedding the Princess in secret, the Prince continues to visit her and she bears him two children, Aurore (Dawn) and Jour (Day), unbeknownst to his mother, who is of an ogre
An ogre ( feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the wor ...
lineage. When the time comes for the Prince to ascend the throne, he brings his wife, children, and the talabutte ("Count of the Mount").
The Ogress Queen Mother sends the young Queen and the children to a house secluded in the woods and directs her cook to prepare the boy with ''Sauce Robert
Sauce Robert is a brown mustard sauce and one of the ''small sauces'', or compound sauces, derived from the classic French demi-glace, which in turn is derived from espagnole sauce, one of the five mother sauces in French cuisine ( béchamel, velo ...
'' for dinner. The kind-hearted cook substitutes a lamb for the boy, which satisfies the Queen Mother. She then demands the girl but the cook this time substitutes a kid
Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to:
Common meanings
* Colloquial term for a child or other young person
** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age
* Engage in joking
* Young goats
* The goat meat of young goats
* Kidskin, leath ...
, which also satisfies the Queen Mother. When the Ogress demands that he serve up the young Queen, the latter offers to slit her throat so that she may join the children that she imagines are dead. While the Queen Mother is satisfied with a hind A hind is a female deer, especially a red deer.
Places
* Hind (Sasanian province, 262-484)
* Hind and al-Hind, a Persian and Arabic name for the Indian subcontinent
* Hind (crater), a lunar impact crater
* 1897 Hind, an asteroid
Military
...
prepared with ''Sauce Robert'' in place of the young Queen, there is a tearful secret reunion of the Queen and her children. However, the Queen Mother soon discovers the cook's trick and she prepares a tub in the courtyard filled with vipers and other noxious creatures. The King returns in the nick of time and the Ogress, her true nature having been exposed, throws herself into the tub and is fully consumed. The King, young Queen, and children then live happily ever after.
Grimm Brothers' version
The Brothers Grimm included a variant of Sleeping Beauty, ''Little Briar Rose'', in their collection (1812). Their version ends when the prince arrives to wake Sleeping Beauty (named Rosamund) and does not include the part two as found in Basile's and Perrault's versions. The brothers considered rejecting the story on the grounds that it was derived from Perrault's version, but the presence of the Brynhild tale convinced them to include it as an authentically German tale. Their decision was notable because in none of the Teutonic myths, meaning the Poetic and Prose Edda
The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been t ...
s or Volsunga Saga, are their sleepers awakened with a kiss, a fact Jacob Grimm would have known since he wrote an encyclopedic volume on German mythology
Continental Germanic mythology formed an element within Germanic paganism as practiced in parts of Central Europe occupied by Germanic peoples up to and including the 6th to 8th centuries (the period of Germanic Christianization). Traces of s ...
. His version is the only known German variant of the tale, and Perrault's influence is almost certain. In the original Brothers Grimm's version, the fairies are instead wise women.
The Brothers Grimm also included, in the first edition of their tales, a fragmentary fairy tale, "The Evil Mother-in-law". This story begins with the heroine, a married mother of two children, and her mother-in-law who attempts to eat her and the children. The heroine suggests an animal be substituted in the dish, and the story ends with the heroine's worry that she cannot keep her children from crying and getting the mother-in-law's attention. Like many German tales showing French influence, it appeared in no subsequent edition.
Variations
The princess's name has varied from one adaptation to the other. In ''Sun, Moon, and Talia'', she is named Talia (Sun and Moon being her twin children). She has no name in Perrault's story but her daughter is called "Aurore". The Brothers Grimm named her "Briar Rose" in their 1812 collection.[Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'']
"Little Briar-Rose"
However, some translations of the Grimms' tale give the princess the name "Rosamond". Tchaikovsky's ballet and Disney's version named her Princess Aurora; however, in the Disney version, she is also called "Briar Rose" in her childhood, when she is being raised incognito by the good fairies.
Besides ''Sun, Moon, and Talia'', Basile included another variant of this Aarne-Thompson type, ''The Young Slave
The Young Slave is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the ''Pentamerone''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 709, Snow White; other variants include '' Bella Venezia'' and ''Myrsina''.D.L Ashliman"A Guide to F ...
'', in his book, ''The Pentamerone''. The Grimms also included a second, more distantly related one titled ''The Glass Coffin
"The Glass Coffin" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 163. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Green Fairy Book'' as ''The Crystal Coffin''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 410, Sleeping Beauty. Another variant is ''The ...
