The Real Story Behind Sleeping Beauty
A Princess Who Slept Through Trauma
The Disney tale shows a peaceful princess kissed awake by true love. The original Italian version, “Sun, Moon, and Talia,” written by Giambattista Basile in the 1600s, is terrifying.
In that story, the princess doesn’t wake up because of a kiss — she’s assaulted by a passing king while unconscious. She gives birth to twins while still asleep, and one of the babies sucks the splinter from her finger, finally waking her.
Historians believe the tale reflected real noble scandals in Renaissance Italy — where royal women were literally “kept asleep” with herbs or sedatives to prevent scandal or defiance. The fairy tale isn’t about romance; it’s about power, abuse, and awakening from trauma.
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