Herbie Murray
The exact age at which Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger varies across different versions of the tale. In the original tale by Giambattista Basile, the princess pricks her finger on a piece of flax, falling into a deep sleep. In the Charles Perrault version, the princess is cursed at birth by a bad fairy, Maleficent, to prick her finger on a spinning wheel before her sixteenth or seventeenth birthday and die. However, good fairies amend the curse, and she falls into a deep sleep instead. The Grimm Brothers' version also mentions a spindle as the instrument of the prophecy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Age when she pricks her finger | 15 or 16 years old |
| Name of Sleeping Beauty | Aurora, Talia |
| Item she pricks her finger on | Spindle of a spinning wheel, flax |
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What You'll Learn
The princess was cursed by a fairy as a newborn
The tale of Sleeping Beauty begins with a princess who is cursed by a fairy as a newborn. The king and queen throw a party to celebrate the birth of their daughter and honour her, but they fail to invite a powerful fairy, who is deeply offended by this slight. This prompts the ancient fairy to curse the child instead of blessing her. The fairy decrees that the princess will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die before she grows up, or when she turns sixteen or seventeen, according to different versions of the story.
In an attempt to protect his daughter, the king bans and destroys all spinning wheels in the kingdom. However, despite his efforts, the prophecy comes true. The princess, who has never seen a spinning wheel before, encounters one in the palace when she is fifteen or sixteen years old. She asks an old woman, implied to be the evil fairy in disguise, if she can try spinning, and in doing so, pricks her finger.
Instead of dying, as was originally foretold, the princess falls into a deep sleep. The evil fairy's curse is partially reversed by a good fairy, who gifts the princess with a chance at survival. The good fairy foresees that the princess will awaken to distress if she finds herself alone, so she puts everyone in the castle, except the king and queen, to sleep. The king and queen kiss their daughter goodbye and leave the castle, and the good fairy summons a forest of trees, brambles and thorns to shield the castle from the outside world.
After some time, the sleeping princess is found by a prince, who carries her to a bed. He later returns to marry her, and she awakens. In Giambattista Basile's version, the princess, named Talia, gives birth to twins while still unconscious.
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She pricked her finger on a spinning wheel
The story of Sleeping Beauty begins with a princess whose parents are told by a wicked fairy that their daughter will die when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel before she grows up or, in some versions of the story, on her 15th or 16th birthday. In an attempt to protect their daughter, the king and queen ban all spinning wheels in the kingdom. Despite their efforts, the prophecy is fulfilled when the princess, who is around fifteen or sixteen years old, pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel.
In Giambattista Basile's version of the tale, titled Sun, Moon, and Talia, the princess's name is Talia. In this iteration of the story, Talia falls into a deep sleep after getting a splinter of flax in her finger from a passing peddler woman spinning flax. She is found by a prince, who carries her to a bed and then abandons her after assaulting her. Talia gives birth to twins while still unconscious, and one of her children eventually removes the splinter from her finger, awakening her.
In the Brothers Grimm's version, the princess falls into a deep sleep after pricking her finger on a spindle. She is found by a prince and awakened. In Charles Perrault's version, the princess is named Aurora, and she is awakened by her true love, Prince Philip.
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The princess fell into a deep sleep
The princess's parents tried to protect her by banning all spinning wheels from the kingdom. However, fate intervened. On her sixteenth birthday, the princess discovered an old woman spinning with a spindle. The princess, who had never seen a spinning wheel before, asked the old woman if she could try it. The old woman was, in fact, the evil fairy in disguise, and the princess's fate was sealed.
The princess pricked her finger on the spindle and instantly fell into a deep sleep. The fairy's prophecy had come true, though not in the way she had intended. The princess did not die, but her sleep was so profound that she could not be awoken. The king and queen were distraught. They had the princess carried to the finest room in the palace and placed upon a bed of gold and silver embroidered fabric.
The good fairy who had amended the curse arrived in a dragon-drawn chariot. She used her powers of foresight to predict that the princess would awaken to distress if she found herself alone when she woke. So, the fairy put everyone in the castle to sleep, except for the king and queen. The king and queen kissed their daughter goodbye and left the castle, banning others from entering. The good fairy then summoned a forest of trees, brambles, and thorns to spring up around the castle, shielding it from the outside world.
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She was placed in a room in the palace
The exact age at which Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger varies across different versions of the story. In the Grimms' version, the princess is cursed to prick her finger and die at the age of fifteen. In other versions, she is said to be sixteen when the prophecy comes true.
After pricking her finger, the princess is placed in a room in the palace. This room is described as being the finest in the castle, with a bed of gold and silver embroidered fabric. The seventh fairy, who possesses great powers of foresight, predicts that the princess will awaken to distress if she finds herself alone. To prevent this, the fairy puts everyone in the castle, except the King and Queen, to sleep.
The King and Queen kiss their daughter goodbye and leave the castle, intending to banish all spinning wheels from the kingdom to protect their daughter. However, the good fairy intervenes by summoning a forest of trees, brambles, and thorns to spring up around the castle, shielding it from the outside world.
In some versions of the story, the princess is discovered in her slumber by a wandering prince, who carries her to a bed. He then abandons her, and she later gives birth to twins while still unconscious. In other variants, the princess is found by a prince from a neighboring land who tries to wake her. Unable to do so, he returns to his kingdom, and the princess remains asleep for a hundred years.
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The princess was saved by a prince
The tale of Sleeping Beauty begins with a princess whose parents are told by a wicked fairy that their daughter will die when she pricks her finger. The princess is cursed at birth by a powerful fairy who was not invited to a party held in her honour. The fairy predicts that the princess will die when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel before she turns seventeen. In some versions, the princess is predicted to die before her sixteenth birthday.
The princess's parents attempt to protect her by banning and destroying all spinning wheels in the kingdom. However, their efforts are futile as the princess pricks her finger on a spindle when she is fifteen or sixteen years old. Instead of dying, she falls into a deep sleep. The princess is then placed in the finest room in the palace, surrounded by her sleeping subjects, and left alone for a hundred years.
After a hundred years pass, the princess is discovered by a prince who awakens her with a kiss. In Giambattista Basile's version, the prince finds the princess in her palace and carries her to a bed. He abandons her after an assault, and she gives birth to twins while still unconscious. In other versions, the prince is her true love, and they live happily ever after.
The story of Sleeping Beauty has been retold and adapted many times, with variations in the narrative and the characters' fates. However, the core element of the princess being saved by a prince remains consistent in most interpretations.
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Frequently asked questions
In the Grimm Brothers' version, Sleeping Beauty was cursed to prick her finger at the age of fifteen. In other versions, she pricks her finger on her sixteenth birthday.
Depending on the version, Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger on either a piece of flax, a spindle, or the spindle of a spinning wheel.
After pricking her finger, Sleeping Beauty falls into a deep sleep. In some versions, she is awakened by her true love, a prince. In other versions, she gives birth to twins while still unconscious, and one of the twins sucks the flax splinter out of her finger, awakening her.
In the original story, a fairy gets left off the guest list for a grand birthday party hosted by the king and queen. As a curse, the fairy dooms the princess to prick her finger.
