Plot Summary
In a faraway kingdom, a king and his queen are delighted at the birth of their daughter, whom they have had after years of prayers, vows, and pilgrimages. Seven fairies offer the princess unique gifts, but an uninvited eighth fairy (the wicked fairy), enraged at being excluded, curses the princess to prick her finger on a spindle and die at the age of sixteen.
To prevent this, the king forbids spinning wheels. However, years later, the now-teenage princess stumbles upon a hidden room and encounters an old woman (disguised as the eighth fairy). She pricks her finger on a spindle and falls into a deep sleep as the curse takes effect. The good fairy who tried to soften the curse uses her power to put the entire castle, including its inhabitants except the king and the queen, into a hundred-year slumber. The king and queen kiss their daughter goodbye and leave the castle. Thorns and brambles grow around the castle, hiding it from the outside world.
Years pass, and a prince encounters an old man who tells him about the sleeping princess. Intrigued, the king sets out to find her and discovers the hidden castle. He bravely navigates the surrounding dangers and reaches the princess. His presence breaks the course, and the awakened princess, along with the revived castle inhabitants, rejoices. They fall in love immediately and are married. They have two children, named Dawn and Day. However, the prince does not tell his mother about his marriage and children, for it was rumored that she was an ogress who could eat children.
Eventually, the prince’s mother dies, and he becomes the king. He then introduces his consort and children to the queen. When the king has to go to war with a neighboring kingdom, he entrusts his family to his mother. The ogress attempts to devour the children but is tricked by a loyal steward who secretly replaces them with animals. She eventually discovers the deception and attempts to throw the queen and her children, along with the steward and his family, into a vat filled with poisonous creatures.
Just in time, the king returns and finds his family in danger. The ogress, enraged, jumps into the vat and is devoured by her own creation. The king is initially saddened by his mother's demise but finds solace with his wife and children.
