The Sleeping Beauty

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

For older kids, it’s dreamy and slow, with long stretches of calm ‘sleep imagery.’ Bedtime-friendly when you emphasize the gentle atmosphere and the peaceful ending.

Story Synopsis

A king and queen long for a child, and at last they welcome a baby daughter. They celebrate with a grand christening and invite the fairies of the realm to give blessings. But one fairy arrives offended and places a curse: the princess will one day prick her finger on a spindle and die. Another fairy softens the spell—she will not die, but will sleep for one hundred years. The king orders every spinning wheel and spindle destroyed, hoping to protect his child forever. Yet as the princess grows, fate finds a quiet way in. On her birthday she wanders into a lonely tower and meets an old woman spinning. Curious, the princess touches the spindle, pricks her finger, and collapses into enchanted sleep. The spell spreads through the palace. The court, the guards, even the animals fall asleep where they stand, and a thick hedge of briars grows around the castle, hiding it from the world. Years pass. Princes come and fail to enter. At last, when the hundred years are nearly complete, a prince arrives at the right moment. The briars part, the castle opens, and he finds the sleeping princess. When the time of the enchantment ends, she awakens—and with her, the entire castle rises into morning. The story feels like a dream of waiting that turns into renewal: rest, time, and gentle awakening.

Story Excerpt

Long ago, there lived a King and a Queen who had everything a kingdom could offer — bright halls, green gardens, loyal friends — yet their hearts felt empty. They wished for a child more than anything. They traveled, they made promises, they visited famous waters and holy places, and they tried every hopeful thing people suggested. At last, their wish was answered. The Queen had a baby daughter. The whole kingdom celebrated. A splendid christening was prepared, and the King and Queen invited every fairy they could find. In all, seven fairies came — seven godmothers for the little Princess — so that each could give her a gift, as fairies did in those days. After the christening, everyone returned to the palace for a grand feast. At each fairy’s place was set a magnificent cover, and beside it a shining case of heavy gold, holding a spoon, knife, and fork — all pure gold, sparkling with diamonds and rubies. But just as the fairies were settling in, the great doors opened. In walked a very old fairy — so old that no one had seen her for more than fifty years. She had lived shut away in a tower, and many believed she was either gone from the world or held under an enchantment. The King, startled and eager to be polite, ordered a place set for her at once. But there was a problem : only seven golden cases had been made, one for each of the invited fairies. The old fairy received a cover, but not a matching case like the others. Her…

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