Maleficent

Maleficent, an evil fairy, is the villain of Sleeping Beauty.

Role in Sleeping Beauty
At the christening of the newly born princess Aurora, the Three Good Fairies come to bestow three gifts on the child: Flora’s gift is Beauty, and Fauna’s is Song. Before Merryweather has a chance to give the child a gift, Maleficent enters with Diablo, her Raven, perched on her staff. Angry at not receiving an invitation, she curses the child, decreeing that, before the sun sets on Aurora’s 16th birthday, the child shall die, by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. She then leaves, cackling. Merryweather, unable to undo the entire curse herself, is able nevertheless to alter it such that Aurora will not die, but merely enter a deep sleep, to be broken with love’s first kiss.

As Aurora’s 16th birthday draws near, Maleficent punishes her Goons, who have stupidly been searching for a baby for 16 years. She then sends Diablo, her Raven, to find the princess. Diablo discovers that Aurora, as ‘Briar Rose’, is living with the Three Good Fairies (who are posing as mortals) in a cottage in the woods. When the princess and the fairies return to the castle late that afternoon, Maleficent finds Aurora alone and, as a willo the wisp-like apparition, lures her to a spinning wheel. She pricks her finger and falls to the floor. The fairies arrive in time for Maleficent to scoff at them; she then disappears. She and the Goons go to the cottage, where they wait for Prince Philip, who had arranged to meet Aurora (whom he only knew to be ‘Briar Rose’, a peasant girl). When he arrives, they capture him and take him to the Forbidden Mountain.

Flora, Fauna and Merryweather rescue Philip and give him the Shield of Virtue and Sword of Truth; this is noticed by Diablo, who fetches the Goons. The prince and fairies are still able to escape, and Merryweather turns Diablo to stone. However, Maleficent emerges, sees Philip escaping and attempts to strike him down with lightning. As he continues, she summons thorns to surround Stefan’s castle. When she sees that Philip, with help from the Good Fairies, is able to hack through the thorns, she appears before him, and transforms into an enormous dragon. The two battle, but Philip eventually kills her when Flora, Fauna and Merryweather enchant his sword. She falls from a great height, and Philip looks down to see that she has become a stain on the land; the Sword of Truth, still embedded in the black puddle, turns black. Philip then awakens Aurora with a kiss.