Sun, Moon, and Talia

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Sun, Moon, and Talia is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, The Pentamerone.^[1] Charles Perrault retold this fairy tale in 1697 as Sleeping Beauty.

1 Synopsis
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

After the birth of his daughter, Talia, a great king sends for wise men and astrologers to tell him the fate of the baby girl. The wise men cast the child's horoscope and tell the king that Talia would be later endangered by a splinter of flax. To protect his daughter, the father commands that no flax would ever be brought into his house.

Years later, Talia is looking out of her window when she sees an old woman spinning flax on a spindle. She asks the woman if she can stretch the flax herself, and is given permission. As soon as Talia begins to spin, a splinter of flax goes under her fingernail, and she drops to the ground, apparently dead. Talia's devastated father dresses the girl's body in beautiful clothes and places her on a brocaded dais. Unable to stand the thought of burying his child, the king puts Talia in one of his country estates.

Some time later, a different king comes upon the land, while hunting in nearby woods. His falcon escapes him and flies through the window, into the house. The king goes inside to retrieve the bird; and after searching the house, he finds the room where Talia's body had been laid. Enchanted by her beauty, the king tries unsuccessfully to wake her up. When Talia does not respond, the king believes her to be dead, carries her to a bed, and sleeps with her. Afterwards, he leaves the girl on the bed and returns to his own city.

Talia, however, had never been truly dead - but merely in a state similar to unconsciousness. And now the king had unknowingly impregnated her. Still deep in sleep, she gives birth to twins (a boy and a girl) with the help of kind fairies, who then put the babies on Talia's chest to nurse. One day, the boy cannot find his mother's breast; and instead he begins to suck on Talia's finger. He sucks with such force, that he draws the flax splinter out. Talia awakens immediately. She is confused by the presence of the babies, but she embraces them, nurses them, and names them "Sun" and "Moon".

Eventually the king remembers the girl he had met during his hunting trip. He decides to return to the estate and see if she is still sleeping. When he discovers that Talia is awake - and a mother of twins - he explains to her who he is and how she had become pregnant. The king stays at the estate for several days, during which the two talk, and eventually form a strong bond. As the king leaves the estate and returns to his home, he realizes that he is in love with Talia.

However, he is already married. Calling out the names of Talia, Sun and Moon in his sleep, the queen hears him and is overcome with anger and jealousy. She asks the king's secretary who her husband's secret lover is. At first, the secretary does not want to betray his king, but when the woman threatens his life, he relents and tells her all. The queen then sends a forged message from the king to Talia, through the secretary. Thus she asks Talia to send Sun and Moon for a visit. Talia does so.

When the queen sees the children in person, her anger becomes even more powerful. She orders the cook to kill them, and serve them as tasty dishes to the king. Horrified, the cook takes the children to his wife, with instructions to hide them from the queen. Instead of the children, he kills and cooks two young lambs for the royal couple's dinner. As the king eats his food, the queen taunts him, saying, "You are eating what is your own."

Shortly thereafter, the queen sends the secretary to fetch Talia, again using a forged message from the king. When Talia arrives, she is greeted by the queen, who cannot disguise her hatred. Talia tries to explain the circumstances by which she had become the king's lover, but the queen does not believe her story. She commands that a huge fire be lit in the courtyard, and that Talia be thrown into the flames.

Talia kneels before the queen and asks for a last request: to take off her fine garments before being cast into the fire. The queen, unimpressed by Talia's unhappiness, but hoping to take possession of her finely embroidered dress, agrees to the request. Talia slowly undresses, uttering screams of grief with each piece of clothing she removes. The king hears Talia's screams and enters the room, demanding an explanation. His wife tells him that Talia would be burned for commiting sins of lust. She also mentions that he had unknowingly eaten his own children for dinner.

The king is crushed with grief and desperation at the thought of having eaten his own children. He commands that his wife and his secretary be thrown into the fire instead. He also calls for the cook to be burnt, for having killed and cooked the infants. However, when the cook is brought forward, he explains how he had saved Sun and Moon. He calls for his wife, who brings the twins to their father. The king is overjoyed. In the end, he and Talia get married; and the cook is rewarded with the title of royal chamberlain.

The last line of the fairy tale--its moral--is as follows: "Lucky people, so 'tis said, He who has luck may go to bed, And bliss will rain upon his head ."