Because of her parents' mishaps, Princess Aris finds herself promised to a fearsome dragon. Naturally, she is terrified when the king and queen break the news to her, fearing for her life. But, after gathering her courage, she ventures beyond the market to seek the wisdom of an old woman. This woman, having raised twelve children and twenty-nine grandchildren, knows much about the ways of both dragons and men.
The wise woman tells Aris that she must indeed marry the dragon, but there are specific ways to approach him. She gives Aris careful instructions for her wedding night, the most important of which is to wear ten beautiful gowns, layered one on top of the other.
The wedding takes place, and after a grand feast, the dragon carries Aris off to his chamber. As the dragon moves toward her, Aris stops him, explaining that before she offers him her heart, she must remove each of her wedding gowns, one by one. Furthermore, as instructed by the wise woman, she tells the dragon that he too must remove a layer of his own attire with each gown she sheds. The dragon agrees.
As Aris removes the first gown, the dragon sheds his outer layer of scales. This first layer is no great difficulty for him; he’s done it before. But as Aris continues, removing each successive gown, the dragon must claw off deeper layers of his scales. By the fifth gown, the dragon begins to weep from the pain, yet he continues. His form becomes softer, more tender, and as the last gown is removed, the dragon sheds his final layer. In that moment, the dragon is no more—he stands before Aris as a prince, freed from the ancient curse that had bound him.
This story holds a deep moral: just as the dragon had to shed his protective scales, we too must let go of our fears and defenses to reveal our true, beautiful selves. Fear of pain, fear of rejection, fear of being hurt—these are the scales we wear. To fully experience love, harmony, and spiritual freedom, we must be willing to shed these layers.
The transformation of the princess and the dragon is symbolic of the spiritual journey we all undertake. Each character in the story represents an aspect of ourselves. The wise woman symbolizes our inner wisdom, the truth we access when we are attuned to our spiritual intuition. The princess represents the part of us concerned with how others see us, and the many layers we use to maintain a false sense of identity—layers of appearing worthy, powerful, or in control. Shedding these layers is essential for true connection.
The dragon, on the other hand, symbolizes the part of us that is defensive and overprotective. His scales represent the barriers we build to protect ourselves from pain. Yet, in order to truly love and be loved, we must be willing to let go of those defenses, despite the vulnerability it brings.
This fairy tale beautifully illustrates the path of transformation. To reach our authentic selves, we must embrace the process of shedding our fears and letting go of our masks. It’s only by passing through these challenges that we experience true spiritual freedom and love.
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