Briar-Rose (Grimm)
Short summary
A fairy tale kingdom, magical medieval times. A childless King and Queen desperately wished for a child. A frog prophesied that within a year they would have a daughter. The prophecy came true, and they had a beautiful princess. The King held a grand feast, inviting twelve of the thirteen Wise Women in his kingdom, as he had only twelve golden plates.
The uninvited thirteenth Wise Woman appeared and cursed the princess to prick her finger on a spindle and die at fifteen. The twelfth Wise Woman softened the curse to a hundred-year sleep. On her fifteenth birthday, Briar-Rose found an old woman spinning in a tower, touched the spindle, and fell into deep sleep along with the entire castle. A thick thorn hedge grew around the castle. Many princes died trying to penetrate it.
There she lay, so beautiful that he could not turn his eyes away; and he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But as soon as he kissed her, Briar-rose opened her eyes and awoke.
After exactly one hundred years, a prince arrived. The thorns turned to flowers and parted for him. He found the sleeping princess in the tower. His kiss awakened her and everyone in the castle. They married and lived happily ever after.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The royal wish and the frogs prophecy
Long ago, a King and Queen desperately longed for a child, saying every day how much they wished to have one, but remained childless for years.
One day while the Queen was bathing, a frog emerged from the water and spoke to her, promising that her wish would be fulfilled and that she would have a daughter within a year.
The frog's prophecy came true, and the Queen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who brought the King such joy that he could barely contain himself.
The feast of wise women and the deadly curse
To celebrate his daughter's birth, the King organized a magnificent feast, inviting not only family and friends but also the Wise Women of his kingdom so they might bestow blessings upon the child. However, there were thirteen Wise Women in the kingdom, but the King possessed only twelve golden plates for them to eat from, so one had to be left uninvited.
The feast proceeded with great splendor, and when it concluded, the Wise Women presented their magical gifts to the baby: one bestowed virtue, another beauty, a third riches, and so forth with every wonderful quality one could desire. After eleven had made their promises, the thirteenth Wise Woman suddenly appeared, seeking revenge for not being invited.
The King's daughter shall in her fifteenth year prick herself with a spindle, and fall down dead... without saying a word more, she turned round and left the room.
Everyone was shocked by this terrible curse, but fortunately the twelfth Wise Woman had not yet spoken her blessing.
It shall not be death, but a deep sleep of a hundred years, into which the princess shall fall... as she could not undo the evil sentence, but only soften it.
The spindles prick and the great sleep
Desperate to protect his beloved child from the curse, the King ordered every spindle in the entire kingdom to be burned. Meanwhile, all the gifts from the Wise Women were abundantly fulfilled in the young princess, for she grew to be extraordinarily beautiful, modest, good-natured, and wise, so that everyone who saw her was bound to love her.
On the very day she turned fifteen, the King and Queen were away from the palace, leaving the maiden alone. She wandered through various rooms and chambers, eventually climbing a narrow winding staircase to reach an old tower. There she found a little door with a rusty key, and when she turned it, the door opened to reveal a small room where an old woman sat spinning flax with a spindle.
Curious about the strange rattling object, the princess asked to try spinning herself.
But scarcely had she touched the spindle when the magic decree was fulfilled, and she pricked her finger with it... she fell down upon the bed that stood there, and lay in a deep sleep.
The enchanted sleep spread throughout the entire palace. The King and Queen, who had just returned home, fell asleep in the great hall along with the entire court. The horses slept in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the pigeons on the roof, and even the flies on the wall. The fire on the hearth became quiet, the roast meat stopped sizzling, and the cook fell asleep mid-task.
A hundred years of thorns and failed rescues
Around the castle, a hedge of thorns began to grow, becoming higher each year until it completely surrounded and covered the castle, hiding it from view entirely. The story of the beautiful sleeping princess, now called Briar-Rose, spread throughout the country, attracting many kings' sons who attempted to penetrate the thorny barrier. However, the thorns held fast together as if they had hands, trapping the young men who died miserably, unable to free themselves.
The destined prince and the awakening kiss
After many years, another king's son arrived and heard an old man tell the legend of Briar-Rose.
Despite the old man's warnings about the fate of previous suitors, the prince declared he was not afraid and would see the beautiful Briar-Rose. Fortunately, exactly one hundred years had passed, and the day of awakening had arrived. When the prince approached the thorn hedge, it transformed into large, beautiful flowers that parted to let him pass unharmed, then closed behind him. He found everyone in the castle still sleeping and made his way to the tower where Briar-Rose lay. Overcome by her beauty, he kissed her, and she immediately awoke. The entire castle came to life, and the prince and Briar-Rose were married with great celebration, living happily ever after.