<P> "Sleeping Beauty" (French: La Belle au bois dormant "The Beauty in the sleeping Wood") by Charles Perrault, or "Little Briar Rose" (German: Dornröschen), is a classic fairy tale which involves a beautiful princess, a sleeping enchantment, and a handsome prince . The version collected by the Brothers Grimm was an orally transmitted version of the originally literary tale published by Charles Perrault in Histoires ou contes du temps passé in 1697 . This in turn was based on Sun, Moon, and Talia by Italian poet Giambattista Basile (published posthumously in 1634), which was in turn based on one or more folk tales . The earliest known version of the story is found in the narrative Perceforest, composed between 1330 and 1344 and first printed in 1528 . </P> <P> Perrault's narrative is written in two parts, which some folklorists believe were originally separate tales, as they were in the Brothers Grimm's version, and were later joined together by Giambattista Basile and once more by Perrault . </P> <P> At the christening of a king and queen's long - wished - for child, seven good fairies are invited to be godmothers to the infant princess . The fairies attend the banquet at the palace . Each fairy is presented with a golden plate and drinking cups adorned with jewels . Soon after, an old fairy enters the palace and is seated with a plate of fine china and a crystal drinking glass . This old fairy is overlooked because she has been within a tower for many years and everyone had believed her to be deceased . Six of the other seven fairies then offer their gifts of beauty, wit, grace, dance, song, and goodness to the infant princess . The evil fairy is very angry about having been forgotten, and as her gift, enchants the infant princess so that she will one day prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel and die . The seventh fairy, who hasn't yet given her gift, attempts to reverse the evil fairy's curse . However, she can only do so partially . Instead of dying, the Princess will fall into a deep sleep for 100 years and be awakened by a kiss from a king's son . </P> <P> The King orders that every spindle and spinning wheel in the kingdom to be destroyed, to try to save his daughter from the terrible curse . Fifteen or sixteen years pass and one day, when the king and queen are away, the Princess wanders through the palace rooms and comes upon an old woman, spinning with her spindle . The princess, who has never seen anyone spin before, asks the old woman if she can try the spinning wheel . The curse is fulfilled as the princess pricks her finger on the spindle and instantly falls into a deep sleep . The old woman cries for help and attempts are made to revive the princess . The king attributes this to fate and has the Princess carried to the finest room in the palace and placed upon a bed of gold and silver embroidered fabric . The king and queen kiss their daughter goodbye and depart, proclaiming the entrance to be forbidden . The good fairy who altered the evil prophecy is summoned . Having great powers of foresight, the fairy sees that the Princess will awaken to distress when she finds herself alone, so the fairy puts everyone in the castle to sleep . The fairy also summons a forest of trees, brambles and thorns that spring up around the castle, shielding it from the outside world and preventing anyone from disturbing the Princess . </P>

How many fairies in the original sleeping beauty