''.[Heidi Anne Heiner]
"Tales Similar to Sleeping Beauty"
Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the ''Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the '' Cosmicomi ...
included a variant in ''Italian Folktales
''Italian Folktales'' (''Fiabe italiane'') is a collection of 200 Italian folktales published in 1956 by Italo Calvino. Calvino began the project in 1954, influenced by Vladimir Propp's '' Morphology of the Folktale''; his intention was to emulat ...
''. In his version, the cause of the princess's sleep is a wish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.
In fiction
In fiction a ...
by her mother. As in ''Pentamerone
The ''Pentamerone'', subtitled ''Lo cunto de li cunti'' ("The Tale of Tales"), is a seventeenth-century Neapolitan fairy tale collection by Italian poet and courtier Giambattista Basile.
Background
The stories in the ''Pentamerone'' were collect ...
'', the prince rapes her in her sleep and her children are born. Calvino retains the element that the woman who tries to kill the children is the king's mother, not his wife, but adds that she does not want to eat them herself, and instead serves them to the king. His version came from Calabria, but he noted that all Italian versions closely followed Basile's.
In his ''More English Fairy Tales,'' Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was an Australian folklorist, translator, literary critic, social scientist, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore.
Jacob ...
noted that the figure of the Sleeping Beauty was in common between this tale and the Romani tale ''The King of England and his Three Sons
The King of England and his Three Sons is a Romani fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in ''More English Fairy Tales''. He listed as his source Francis Hindes Groome's ''In Gypsy Tents'', where the informant was John Roberts, a Welsh Roma.Josep ...
''.
The hostility of the king's mother to his new bride is repeated in the fairy tale ''The Six Swans
"The Six Swans" (German: ''Die sechs Schwäne'') is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' in 1812 (KHM 49). It is of Aarne–Thompson type 451 ("The Maiden Who Seeks Her Brothers"), commonly found throug ...
'', and also features in ''The Twelve Wild Ducks
"The Twelve Wild Ducks" (Norwegian: ''De tolv villender'') is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in ''Norske Folkeeventyr''.
It is Aarne–Thompson type 451, the brothers who were turned into birds.
P ...
'', where the mother is modified to be the king's stepmother. However, these tales omit the attempted cannibalism.
Russian Romantic
Romantic may refer to:
Genres and eras
* The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
** Romantic music, of that era
** Romantic poetry, of that era
** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
writer Vasily Zhukovsky
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky (russian: Василий Андреевич Жуковский, Vasiliy Andreyevich Zhukovskiy; – ) was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19 ...
wrote a versified work based on the theme of the princess cursed into a long sleep in his poem "Спящая царевна" (), published in 1832.
Interpretations
According to Maria Tatar, the Sleeping Beauty tale has been disparaged by modern-day feminists who consider the protagonist to have no agency and find her passivity to be offensive; some feminists have even argued for people to stop telling the story altogether.
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
has received criticism for depicting both Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
and the Sleeping Beauty princess as "naïve
Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may b ...
and malleable" characters. ''Time Out
Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to:
Time
* Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team
* Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken
* Timeout (computing), an enginee ...
'' dismissed the princess as a "delicate" and "vapid" character. Sonia Saraiya of echoed this sentiment, criticizing the princess for lacking "interesting qualities", where she also ranked her as Disney's least feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
princess. Similarly, Bustle also ranked the princess as the least feminist Disney Princess, with author Chelsea Mize expounding, "Aurora literally sleeps for like three quarters of the movie ... Aurora just straight-up has no agency, and really isn't doing much in the way of feminine progress." Leigh Butler of Tor.com
''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction.
From 20 ...
went on to defend the character writing, "Aurora’s cipher-ness in ''Sleeping Beauty'' would be infuriating if she were the only female character in it, but the presence of the Fairies and Maleficent allow her to be what she is without it being a subconscious statement on what ''all'' women are." Similarly, Refinery29
Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Vice Media.
History
Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Refinery29 i ...
ranked Princess Aurora the fourth most feminist Disney Princess because, "Her aunts have essentially raised her in a place where women run the game." Despite being featured prominently in Disney merchandise
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...
, "Aurora has become an oft-forgotten princess", and her popularity pales in comparison to those of Cinderella and Snow White.
An example of the cosmic interpretation of the tale given by the nineteenth century solar mythologist school appears in John Fiske's ''Myths and Myth-Makers'': “It is perhaps less obvious that winter should be so frequently symbolized as a thorn or sharp instrument... Sigurd is slain by a thorn, and Balder
Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, Baldr (Old Norse: ) is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was kno ...
by a sharp sprig of mistletoe; and in the myth of the Sleeping Beauty, the earth-goddess sinks into her long winter sleep when pricked by the point of the spindle. In her cosmic palace, all is locked in icy repose, naught thriving save the ivy which defies the cold, until the kiss of the golden-haired sun-god
A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...
reawakens life and activity.”
