Briar Rose

sleeping beloved

The Sleeping Beloved Saga

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.”  So the LORD God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found as his complement.  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place.  Then the LORD God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.  And the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ’woman,’ for she was taken from man.” ~ Genesis 2:18-23

I wanted to end my Sleeping Beloved saga where we began.  It was a cyclical journey, after all…

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sleeping beloved

Maleficent’s Awakening

Again, this post contains spoilers of Disney’s 2014 Maleficent.

Like in the animated film, the three good fairies raise Aurora as a peasant girl.  Although well-meaning, they’re a rather incompetent bunch.  They have no idea how to care for a baby, and the poor thing is constantly crying because of their neglect.

Even Maleficent cannot withstand the heart-wrenching cries of a babe in true distress…

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sleeping beloved

Aurora: The Second Zellandine

I’m not sure if Disney intended to make Aurora a second Zellandine.  I like to think he did.  He was a master storyteller, after all; and the fact that he sets the tale in the 14th century – the century in which Perceforest was written – hints that he was at least referring to Zellandine.   

Six hundred years separate Zellandine and Aurora, and yet they are incredibly similar…

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sleeping beloved

Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty”

We are finally within the last hundred years!  The Walt Disney 1959 animated version of Sleeping Beauty is a timeless classic, giving a fresh voice to the Sleeping Beloved characters.  Disney masterfully crafted the fairy tale into something unique; and yet, the story remained true to its nature…    

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sleeping beloved

Love-Based Identity

Before the hedge, our Sleeping Beloved is simply called “the Princess.”  She has no name – no separate identity.  She has a mask of deeds to hide her heart behind, and takes drastic actions in trying to awaken her sleeping heart.  

But then a briar hedge begins to grow.  It protects “the Princess” from harm – in this case, from men who would come upon her in her sleeping state (like in the first two versions).   She is given a new name based on that which protects her: Briar Rose…

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sleeping beloved

Behind the Mask

And so, our Sleeping Beloved travels back to her native Germanic roots (a connection Wilhelm Grimm made as well).  However, she has changed drastically since her ancestress Brunhilde was placed in a deep sleep for disobeying an order from the All-Father.  This “new” Sleeping Beauty is…well, perfect. 

Maybe it’s because I grew up in the post-feminist world, or perhaps it’s because I’ve made my fair share of mistakes.  Either way, I’m cynical.  Well good for her.  She’s the good girl.  Everyone loves her.  She’s beautiful and modest; kind and clever.  I bet she wakes up with perfect hair, too…

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sleeping beloved

The Loss and Gain of Identity

In previous versions, our Sleeping Beloved was held three consistent identities: princess, wife, and mother.  Despite the magical forces, Sleeping Beauty always emerges as a “typical” woman (that is, wife and mother).  She embodies the transition between girlhood and adulthood, helping women through her example.  The lesson she teaches is that awakening one’s heart to love is always, always worth it.

Beginning in 1812, however, Sleeping Beauty’s story is cut short.  Rather than the central crisis coming after her awakening, her chief trial is her slumbering state…

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