The Snow Leopard guarded Genesta. He is semingly Genesta's pet white, spotted snow leopard, but may in actuality be her husband.
Background[]
When Rosella visited Genesta in her bedchamber, she saw a snow leopard sitting by the side of the bed, apparently guarding the fairy queen. The leopard might be more than just a bodyguard. It seems that fairies must spend a day each week in the form of some animal. Genesta may become a female snow leopard and the regal beast Rosella saw in Genesta's Ivory Tower is her animal husband.[1]
He lies on the floor of her bed chamber, close to her bed. It remained quite still, but for an occasional twitch of the tail or to let out a yawn.
Behind the scenes[]
This creature is known as the 'Snow Leopard' in King's Questions. The idea that fairies must sleep for a week, appears to originate from french fairy tales. The idea was taken almost directly verbatim from the beginning of the story of Rosanella (from which Rosella's name was inspired) in Andrew Lang's Green Fairy Book,[2] the idea also appears in other tales such as the Legend of Melusine.[3]