I
Once
upon a time there lived a king and queen who were very unhappy because they had
no children. But at last a little daughter was born, and their sorrow was
turned to joy. All the bells in the land were rung to tell the glad tidings.
The
king gave a christening feast so grand that the like of it had never been
known. He invited all the fairies he could find in the kingdom—there were seven
of them—to come to the christening as godmothers. He hoped that each would give
the princess a good gift.
When
the christening was over, the feast came. Before each of the fairies was placed
a plate with a spoon, a knife, and a fork—all pure gold. But alas! As the
fairies were about to seat themselves at the table, there came into the hall a
very old fairy who had not been invited. She had left the kingdom fifty years
before and had not been seen or heard of until this day.
The
king at once ordered that a plate should be brought for her, but he could not
furnish a gold one such as the others had. This made the old fairy angry, and
she sat there muttering to herself.
A young
fairy who sat near overheard her angry threats. This good godmother, fearing
the old fairy might give the child an unlucky gift, hid herself behind a
curtain. She did this because she wished to speak last and perhaps be able to
change the old fairy’s gift.
At the
end of the feast, the youngest fairy stepped forward and said, “The princess
shall be the most beautiful woman in the world.”
The
second said,
“She
shall have a temper as sweet as an angel.”
The
third said,
“She
shall have a wonderful grace in all she does or says.”
The
fourth said,
“She
shall sing like a nightingale.”
The
fifth said,
“She
shall dance like a flower in the wind.”
The
sixth said,
“She
shall play such music as was never heard on earth.”
Then
the old fairy’s turn came. Shaking her head spitefully, she said,
“When
the princess is seventeen years old, she shall prick her finger with a spindle,
and-she-shall-die!”
At this
all the guests trembled, and many of them began to weep. The king and queen
wept loudest of all.
Just
then the wise young fairy came from behind the curtain and said: “Do not
grieve, O King and Queen. Your daughter shall not die. I cannot undo what my
elder sister has done; the princess shall indeed prick her finger with the
spindle, but she shall not die. She shall fall into sleep that will last a
hundred years. At the end of that time, a king’s son will find her and awaken
her.”
Immediately
all the fairies vanished.
II
The
king, hoping to save his child even from this misfortune, commanded that all
spindles should be burned. This was done, but it was all in vain.
One day
when the princess was seventeen years of age, the king and queen left her alone
in the castle. She wandered about the palace and at last came to a little room
in the top of a tower. There an old woman—so old and deaf that she had never
heard of the king’s command—sat spinning.
“What
are you doing, good old woman?” asked the princess.
“I am
spinning, my pretty child.”
“Ah,”
said the princess. “How do you do it? Let me see if I can spin also.”
She had
just taken the spindle in her hand when, in some way, it pricked her finger.
The princess dropped down on the floor. The old woman called for help, and
people came from all sides, but nothing could be done.
When
the good young fairy heard the news, she came quickly to the castle. She knew
that the princess must sleep a hundred years and would be frightened if she
found herself alone when she awoke. So the fairy touched with her magic wand
all in the palace except the king and the queen. Ladies, gentlemen, pages,
waiting maids, footmen, grooms in the stable, and even the horses—she touched
them all. They all went to sleep just where they were when the wand touched
them. Some of the gentlemen were bowing to the ladies, the ladies were
embroidering, the grooms stood currying their horses, and the cook was slapping
the kitchen boy.
The
king and queen departed from the castle, giving orders that no one was to go
near it. This command, however, was not needed. In a little while there sprang
around the castle a wood so thick that neither man nor beast could pass
through.
III
A great
many changes take place in a hundred years. The king had no other child, and
when he died, his throne passed to another royal family. Even the story of the
sleeping princess was almost forgotten.
One day
the son of the king who was then reigning was out hunting, and he saw towers
rising above a thick wood. He asked what they were, but no one could answer
him.
At last
an old peasant was found who said, “Your highness, fifty years ago my father
told me that there is a castle in the woods where a princess sleeps—the most
beautiful princess that ever lived. It was said that she must sleep there a
hundred years, when she would be awakened by a king’s son.”
At this
the young prince determined to find out the truth for himself. He leaped from
his horse and began to force his way through the wood. To his astonishment, the
stiff branches gave way, and then closed again, allowing none of his companions
to follow.
A
beautiful palace rose before him. In the courtyard the prince saw horses and
men who looked as if they were dead. But he was not afraid and boldly entered
the palace. There were guards motionless as stone, gentlemen and ladies, pages
and footmen, some standing, some sitting, but all like statues.
At last
the prince came to a chamber of gold, where he saw upon a bed the fairest sight
one ever beheld—a princess of about seventeen years who looked as if she had
just fallen asleep. Trembling, the prince knelt beside her, and awakened her with
a kiss. And now the enchantment was broken.
The
princess looked at him with wondering eyes and said: “Is it you, my prince? I
have waited for you long.”
So
happy were the two that they talked hour after hour. In the meantime all in the
palace awaked and each began to do what he was doing when he fell asleep. The
gentlemen went on bowing to the ladies. The ladies went on with their
embroidery. The grooms went on currying their horses, the cook went on slapping
the kitchen boy, and the servants began to serve the supper. Then the chief
lady in waiting, who was ready to die of hunger, told the princess aloud that
supper was ready.
The
prince gave the princess his hand, and they all went into the great hall for
supper. That very evening the prince and princess were married. The next day
the prince took his bride to his father’s palace, and there they lived happily
ever afterward.
Taken from
Vladimir Propp’s
functions in order to analyze fairy tales.
Function 2: an interdiction is addressed to
protagonist(s) = interdiction
It was supposed
that the princess could not use any spindle.
Function 3: interdiction is violated = violation
The princess
despite of the interdiction decides to learn how to spin
Function 7: victim(s) / protagonist(s) accept
deception and unwittingly help antagonist(s) = complicity
The princess
decides to help the woman who is really the evil fairy
Function 8: antagonist(s) causes harm or injury to
victim(s)/member of protagonist's family
The evil fairy
Function 9: misfortune/lack made known, protagonist(s)
approached with request/command, they are allowed to go/dispatched = mediation,
the connective incident.
With the news
about the sleeping beauty many people decide to leave the castle which causes
danger on doing there
Function 10: protagonist(s) agrees to or decides on
counteraction = beginning counteraction
After listening
to the story the prince decides to go and see if he can help the princess
Function 19: initial misfortune or lack is liquidated
= liquidation
After the
prince’s kiss the misfortune is gone from the princess
Function 26:
task resolved = solution
The princess
finally wakes up
Function 31: protagonist(s) marries and ascends throne
= wedding
They get married
and live happily for ever
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