Little Daylight facts for kids
Little Daylight is a magical fairy tale. It was written by George MacDonald in 1871. This story first appeared inside his book At the Back of the North Wind. Later, it was published on its own and in other fairy tale collections.
Contents
The Story of Little Daylight
A Princess and a Curse
Once, a king and queen had a baby girl. They named her Daylight. They invited all the fairies from the nearby woods to celebrate. But they forgot to invite one fairy. This new fairy lived in the swamp and many thought she was a witch.
The uninvited swamp fairy showed up anyway. She asked for the baby's name. When she heard 'Little Daylight,' she put a curse on the princess. The fairy said Princess Daylight would sleep all day.
Another kind fairy then gave the princess a gift. This gift allowed her to wake up all night. But the swamp fairy was not finished with her curse. She added that Daylight would change with the moon. She would become strong and beautiful when the moon was full. But she would grow weak and sickly as the moon faded.
A second kind fairy then stepped in. She said the curse would be broken. This would happen when a prince kissed Daylight without knowing it. The swamp fairy could not add any more to her curse after this.
Growing Up with the Moon
As Princess Daylight grew older, the curse became very clear. When the moon was full, she was lovely and full of energy. She loved to dance and play.
But as the moon began to fade, she would change. She became pale and weak, almost like she was sick. The older she got, the more extreme these changes became.
The Prince Arrives
In a nearby land, a prince had to leave his country. There was a rebellion, so he fled into the woods. There, he met a mysterious fairy. She spoke in riddles and hints.
Soon after, the prince saw Princess Daylight. She was dancing in the woods under the moonlight. He saw her for three nights in a row. Each night, the moon was getting fuller and brighter. The prince quickly fell in love with her.
On the third night, they talked. The princess told him she had never seen the sun. The prince met the mysterious fairy again. He talked to her, but she could not tell him the full secret of the curse.
Breaking the Spell
The swamp fairy found out the prince was there. She stopped him from finding Daylight again. She waited until the moon had faded a lot. She thought the weak princess would not attract him then. So, she relaxed her guard.
The prince found Daylight again when the moon was new. She was very weak and frail. He spent the whole night trying to help her. As he carried her to get help, he kissed her.
Just then, dawn arrived. The sun began to rise. Princess Daylight was immediately restored to her full beauty. She looked at the prince and asked if the sun was finally coming. The curse was broken!