Media
"Sleeping Beauty" has been popular for many fairytale fantasy
Fairytale fantasy is distinguished from other subgenres of fantasy by the works' heavy use of motifs, and often plots, from folklore.
History
Literary fairy tales were not unknown in the Roman era: Apuleius included several in ''The Golden Ass' ...
retellings. Some examples are listed below:
In film and television
*''The Sleeping Princess'' (1939), a Walter Lantz Productions
Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios.
The studio was originally formed as Universal Cartoon Studios on the initiative o ...
animated short parodying the original fairy tale.
*A loose adaptation can be seen in a scene from the propaganda cartoon ''Education for Death
''Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi'' is an animated propaganda short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released on January 15, 1943, by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by Clyde Geronimi and principally animated by Milt Kahl, Wa ...
'', where Sleeping Beauty is a valkyrie representing Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, and where the prince is replaced with Fuehrer Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in knights' armor. The short also parodies Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
's opera ''Siegfried
Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace".
The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
''.
* '' Prinsessa Ruusunen'' (1949), a Finnish film directed by Edvin Laine
Edvin Laine (13 July 1905 – 18 November 1989) was a Finnish film director. Laine was born Bovellán.
Laine directed a comedy '' Aaltoska orkaniseeraa'' and family film ''Sleeping Beauty'', both in 1949.
'' The Unknown Soldier'', a film La ...
and scored with Erkki Melartin
Erkki Gustaf Melartin (7 February 1875, Käkisalmi – 14 February 1937, Helsinki) was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. Melartin is generally considered to be one of Finland's most signif ...
's incidental music from 1912.
* ''Dornröschen'' (1955), a West German film directed by Fritz Genschow
Fritz Genschow (15 May 1905 – 21 June 1977) was a German actor, film director and screenwriter.
Selected filmography
* '' Hands Up, Eddy Polo'' (1929) - Russenphilipp
* ''Beyond the Street'' (1929) - Der Arbeitsloser / The Unemployed man
* ...
.
*''Sleeping Beauty
''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...
'' (1959), a Walt Disney animated film based on both Charles Perrault and the Brother's Grimm's versions. Featuring the original voices of Mary Costa
Mary Costa (born April 5, 1930) is an American retired actress and singer. Her most notable film credit is providing the voice of Princess Aurora in the 1959 Disney animated film ''Sleeping Beauty'', of which she is the last surviving original vo ...
as Princess Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty and Eleanor Audley
Eleanor Audley ( Zellman; November 19, 1905 – November 25, 1991) was an American actress with a distinctive voice and a diverse body of work. She played Oliver Douglas's mother, Eunice Douglas, on the CBS sitcom ''Green Acres'' (1965–1969), ...
as Maleficent
Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...
.
*''Sleeping Beauty'' (''Спящая красавица'') (1964), a filmed version of the ballet produced by the Kirov Ballet
The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...
along with Lenfilm
Lenfilm (russian: link=no, Ленфильм) is a Russian production company with its own film studio located in Saint Petersburg (the city was called Leningrad from 1924 to 1991, thus the name). It is a corporation with its stakes shared betwee ...
studios, starring Alla Sizova as Princess Aurora.
*''Festival of Family Classics
''Festival of Family Classics'' is a Rankin/Bass animated anthology series that originally aired between 1972 and 1973. The show originally aired in syndication. It was re-aired 1 November 2005 on the Boomerang channel and on 16 June 2011 via the ...
'' (1972-73), episode ''Sleeping Beauty'', produced by Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...
and animated by Mushi Production
or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima.
The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...
.
* ''Some Call It Loving
''Some Call It Loving'', also known as ''Sleeping Beauty'' is a 1973 romantic mystery erotic drama film written, produced, and directed by James B. Harris and starring Zalman King, Carol White, Tisa Farrow, and Richard Pryor. It is based on a sh ...
'' (also known as ''Sleeping Beauty)'' (1973), directed by James B. Harris
James B. Harris (born August 3, 1928) is an American film screenwriter, producer, and director. Born in New York City, he attended the Juilliard School before entering the film industry. He worked with film director Stanley Kubrick as a produ ...
and starring Zalman King
Zalman King (born Zalman King Lefkowitz; May 23, 1941 – February 3, 2012) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His films are known for incorporating sexuality, and are often categorized as erotica.
Early life
Zalman Kin ...
, Carol White
Carole Joan White (1 April 1943 – 16 September 1991) was an English actress.
