Briar-Rose

by The Brothers Grimm

　　A long time ago there were a King and Queen who said every day, "Ah,if only we had a child!" but they never had one. But it happened thatonce when the Queen was bathing, a frog crept out of the water on to theland, and said to her, "Your wish shall be fulfilled; before a year hasgone by, you shall have a daughter."

　　What the frog had said came true, and the Queen had a little girl whowas so pretty that the King could not contain himself for joy, andordered a great feast. He invited not only his kindred, friends andacquaintance, but also the Wise Women, in order that they might be kindand well-disposed towards the child. There were thirteen of them in hiskingdom, but, as he had only twelve golden plates for them to eat out of,one of them had to be left at home.

　　The feast was held with all manner of splendour and when it came to anend the Wise Women bestowed their magic gifts upon the baby: one gavevirtue, another beauty, a third riches, and so on with everything inthe world that one can wish for.

　　When eleven of them had made their promises, suddenly the thirteenthcame in. She wished to avenge herself for not having been invited,and without greeting, or even looking at any one, she cried with a loudvoice, "The King's daughter shall in her fifteenth year prick herselfwith a spindle, and fall down dead." And, without saying a word more,she turned round and left the room.

　　They were all shocked; but the twelfth, whose good wish still remainedunspoken, came forward, and as she could not undo the evil sentence,but only soften it, she said, "It shall not be death, but a deep sleepof a hundred years, into which the princess shall fall."

　　The King, who would fain keep his dear child from the misfortune, gaveorders that every spindle in the whole kingdom should be burnt. Meanwhilethe gifts of the Wise Women were plenteously fulfilled on the young girl,for she was so beautiful, modest, good-natured, and wise, that everyonewho saw her was bound to love her.

　　It happened that on the very day when she was fifteen years old, the Kingand Queen were not at home, and the maiden was left in the palace quitealone. So she went round into all sorts of places, looked into rooms andbed-chambers just as she liked, and at last came to an old tower. Sheclimbed up the narrow winding-staircase, and reached a little door. Arusty key was in the lock, and when she turned it the door sprang open,and there in a little room sat an old woman with a spindle, busilyspinning her flax.

　　"Good day, old dame," said the King's daughter; "what are you doingthere?" "I am spinning," said the old woman, and nodded her head. "Whatsort of thing is that, that rattles round so merrily?" said the girl,and she took the spindle and wanted to spin too. But scarcely had shetouched the spindle when the magic decree was fulfilled, and she prickedher finger with it.

　　And, in the very moment when she felt the prick, she fell down upon thebed that stood there, and lay in a deep sleep. And this sleep extendedover the whole palace; the King and Queen who had just come home,and had entered the great hall, began to go to sleep, and the wholeof the court with them. The horses, too, went to sleep in the stable,the dogs in the yard, the pigeons upon the roof, the flies on the wall;even the fire that was flaming on the hearth became quiet and slept,the roast meat left off frizzling, and the cook, who was just going topull the hair of the scullery boy, because he had forgotten something,let him go, and went to sleep. And the wind fell, and on the trees beforethe castle not a leaf moved again.

　　But round about the castle there began to grow a hedge of thorns,which every year became higher, and at last grew close up round thecastle and all over it, so that there was nothing of it to be seen, noteven the flag upon the roof. But the story of the beautiful sleeping"Briar-rose," for so the princess was named, went about the country,so that from time to time kings' sons came and tried to get through thethorny hedge into the castle.

　　But they found it impossible, for the thorns held fast together, as ifthey had hands, and the youths were caught in them, could not get looseagain, and died a miserable death.

　　After long, long years a King's son came again to that country, andheard an old man talking about the thorn-hedge, and that a castle wassaid to stand behind it in which a wonderfully beautiful princess,named Briar-rose, had been asleep for a hundred years; and that theKing and Queen and the whole court were asleep likewise. He had heard,too, from his grandfather, that many kings' sons had already come,and had tried to get through the thorny hedge, but they had remainedsticking fast in it, and had died a pitiful death. Then the youth said,"I am not afraid, I will go and see the beautiful Briar-rose." The goodold man might dissuade him as he would, he did not listen to his words.

　　But by this time the hundred years had just passed, and the day had comewhen Briar-rose was to awake again. When the King's son came near tothe thorn-hedge, it was nothing but large and beautiful flowers, whichparted from each other of their own accord, and let him pass unhurt,then they closed again behind him like a hedge. In the castle-yard hesaw the horses and the spotted hounds lying asleep; on the roof sat thepigeons with their heads under their wings. And when he entered the house,the flies were asleep upon the wall, the cook in the kitchen was stillholding out his hand to seize the boy, and the maid was sitting by theblack hen which she was going to pluck.

　　He went on farther, and in the great hall he saw the whole of the courtlying asleep, and up by the throne lay the King and Queen.

　　Then he went on still farther, and all was so quiet that a breath couldbe heard, and at last he came to the tower, and opened the door into thelittle room where Briar-rose was sleeping. There she lay, so beautifulthat he could not turn his eyes away; and he stooped down and gave her akiss. But as soon as he kissed her, Briar-rose opened her eyes and awoke,and looked at him quite sweetly.

　　Then they went down together, and the King awoke, and the Queen, andthe whole court, and looked at each other in great astonishment. Andthe horses in the court-yard stood up and shook themselves; the houndsjumped up and wagged their tails; the pigeons upon the roof pulled outtheir heads from under their wings, looked round, and flew into the opencountry; the flies on the wall crept again; the fire in the kitchen burnedup and flickered and cooked the meat; the joint began to turn and frizzleagain, and the cook gave the boy such a box on the ear that he screamed,and the maid plucked the fowl ready for the spit.

　　And then the marriage of the King's son with Briar-rose was celebratedwith all splendour, and they lived contented to the end of their days.