The table below identifies the way in which Jane Yolen has taken the motifs or elements of the story & has adapted them to create the story of Gemma.

Motif/Element

'Little Briar Rose' by the Brothers Grimm

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Princess
The King & Queen have a child - the princess
Mitl (Gemma's real name) becomes known as Ksieznczka or Princess because she doesn't interact with the others in the camp
Prince
Suitor of royal blood.
Joseph Potocki "They called him Prince because of his manner and because the student had knowledge of the Potocki family, being a Pole himself" (pg154)
The Castle
The Castle - the family's kingdom
Deathcamp Chelmno, was built in the ruins of an old castle
Spell Caster
Wise woman seeking revenge
Nazi's "...the bad fairy. Not the one in black with big black boots and silver eagles on her hat" (pg 22)
Curse/Spell
To prick finger on a spindle & die (Later changed to 100 years of sleep)
"The Nazis were the curse"(pg75) and Mist "A mist. "A great mist. It covered the entire kingdom. And everyone in it - the good people and the not-so-good , the young and the not-so-young, and even Briar Rose's mother and father fell asleep." (pg42)
Sleep
Along with the princess, everyone in the kingdom falls asleep, "sleep extended over the whole palace... " includes, horses, pidgeons etc.
Death - everyone is killed, men, women, children, doctors, lawyers, the elderly - no one is exempt. "Everyone slept: lords and ladies, teacher and tummlers, dogs and doves, rabbits and rabbitzen and all kinds of citizens" (pg42)
Briars
An inpenetrable hedge of briars grow around the kingdom - preventing the rescue of the Princess
Barbed wire "A briary hedge began to grow, with thorns as sharp as barbs"(pg54).
Rescuer
A prince rescues the princess & breaks the spell
The Avenger sees Gemma in the pit & carries her out.
Breaking the Spell
The Prince breaks the spell with a kiss
The Prince resusitates Princess, brings her back to life
Happily Ever After
The Princess marries the Prince 'and they lived contented to the end of their days'.
Gemma's version says nothing of what happened to the prince - as her husband was shot & killed by the Nazis "The prince isn't mentioned in the last line. It's as if he disappears after the ceremony" (pg67)
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