Disney’s Sleeping Beauty begins with the three good fairies blessing baby Princess Aurora with one gift, but fairy Merryweather is interrupted by Maleficent, forcing her to change her original gift. Disney is best known for its animated movies, especially those based on fairy tales and legends with female characters (usually Princesses) as the leads, and among them is Sleeping Beauty. Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wolfgang Reitherman, Eric Larson, and Les Clark, and based on Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale of the same name, Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959, and though it wasn’t well received by critics and viewers, it’s now a Disney classic.

Set in a faraway kingdom ruled by King Stefan and Queen Leah, Sleeping Beauty follows their daughter, Aurora, who, during her christening, was cursed by the evil fairy Maleficent to die from a prick from the spindle of a spinning wheel when she turned 16. Despite the efforts of the good fairies, Maleficent’s curse was fulfilled, but instead of dying, Aurora fell into a deep sleep, with the spell being broken by true love’s kiss. Although Sleeping Beauty gave closure to its main characters, it left a huge question about fairy Merryweather and what her original gift could have been.

Disney Originally Had Merryweather Giving Aurora The Gift Of Happiness

Merryweather Would Have Given Aurora A Predictable Gift

To celebrate the birth of Aurora, the King and Queen proclaimed a holiday for everyone to pay homage to the Princess. At her christening, she was betrothed to Prince Philip and the three good fairies – Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather – arrived, each one with a gift for the baby Princess. First was Flora, who blessed Aurora with the gift of beauty, and then was Fauna, whose gift was that of song. When Merryweather was about to bless Aurora with her gift, Maleficent arrived, and, in revenge for not being invited, cast her curse on the baby Princess.

As a result of Maleficent’s curse, Merryweather changed her gift and used it to weaken the curse by making Aurora fall into a deep sleep instead of dying and allowing the spell to be broken by true love’s kiss. This left the mystery of what Merryweather’s original gift was, and an answer was given in the platinum edition of the Sleeping Beauty DVD. According to it, Merryweather’s gift to Aurora was going to be “happiness”, but there’s a theory that suggests a better gift that’s more fitting with Merryweater’s personality and role in Sleeping Beauty.

One Disney Theory Explains Merryweather’s Original Gift Was Wisdom

Merryweather Wasn’t Like Her Fellow Fairies

A theory shared on Reddit explains that Merryweather’s gift to Aurora could have been wisdom, based on Merryweather’s role in Sleeping Beauty. The author explains that Merryweather was able to influence the outcome of Aurora’s future while going against Maleficent’s powers, and Aurora had dreams of meeting a handsome stranger who would be her true love, who she ended up attracting thanks to the gifts given to her by the other fairies.

As Merryweather was the most grounded and realistic of the fairies, it’s possible she would have gone with a gift that went beyond the superficial (as cute as Flora and Fauna’s gifts were, they were superficial), so she could have blessed her with wisdom or insight/foresight. Merryweather also showed throughout Sleeping Beauty that she was more willing to operate in a “gray area” of magic than her fellow good fairies, shown in how she chased Maleficent’s pet crow to turn it into stone and how she wanted to turn Maleficent into a toad, with Flora reminding her that their powers are for good and happiness.

Merryweather, then, would have opted for giving Aurora a more useful, less superficial gift that would allow her to properly and wisely rule the kingdom and succeed in other areas beyond being charming and beautiful. If Merryweather’s gift was wisdom or insight/foresight and Maleficent had never cast her spell, Aurora would have been one of the strongest Princesses in Disney’s history.

Could Merryweather’s Original Gift Have Saved Aurora?

Merryweather Did Her Best To Save Aurora After Maleficent’s Curse

Supposing that Merryweather had had the chance to bless Aurora before Maleficent arrived to cast her spell, she might or might have not been able to save Aurora, depending on the gift. The gift of “happiness” wouldn’t have saved Aurora from Maleficent’s curse, though it would have given her a happy life before being drawn to the spinning wheel. However, had Merryweather’s gift been wisdom or insight/foresight, Aurora would have had better chances of protecting herself from Maleficent, though it’s important to remember Maleficent was quite powerful.

Merryweather’s original gift could have changed the outcome of Sleeping Beauty or it would have, at least, changed everything Aurora went through between the casting of the curse and its fulfillment. In the end, and despite what the platinum edition of the movie’s DVD revealed, it’s up to every viewer to decide what Merryweather’s original gift to Aurora could have been.