She achieved a public profile with her performances in the television play ''Cathy Come Home'' (1966) and the films ''Poor Cow'' (1967) and '' I'll Never Forg ...
, Tisa Farrow
Theresa Magdalena "Tisa" Farrow is a retired United States, American actress and model.
Early life
Farrow was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Irish-born actress Maureen O'Sullivan and Australian-born film director John Farrow. S ...
, and Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
, based on a short story by John Collier John Collier may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*John Collier (caricaturist) (1708–1786), English caricaturist and satirical poet
*John Payne Collier (1789–1883), English Shakespearian critic and forger
*John Collier (painter) (1850–1934), ...
.
* ''Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi
''Tales of Magic'', also known as ''Merlin's Cave'' and ''Wonderful'', ''Wonderful Tales From Around the World'', and known in Japan as ''Manga Fairy Tales of the World'' (まんが世界昔ばなし ''Manga sekai mukashi banashi''?) is a Japa ...
'' (1976-79), 10-minute adaptation.
* ''Jak se budí princezny'' (1978), a Czechoslovakian film directed by Václav Vorlíček
Václav Vorlíček (3 June 1930 – 5 February 2019) was a Czech film director. He studied filmmaking at FAMU from 1951 to 1956, and began directing feature films since the early 1960s. His filmography includes several comedies made in collaborat ...
.
* ''World Famous Fairy Tale Series
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
'' (''Sekai meisaku dōwa'') (1975-83) has a 9-minute adaptation, later reused in the U.S. edit of ''My Favorite Fairy Tales
is a Japanese fantasy original video animation (OVA) series of fairy tales and other classic stories produced by Studio Unicorn in 1986. Originally consisting of 10 episodes played both in Japanese and English languages, with the purpose of teac ...
''.
* ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears/Rumpelstiltskin/Little Red Riding Hood/Sleeping Beauty'' (1984), direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
featurette by Lee Mendelson Film Productions
Lee Mendelson Film Productions is an American animation studio situated in Burlingame, California founded by Lee Mendelson. The studio is best known for the ''Peanuts'' animated film productions including ''Snoopy, Come Home'' and '' A Boy Named ...
.
* ''Sleeping Beauty
''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...
'' (1987), a direct-to-television musical film directed by David Irving.
* '' The Legend of Sleeping Brittany'' (1989), an episode of ''Alvin & the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three s ...
'' based on the fairy tale.
* ''Briar-Rose or The Sleeping Beauty'' (1990), a Japanese/Czechoslovakian stop-motion animated featurette directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto.
* ''Britannica's Tales Around the World
''Britannica's Tales Around the World'' (also referred to as ''Britannica's Fairy Tales from Around the World'' and ''Familiar Tales Around the World'') is a direct-to-video animated educational series that was released in 1990.
Premise
''Br ...
'' (1990-91), features three variations of the story.
* An episode of the series ''Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics
''Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics'', also known as ''Grimm Masterpiece Theater'' (グリム名作劇場 ''Gurimu meisaku gekijō'') in the original version and ''The Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (in Australia and New Zealand), is a Japanese anime antholo ...
'' is dedicated to ''Princess Briar Rose''.
* A 1986 episode of '' Brummkreisel'' had Kunibert ( Hans-Joachim Leschnitz) demanding that he and his friends Achim (Joachim Kaps
Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocryphal ...
), Hops and Mops enact the story of Sleeping Beauty. Achim first compromises by incorporating Sleeping Beauty into his lesson about days of the week, and then finally he allows Kunibert to have his way; Hops played the princess, Kunibert played the prince, Mops played the wicked fairy and Achim played the brambles.
* ''World Fairy Tale Series
''World Fairy Tale Series'' (世界名作童話シリーズ・ワ~ォ!メルヘン王国 ''Sekai meisaku dōwa shirīzu - Wa-o! Meruhen ōkoku''?, lit. "World Masterpiece Fairy Tale Series - Wow! Fairy Tale Kingdom"; also known as: アニメ ...
'' (''Anime sekai no dōwa'') (1995), anime television anthology produced by Toei Animation, has half-hour adaptation.
* ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1995), a Japanese-American direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
film by Jetlag Productions
Jetlag Productions was an American animation studio that, like the similar studio Golden Films, has created a number of animated films based on different, popular children's stories, while creating a few original productions. Produced mainly for t ...
.
* ''Wolves, Witches and Giants
''Wolves, Witches and Giants'', narrated by Spike Milligan, is a children's cartoon series of humorous adaptations of classic fairy tales, featuring a collection of villains including the wily wolf, a wicked witch and an enormous giant. It was ...
