How long did sleeping beauty sleep? Sleep is often a time when we can relax and refresh our minds, but scientists have revealed that sleeping is much more complicated and an issue that usually calls for medical treatment. The question has been asked continuously since before the story was written by Charles Perrault in 1697, “Beauty’s Dream.”
Sleeping beauty sleep may vary depending on the individual’s age, gender, phase of life with the health condition, or even other influences. A lot of factors come into play with what constitutes sleeping beauty sleep.
Sleeping beauty meaning
“sleeping beauty” refers to a princess who has “beauty in her sleep.” The name of the character Sleeping Beauty is derived from the poem written by Charles Perrault. The term sleeping beauty is used to refer to any young woman who falls asleep with no apparent cause.
Here is the information from Wikipedia:
According to Wikipedia, Sleeping Beauty (French: La Belle au Bois dormant), or Little Briar Rose (German: Dornröschen), also titled in English The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods, is a classic fairy tale about a princess who is cursed to sleep for a hundred years by an evil fairy, to be awakened by a handsome prince at the end of them.
The good fairy, realizing that the princess would be frightened if alone when she awakens, uses her wand to put every living person and animal in the palace to sleep, to awaken when the princess does.
The earliest known version of the story is found in the narrative Perceforest, composed between 1330 and 1344. Giambattista Basile first published the tale in his collection of tales titled The Pentamerone (published posthumously in 1634).
Basile’s version was later adapted and published by Charles Perrault in Histoires ou contes du temps passé in 1697. The later collected and printed version by the Brothers Grimm was an orally transmitted version of the literary tale published by Perrault.
The Aarne-Thompson classification system for folktales classifies “Sleeping Beauty” as being a 410 tale type, meaning it includes a princess who is forced into an enchanted sleep and is later awakened, reversing the magic placed upon her.
The story has been adapted many times throughout history and has continued to be retold by modern storytellers.
How long did sleeping beauty sleep?
Sleeping beauty sleep is a phenomenon that has been well-known throughout the years. However, the question remains, how long did the young princess in question sleep? And how long is too long to remain in a deep slumber?
More often than not, people tend to fall asleep anywhere from 7-9 hours on average. Some people can fall into a deep slumber for up to 9 consecutive hours. However, if you consider that people usually sleep in three to four-hour cycles, you are looking at a sleep duration of up to 12 hours.
During these 12 hours, the person is likely to be unconscious, making it impossible for them to have any recollection of what went on while they were asleep.
How does sleeping beauty fall asleep?
Sleeping beauty falls asleep after being told by the fairy about a dream where she would meet her future husband. She has no idea how long she will sleep, as this is left unclear by the fairy.
The story also clarifies that she was not expected to wake until it was broken. Because of this, there is no apparent explanation as to why her slumber lasted 100 years or why she and everyone else in the castle did not die of old age over that period.
Who wrote sleeping beauty?
Charles Perrault is the person who wrote this story. However, it has been retold countless times and written by many different authors.
The actual author of the story is unknown, but a lot of theorizing has been done to try and discover who inspired the idea. Amongst these people are Saturninus, Marcus Gavius Apicius, Pliny (ancient Greek historian), The Golden Ass by Apuleius of Madaura, and The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault (a collection from 1780).
There have also been stories written in collaboration with Charles Perrault, La Belle au Bois dormant by Madame d’Aulnoy.
It has been suggested that the characters of Sleeping Beauty and her prince were inspired by The Prince and Beauty, a fairy tale story by Thomas Love Peacock.
The idea behind her losing her head came from a children’s book called “L’Histoire des Trois petits coeurs.”
Did Sleeping Beauty actually sleep for 100 years?
Although the story leaves many questions unanswered, one of them is how many years this young princess did indeed sleep.
The issue with this question really lies with when she fell asleep, what exactly caused her to fall asleep, and how long she slept.
The evidence:
Several different sources refer to the length of time that Sleeping Beauty slept 100 years. There are two different opinions on how long she fell into a deep sleep. One is that she fell into a deep sleep for 100 years, and the other is that she fell asleep for one hundred years.
The effect of 100 years of sleep:
Over 100 years, you would assume that the castle would have been abandoned and left to rot. It’s also likely that whoever laid grief to the castle, or anything in it, would have died long before Sleeping Beauty awoke.
Because of this, it is highly unlikely that she would have had to deal with any household pests or have been exposed to many dangers because these would have all died off long before the princess.
The lack of evidence:
There is a lack of evidence that supports the idea that Sleeping Beauty actually slept for 100 years. The evidence that does exist points toward her asking her father’s permission to go out into the woods with a poor boy she had fallen in love with, which he granted her. She then sets out on her journey to meet him, where the story ends.
How old was Sleeping Beauty when she fell asleep?
The oldest version of the story is found in the narrative Perceforest, composed between 1330 and 1344. This would make her about 16 years old when she fell asleep.
How does Sleeping Beauty wake up?
Sleeping Beauty wakes up when a prince kisses her on the lips. This kiss is a very powerful one, as it was said that whoever kissed her would instantly fall asleep for 100 years.
The kiss was said to be so strong that it would kill off anyone who kissed her, which would also make sense why there are no records about this.
When she wakes up, she immediately becomes upset to see that her family had died long before she did and is heartbroken by their death.
How do Sleeping Beauty’s parents die?
In the earliest versions of the story, Sleeping Beauty’s parents were murdered by angry peasants to avenge themselves for a local lord’s dispute. Her father, the king, had allegedly mistreated them.
However, in later versions of the fairy tale, this was changed so that they died peacefully while they were asleep.
How old is Sleeping Beauty when she dies?
When Sleeping Beauty’s death occurs, she can see one last sunrise before her passing away. It’s said that she can see this sunrise one last time after a long period of having been unconscious, which can be assumed to be some sleep-related death.
Final Thoughts
For many years, the story of Sleeping Beauty has been retold and said to countless children all over the world. It has become a household name that many people are familiar with. The story itself is quite tragic. However, it’s a tale that we can all learn something from.
I hope this article has been helpful to you in some way, and have a wonderful day ahead!
If you enjoyed this, please consider taking the time to share it with your friends and family.
