The birth of the king's daughter is celebrated with splendour until the thirteenth fairy, who had not been invited, prophesies to the little princess that on her fifteenth birthday she will sting herself on a spindle and die instantly. The twelfth fairy manages to diminish the evil spell's outcome to a hundred-year sleep.

Although all the spindles in the country are collected, fate cannot be stopped. The princess discovers an old tower with a chamber where a mysterious old woman sits and spins. The sting of the spindle makes the fairy's curse come true. Everyone falls asleep and a thorn hedge overgrows the whole castle.

In the hundredth year, a young prince who had heard the legend from an old shepherd, comes and frees Sleeping Beauty with his liberating kiss. Everyone at court comes to life once more. There is a splendid wedding and the thorn hedge gradually withers.

Christel Strobel