'' (1995-99), episode ''Sleeping Beauty'', season 1 episode 5.
* '' Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child'' (1995), episode ''Sleeping Beauty'', the classic story is told with a Hispanic cast, when Rosita is cast into a long sleep by Evelina, and later awakened by Prince Luis.
* ''The Triplets
The Triplets ( ca, Les tres bessones; es, Las tres mellizas; oc, Es tres bessones) are three fictional characters (Anna, Teresa and Helena) created by Spanish illustrator Roser Capdevila.
The Triplets were created in 1983, based on Capdevila ...
'' (''Les tres bessones/Las tres mellizas'') (1997-2003), catalan animated series, season 1 episode 19.
* ''Simsala Grimm
''Simsala Grimm'' is a German animated children's television series, consisting of stories based on fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and other notable authors. The series was created by André Sikojev, Stefan Beiten an ...
'' (1999-2010), episode 9 of season 2.
*''Bellas durmientes (Sleeping Beauties)'' (2001), directed by Eloy Lozano, adapted from the Kawabata novel.
* ''La belle endormie (The Sleeping Beauty)'' (2010), a film by Catherine Breillat
Catherine Breillat (; born 13 July 1948) is a French filmmaker, novelist and professor of auteur cinema at the European Graduate School. In the film business for over 40 years, Catherine Breillat chooses to normalize previously taboo subjects in ...
.
* ''Sleeping Beauty
''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...
'' (2011), directed by Julia Leigh
Julia Leigh (born 1970) is an Australian novelist, film director and screenwriter. In 2011 her debut feature film '' Sleeping Beauty'' was selected to screen in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival. She is an author of two award-wi ...
and starring Emily Browning
Emily Jane Browning
. Celebritywonder, retrieved 30 June 2011 (born 7 December 1988 , about a young girl who takes a sleeping potion and lets men have their way with her to earn extra money.
* ''Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...
'' (2011), an ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
TV show starring Sarah Bolger
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...
and Julian Morris
Julian David Morris (born 13 January 1983) is an English actor. After appearing in the British television series ''The Knock'' (1996) and ''Fish'' (2000) during his teenage years, he had his first starring role in the American slasher film '' Cr ...
.
* ''Sleeping Beauty'' (2014), a film by Rene Perez.
* ''Sleeping Beauty'' (2014), a film by Casper Van Dien
Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor. He is best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the 1997 science-fiction action film ''Starship Troopers''. He has also appeared in a large number of television and ...
.
* ''Maleficent
Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...
'' (2014), a Walt Disney live-action reimagining
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
starring Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
as Maleficent
Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...
and Elle Fanning
Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film ''I Am Sam'' (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, inc ...
as Princess Aurora.
* ''Ever After High
''Ever After High'' is a fashion doll franchise released by Mattel in July 2013. It is a companion line to the ''Monster High'' dolls, with the characters being based upon characters from well-known fairy tales and fantasy stories instead of m ...
'', episode ''Briar Beauty
''Ever After High'' is a fashion doll franchise released by Mattel in July 2013. It is a companion line to the ''Monster High'' dolls, with the characters being based upon characters from well-known fairy tales and fantasy stories instead of m ...
'' (2015), an animated Netflix series.
* ''The Curse of Sleeping Beauty
''The Curse of Sleeping Beauty'' is a 2016 American fantasy horror film directed by Pearry Reginald Teo and written by Teo alongside Josh Nadler. The film stars Ethan Peck, India Eisley and Natalie Hall. It is based on a comic book of the same nam ...
'' (2016), an American horror film directed by Pearry Reginald Teo
Pearry Reginald Teo Zhang Pingli (born 23 July 1978) commonly known as Pearry Teo, is a Singaporean filmmaker. He is considered the first Singaporean movie director to make a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film.
Biography
Teo began his ...
.
* Archie Campbell satirized the story with "Beeping Sleauty" in several ''Hee Haw
''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 199 ...
'' television episodes.
* '' Maleficent: Mistress of Evil'' (2019), a Walt Disney live-action sequel to Maleficent (2014).
* ''Avengers Grimm
''Avengers Grimm'' is a 2015 American superhero film written, co-edited, and directed by Jeremy M. Inman. The film, produced by B-movie film company The Asylum, stars Casper Van Dien, Lou Ferrigno, Kimo Leopoldo, Lauren Parkinson, Milynn Sarley, ...
'' (2015) portrays an adult Sleeping Beauty with superpowers.
