this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2025
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I said this about Disney in [email protected] recently. And sleeping beauty couldn't consent!!
It's way worse in the original story.
It's a cursed thorn that keeps her asleep. Prince comes along and rapes her in her sleep. Then leaves her pregnant and still unconscious.
Nine months later she gives birth. The baby crawls up searching for a nipple and starts nursing on her finger. It sucks the thorn out of her finger lifting the curse and she wakes up.
It's not a prince who finds a random sleeping girl. Princess Zellandine falls in love with a man named Troylus. Her father sends Troylus away to perform various tasks to prove himself worthy of her. But yes, he does basically rape her in her sleep when he comes back.
That's a much latter version. AFIK The Sun, Moon, and Talia is the earliest. Relevant bit below.
After a time, it happened by chance that a king was out hunting and passed that way. One of his falcons escaped from his hand and flew into the house by way of one of the windows. It did not come when called, so the king had one of his party knock at the door, believing the palace to be inhabited. Although he knocked for a length of time, nobody answered, so the king had them bring a vintner's ladder, for he himself would climb up and search the house, to discover what was inside. Thus he climbed up and entered, and looked in all the rooms, and nooks, and corners, and was amazed to find no living person there. At last he came to the salon, and when the king beheld Talia, who seemed to be enchanted, he believed that she was asleep, and he called her, but she remained unconscious. Crying aloud, he beheld her charms and felt his blood course hotly through his veins. He lifted her in his arms, and carried her to a bed, where he gathered the first fruits of love. Leaving her on the bed, he returned to his own kingdom, where, in the pressing business of his realm, he for a time thought no more about this incident.
Now after nine months Talia delivered two beautiful children, one a boy and the other a girl. In them could be seen two rare jewels, and they were attended by two fairies, who came to that palace, and put them at their mother's breasts. Once, however, they sought the nipple, and not finding it, began to suck on Talia's fingers, and they sucked so much that the splinter of flax came out. Talia awoke as if from a long sleep, and seeing beside her two priceless gems, she held them to her breast, and gave them the nipple to suck, and the babies were dearer to her than her own life. Finding herself alone in that palace with two children by her side, she did not know what had happened to her; but she did notice that the table was set, and food and drink were brought in to her, although she did not see any attendants.
https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type0410.html
Sun, Moon, and Talia was written in the early 1600s. The version I was referring to is from Perceforest, written between 1330 and 1344. It's the earliest known version.