The fairy tale about the sleeping beauty is widely known all over the world. The “textbook” story can be found in the collections of Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. In these familiar to all kind fairy tales, the sleeping beauty pricked her finger with a spindle. But there is also another, genuine folk version. It was recorded and published in Italy in the 17th century by the storyteller and lover of folklore Giambattista Basile.
The version by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm
The king and queen got a long-awaited child - a beautiful girl - and invited all the sorcerers and witches of the kingdom to a feast. The invitation was not sent to only one witch. She lived in a remote tower, which she had not left for more than 50 years, for which reason everyone decided that she was no longer alive, and did not call her. But the witch found out about the feast and was very offended that she was not called. She came and cursed the little princess, saying that she would prick her finger with a spindle and die. But another sorceress tried to soften the "sentence" by changing the spell so that the princess would just fall asleep.
In the original fairy tale by Sharya Perro, there was no talk of a kiss from a prince, but a period of 100 years was named, which the princess should sleep through.
When the princess turns 16, she accidentally meets an old woman who is spinning a tow, and she, knowing nothing about the curse, allows her to try it too. The sleeping beauty falls asleep, and the good fairy, who softened the curse, also puts the whole castle to sleep, surrounding it with an impenetrable forest. After 100 years, a prince appears. In later versions, the sleeping beauty wakes up from his kiss, but according to Charles Perrault, it just coincided that exactly 100 years have passed since the beauty began to sleep. This is where the modern tale ends.
People's primary source
In the folklore version, everything was not so smooth at all. The first author to publish the popular version, without embellishment, was Jambatista Basile, his book was published in 1634. The sleeping beauty did not prick herself with a spindle, but received a splinter from it in her finger. By the way, the princess in this fairy tale has a name - Thalia.
The king and queen, grieving over their sleeping daughter, lock her in a hut lost in the woods and forget about their daughter. Later, during the hunt, the king of a neighboring country accidentally gets to the house. He goes inside, sees a beautiful princess asleep … and not only kisses her, but also takes possession of the girl. She conceives and after 9 months gives birth, without waking up, two beautiful twin children.
And it is not known how long the princess's dream would have lasted if one of the babies had not lost the mother's breast and began to suck her finger instead. The child sucks the unfortunate splinter, and the curse falls: Thalia wakes up in an abandoned house in a deep forest, with two children. But, by chance, the king decided to visit her again at this time. Seeing the awakened princess, he falls in love with her and promises to come more often.
The problem turned out to be that the king was already married. At home, in a dream, he constantly calls the queen by a false name and remembers his mistress. No wife would like that, and the queen was a determined lady. She inquired from the servants of her husband, where he so often goes to hunt, tracked him down, grabbed the children, brought them to her kingdom and ordered the cook to kill them, making delicious dishes from them. But the cook felt sorry for the beautiful babies, he ordered his wife to hide them, and he himself killed two lambs.
Then the queen began to eliminate her rival: she built a huge bonfire in the courtyard of the castle and ordered Thalia to be brought. She begged her for mercy, saying that the king took her without her knowledge while she slept. But the queen was adamant. Then the awakened beauty asked the queen to at least give her time to undress. Having been flattered by the beautiful outfit of her rival, adorned with gold and jewels, the king's wife agreed.
The moral in a traditional fairy tale sounds like this: “to whom the Lord favors, to those luck comes even in a dream,” although in the modern world such conclusions would be argued.
Thalia, taking off her every thing, sobbed and groaned so loudly that the king heard it, appeared on the spot and rescued her. He threw his wife into the fire, then married Talia, and they lived a long, happy life.