In literature
* ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1830) and ''The Day-Dream
"The Day-Dream" is a poem written by Alfred Tennyson that was published in 1842. It was an expanded version of his 1830 poem "The Sleeping Beauty". It was further altered in 1848 for a dramatic performance for a private gathering with Tennyson s ...
'' (1842), two poems based on Sleeping Beauty by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...
.
* ''The Rose and the Ring
''The Rose and The Ring'' is a satirical work of fantasy fiction written by William Makepeace Thackeray, originally published at Christmas 1854 (though dated 1855). It criticises, to some extent, the attitudes of the monarchy and those at the to ...
'' (1854), a satirical fantasy by William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel '' Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...
.
* ''The Sleeping Beauty'' (1919), a poem by Mary Carolyn Davies
Mary Carolyn Davies (1888–?) was an American writer from Oregon. She was a poet, short story writer, and playwright. She lived for a period in New York, where she was a participant of several writing ''soirées''. She later moved back to Oregon, ...
about a failed hero who did not waken the princess, but died in the enchanted briars surrounding her palace.
* ''The Sleeping Beauty'' (1920), a retelling of the fairy tale by Charles Evans, with illustrations by Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. He is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, ...
.
* ''Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty)'' (1971), a poem by Anne Sexton
Anne Sexton (born Anne Gray Harvey; November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967 for her book '' Live or Die''. Her poetry details ...
in her collection ''Transformations'' (1971), in which she re-envisions sixteen of the ''Grimm's Fairy Tales
''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', originally known as the ''Children's and Household Tales'' (german: Kinder- und Hausmärchen, lead=yes, ), is a German collection of fairy tales by the Grimm brothers or "Brothers Grimm", Jacob and Wilhelm, first publis ...
''.
* ''The Sleeping Beauty Quartet'' (1983-2015), four erotic novels written by Anne Rice
Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature.
She was best known for her series of novels ''The Vampire Chronicles''. B ...
under the pen name A.N. Roquelaure, set in a medieval fantasy world and loosely based on the fairy tale.
* ''Beauty'' (1992), a novel by Sheri S. Tepper
Sheri Stewart Tepper (July 16, 1929 – October 22, 2016) was an American writer of science fiction, horror and mystery novels. She is primarily known for her feminist science fiction, which explored themes of sociology, gender and equality, as ...
.
*''Briar Rose Briar Rose may refer to:
Folklore
* "Little Briar Rose", also called "Sleeping Beauty", a folk tale originally recorded by the Brothers Grimm
Characters
* Briar Rose, a pseudonym used by Princess Aurora in Walt Disney's 1959 film ''Sleeping Beau ...
'' (1992), a novel by Jane Yolen
Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 350 books, of which the best known is '' The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. H ...
.
* ''Enchantment'' (1999), a novel by Orson Scott Card based on the Russian version of Sleeping Beauty.
*'' Spindle's End'' (2000), a novel by Robin McKinley
Robin McKinley (born November 16, 1952) is an American author best known for her fantasy novels and fairy tale retellings. Her 1984 novel ''The Hero and the Crown'' won the Newbery Medal as the year's best new American children's book. In 2022 ...
.
*''Clementine'' (2001), a novel by Sophie Masson
Sophie Masson is a French-Australian fantasy and children's author.
Early life and education
Sophie Masson was born in Indonesia of French parents who are of mixed ancestry (French, Basque, Spanish and Portuguese). Masson, the third in a fam ...
.
*''A Kiss in Time'' (2009), a novel by Alex Flinn
Alexandra Flinn (born October 23, 1966) is an American writer of novels for young adults. Her books have appeared on the ''New York Times'' and ''USA Today'' Bestseller lists and have been translated into over twenty foreign languages. Many of he ...
.
*''The Sleeper and the Spindle'' (2012), a novel by Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
.
*''The Gates of Sleep
''Elemental Masters'' is a fantasy series by American writer Mercedes Lackey, taking place on an alternate Earth where magic exists. The series largely focuses on Elemental Masters, people who have magical control over air, water, fire, or earth ...
'' (2012), a novel by Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Ritchie Lackey (born June 24, 1950) is an American writer of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar. Her Valdemar novels include i ...
from the Elemental Masters
''Elemental Masters'' is a fantasy series by American writer Mercedes Lackey, taking place on an alternate Earth where magic exists. The series largely focuses on Elemental Masters, people who have magical control over air, water, fire, or eart ...
series set in Edwardian England.
*''Sleeping Beauty: The One Who Took the Really Long Nap'' (2018), a novel by Wendy Mass and the second book in the ''Twice Upon a Time'' series features a princess named Rose who pricks her finger and falls asleep for 100 years.
