THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
Part One
A folklore story current in many lands, that shows the power of love to awaken all things to life. The first part shows the deadening effect of malice.
Once upon a time a king and queen grieved sorely because they had no child. When a daughter was born there was great rejoicing and all the fairies in the kingdom were invited to a feast.
All the fairies that the king knew of came, each bringing the young princess a gift. One gave her beauty; another gave her wit; one said she should draw perfectly, and another said she should sing. At the end of the feast an old fairy who had not been invited because the king did not know of her, came into the hall and began to abuse the company for neglecting her. She turned to the princess and said:
“You shall have all the gifts the others have given you, but I tell you that some day you shall pierce your hand with a needle while you are spinning, and you shall die of the wound.”
The king and queen began to weep at this, and so did all the fairies. One of them, however, said to the princess:
“You will pierce your hand, but it shall not be death that will come to you, but sleep.” And then the feast was over and the fairies had vanished.
The king made a law that nobody should spin or have needles in his home, for fear that the princess might pierce her hand.