*''The Sleepless Beauty'' (2019), a novel by Rajesh Talwar setting the story in a small kingdom in the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
.
*
Lava Red Feather Blue
' (2021), a novel by Molly Ringle involving a male/male twist on the Sleeping Beauty story.
*''Malice'' (2021), a novel by Heather Walter told by the Maleficent character's (Alyce's) POV and involving a woman/woman love story.
*''Misrule'' (2022), a novel by Heather Walter and sequel to Malice.
In music
* ''La Belle au Bois Dormant
''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...
'' (1825), an opera by Michele Carafa
Michele Enrico Francesco Vincenzo Aloisio Paolo Carafa di Colobrano (17 November 1787 – 26 July 1872) was an Italian opera composer. He was born in Naples and studied in Paris with Luigi Cherubini. He was Professor of counterpoint at the Par ...
.
* ''La belle au bois dormant'' (1829), a ballet in four acts with book by Eugène Scribe
Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...
, composed by Ferdinand Hérold
Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold (28 January 1791 – 19 January 1833), better known as Ferdinand Hérold (), was a French composer. He was celebrated in his lifetime for his operas, of which he composed more than twenty, but he also wrote ballet mus ...
and choreographed by Jean-Louis Aumer
Jean-Louis Aumer (21 April 1774 – 6 July 1833), also referred to as Jean-Pierre Aumer, was a French ballet dancer and choreographer.
Early life and career as a dancer
Aumer was born in Strasbourg of a manual labourer and non-theatrical parents ...
.
* '' The Sleeping Beauty'' (1890), a ballet by Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
.
* ''Dornröschen
''Dornröschen'' (''Sleeping Beauty'') is a 1902 opera by Engelbert Humperdinck. The libretto, based on the story of Sleeping Beauty, was by fairy tale writer Elisabeth Ebeling and Bertha Lehrmann-Filhés, mother of , with a dialogue version by ...
'' (1902), an opera by Engelbert Humperdinck.
* ''Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant'' (1910), the first movement of Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye.
* ''The Sleeping Beauty'' (1992), song on album Clouds
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may com ...
by the Swedish band Tiamat
In Mesopotamian religion, Tiamat ( akk, or , grc, Θαλάττη, Thaláttē) is a primordial goddess of the sea, mating with Abzû, the god of the groundwater, to produce younger gods. She is the symbol of the chaos of primordial creati ...
.
*''Sleeping Beauty Wakes'' (2008), an album by the American musical trio GrooveLily GrooveLily is an American musical trio based in New York CityPhil Gallo, March 6, 2008, Variety‘Toy Story’ musical debuts at sea Accessed Sep 13, 2013 notable for creative songwriting in different pop genres, such as rock, folk, jazz, and show t ...
.
* ''There Was A Princess Long Ago'', a common nursery rhyme
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes.
From t ...
or singing game
A singing game is an activity based on a particular verse or rhyme, usually associated with a set of actions and movements. As a collection, they have been studied by folklorists, ethnologists, and psychologists and are seen as important part of ...
typically sung stood in a circle with actions, retells the story of ''Sleeping Beauty'' in a summarised song.
*''Sleeping Beauty The Musical'' (2019), a two act musical with book and lyrics by Ian Curran and music by Simon Hanson and Peter Vint.
*'' Hex'' (2021), an upcoming musical with book by Tanya Ronder, music by Jim Fortune and lyrics by Rufus Norris
Rufus Norris (born 16 January 1965) is a British theatre and film director, who is currently the Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre.
Life and career
Norris grew up in Africa and Malaysia, attended North Bromsg ...
due to open at the Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
in December 2021.
In video games
* ''Kingdom Hearts
is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square (video game company), Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya ...
'' is a video game in which Maleficent
Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...
is one of the main antagonists and Aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
is one of the Princesses of Heart
''Kingdom Hearts'' is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). It is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios. ''Kingdom H ...
together with the other Disney princesses
''Disney Princess'', also called the ''Princess Line'', is a media franchise and toy line owned by the Walt Disney Company. Created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney, the franchise features a lineup of female protagonists who hav ...
.
* ''Little Briar Rose'' (2019) is a point-and-click adventure
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
inspired by the Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
's version of the fairy tale.
* SINoALICE
is a role-playing video game developed by Pokelabo for Android and iOS. The game is directed by Yoko Taro, better known for his work in the ''NieR'' and ''Drakengard'' series. The game was released in Japan by Square Enix in June 2017, and worl ...
(2017) is a mobile Gacha game
A is a video game that implements the (toy vending machine) mechanic. Similar to loot boxes, gacha games entice players to spend in-game currency to receive a random in-game item. Some in-game currency generally can be gained through game play ...
which features Sleeping Beauty as one of the main player controlled characters and features in her own dark story-line which follows her unending desire to sleep, as well as crossing over with the other fairy-tale characters featured in the game.
* Video game series ''Dark Parables
Blue Tea Games is a casual computer games development studio, founded on January 24, 2003 by Steven Zhao.
Blue Tea Games
Blue Tea Games's works are usually released through digital and online casual game distributor Big Fish Games where the compan ...
'' adapted the tale as the plot of its first game, ''Curse of Briar Rose'' (2010).
In art
Image:La_Belle_au_Bois_Dormant_-_Sixth_of_six_engravings_by_Gustave_Doré.jpg, Perrault's La Belle au bois dormant (Sleeping Beauty), illustration by Gustave Doré
Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engraving ...
Image:Prince Florimund finds the Sleeping Beauty - Project Gutenberg etext 19993.jpg, Prince Florimund finds the "Sleeping Beauty"
File:Sleeping Beauty by Harbour.jpg, ''Sleeping Beauty'' by Jenny Harbour
File:De_schoone_slaapster_in_het_bosch.jpg, Book cover for a Dutch interpretation of the story by Johann Georg van Caspel
File:Briar Rose - Anne Anderson.jpg, Briar Rose
Image:Brewtnall - Sleeping Beauty.jpg, ''Sleeping Beauty'' by Edward Frederick Brewtnall
Edward Frederick Brewtnall (London 13 October 1846 – 13 November 1902 London) was a British genre, landscape and figure painter and illustrator.
Life
He was born in London on 13 October 1846.
He studied at the Lambeth School of Art.
B ...
File:Louis Sussmann - Dornröschen - Mutter Erde fec.jpg, Louis Sußmann-Hellborn (1828- 1908) ''Sleeping Beauty'',
Image:Спящая царевна.jpg, ''Sleeping Princess'' by Viktor Vasnetsov
Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (russian: Ви́ктор Миха́йлович Васнецо́в; May 15 ( N.S.), 1848 – July 23, 1926) was a Russian artist who specialized in mythological and historical subjects. He is considered the co-founde ...
File:Märchenbrunnen Dornröschen.jpg, ''Sleeping Beauty'', statue in Wuppertal
Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and to ...
– Germany
See also
* The Glass Coffin
"The Glass Coffin" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 163. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Green Fairy Book'' as ''The Crystal Coffin''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 410, Sleeping Beauty. Another variant is ''The ...
* Princess Aubergine
Princess Aubergine (''Baingan Bádsháhzádí'') is an Indian folktale collected by Flora Annie Steel and sourced from the Punjab region. It concerns a princess whose lifeforce is tied to a necklace, and, as soon as it falls in the hand of a riva ...
* Rip Van Winkle
"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...
* Snow White
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...
* The Sleeping Prince (fairy tale)
''The Sleeping Prince'' is a Greek fairy tale collected by in ''Folktales of Greece''.
It is Aarne-Thompson 425G: False Bride takes the heroine's place as she tries to stay awake; recognition when heroine tells her story. This is also found a ...
References
Further reading
* Artal, Susana. "Bellas durmientes en el siglo XIV". In: ''Montevideana'' 10. Universidad de la Republica, Linardi y Risso. 2019. pp. 321–336.
* Starostina, Aglaia. "Chinese Medieval Versions of Sleeping Beauty". In: ''Fabula'', vol. 52, no. 3-4, 2012, pp. 189-206. https://doi.org/10.1515/fabula-2011-0017
* de Vries, Jan. "Dornröschen". In: '' Fabula'' 2, no. 1 (1959): 110-121. https://doi.org/10.1515/fabl.1959.2.1.110
External links
*
''Sleeping beauty in the woods''
by Perrault, 1870 illustrated scanned book via Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
''The Stalk of Flax'' adapted by Amy Friedman and Meredith Johnson
* A painting by John Wood, engraved by F. Bacon and with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon
Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L.
The writings of Landon are transitional between Romanticism and the Victorian Age. Her first major breakthrough ...
in the Forget Me Not annual, 1837.
*
{{Authority control
14th-century literature
Grimms' Fairy Tales
Female characters in fairy tales
European fairy tales
Fairies and sprites in popular culture
French fairy tales
Fictional princesses
Witchcraft in fairy tales
Works by Charles Perrault
European folklore characters
Textiles in folklore
Rape in fiction
Fiction about curses
Sleep in mythology and folklore
Uxoricide in fiction
Works about princesses
ATU 400-459
Brunhild