What is the little red riding hood about
What Wide Origins You Have, Little Red Riding Hood!
The wolf walks along with Little Red Riding Hood in this illustration for the folktale.
Photograph by The British Library Board, Getty Images
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It's a story told around the world. Little Red Riding Hood goes to visit her grandmother, only to discover that a wolf has eaten the old lady, dressed in her clothes, and now plans to eat the little girl too.
What happens next depends on which version you hear: Was Little Red Riding Hood devoured? Did a passing huntsman cut her from the wolf's belly? Did she trick the wolf into letting her go outside? In parts of Iran, the child in peril is a boy, because little girls wouldn't wander out on their own. In Africa, the villain could be a fox or a hyena. In East Asia, the predator is more likely to be a big cat.
Where did the original story come from? Scholars have been puzzling over that for years. Jamie Tehrani, an anthropologist at Durham University in the United Kingdom, thinks he's found the answer. In a paper published this month in the journal PLOS ONE, he argues that methods used to track the evolution of biological species can be applied to the evolution of folktales. National Geographic spoke with Tehrani about his hunt for the origins of this famous story.
Why did you think that a scientific method might work to determine the evolution of folk tales?
Folktales are like biological species: They literally evolve by descent with modification. They get told and retold with slight alterations, and then that gets passed on to the next generation and gets altered again.
In many ways the problem of reconstructing folklore tradition is very similar to the problem of reconstructing the evolutionary relationship of species. We have little evidence about the evolution of species because the fossil record is so patchy. Similarly, folktales are only very occasionally written down.
We need to use some kind of method for reconstructing that history in the absence of physical evidence.
You used a methodology called phylogenetics. Can you explain what that is?
What you do with phylogenetics is you reconstruct history by inferring the past that's been preserved through inheritance. The descendants of ancestral species will resemble them in certain ways. You can figure out which features of a related group of organisms or folktales could be traced back to a common ancestor.
What are some of the theories about the origins of "Little Red Riding Hood"?
It's been suggested that the tale was an invention of Charles Perrault, who wrote it down in the 17th century. Other people have insisted that "Little Red Riding Hood" has ancient origins. There's an 11th-century poem from Belgium which was recorded by a priest, who says, oh, there's this tale told by the local peasants about a girl wearing a red baptism tunic who wanders off and encounters this wolf.
My results demonstrate that, although most versions that we're familiar with today descended from Perrault's tale, he didn't invent it. My analysis confirmed that the 11th-century poem is indeed an early ancestor of the modern fairy tale.
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Don't some scholars argue that the folktale came from Asia?
It's been suggested that the story may have originated in East Asia and spread westward, and as it spread west, it split into two distinct tales, "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Wolf and the Kids." People have long recognized that there's some kind of relationship between the two stories, but nobody's really been able to demonstrate what the nature of that relationship is. A popular theory is that they're both descended from Chinese tradition, because these Chinese tales have elements of both.
My analysis shows that, in fact, the East Asian versions aren't the source. If the East Asian tales were truly ancestral, we would expect them to resemble the older and ancestral variants of "The Wolf and the Kids" and "Little Red Riding Hood.
" But instead they are more like the modern fairy tale versions. For example, in the East Asian tales we find a version of the famous dialogue between the victim and the villain which goes, "What big eyes you have!" But my reconstructions of the prehistory of the tale suggest that this dialogue evolved relatively recently. This is supported by the fact that it's missing from the 11th-century poem, which is the earliest known variant.
Little Red Riding Hood, also known in some versions of the story as Little Red Cap, encounters the wolf in this turn-of-the-century French trading card.
Photograph by The British Library Board, Getty Images
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
What is the story of "The Wolf and the Kids"?
A nanny goat leaves her kids at home and tells them not to open the door for anyone. What she doesn't realize is that a wolf is outside the house and overhears her. While she's out, the wolf comes to the door and pretends to be the nanny goat.
When he gets in, he eats the kids all up. At the end of the story, the nanny goat tracks him down, kills him, and cuts open his belly and frees her kids.
What makes stories about predators disguised as beloved relatives so appealing to different cultures around the world?
Ultimately, the predator is metaphorical. The stories are really about how people aren't always who they seem to be, which is a really important lesson in life. Even people that we think we can trust can actually be out to harm us. In fact, it's precisely because we trust them that we are vulnerable to what their harmful intentions might be toward us.
Why do the origins of these stories matter?
We could regard folktales as a marker of human history showing how different societies have interacted with one another and how people have moved around the world.
I think there's a bigger and more interesting question about human imagination. These folktales embody fantasies and experiences and fears.
They're a really good way of reading, through the products of our imagination, what we really care about.
The interview has been edited and condensed.
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Fun facts about the real Little Red Riding Hood
One of the great pleasures of Storytime magazine is that we get the opportunity to dive headfirst into stories and explore their origins.
This is especially true of fairy tales, and Little Red Riding Hood was no exception.
Little Red Riding Hood from Storytime Issue 9, illustrated by Christelle Galloux.
Back in Storytime Issue 9, we featured the most classically recognised version of Little Red Riding Hood. It had wonderful illustrations by Christelle Galloux. (You can still download our adorable Little Red Riding Hood Mask here.) The story is a family favourite and should be in everyone’s fairy tale collection.
But the version that interested me most when researching the original was written in the 1800s. It’s by a French author called Charles Marelles. In his version, the main character’s red riding hood is replaced by a golden one. Not only that, but the hood has a real purpose in the story – other than looking iconic in illustrations. Even better, the main character has a name and a super-cool granny. There’s no male hero to suddenly swoop in and save them at the last minute. I actually think Little Golden Hood is far better and smarter than the ‘original’.
It takes all the best-loved bits – particularly the lines children love to read along with – and improves on the source material.
For these reasons, I was really excited to put Little Golden Hood in our latest issue, Storytime 32. We’re also thrilled with the gorgeous illustrations by Martuka, who previously illustrated Little Mermaid for Storytime Issue 24.
For Little Red Riding Hood lovers, I thought I’d share 5 fun facts I’ve gathered along the way. Enjoy!
Little Golden Hood and the wolf, in Storytime Issue 32, illustrated by Martuka.
5 Fun Facts about Little Red Riding Hood
1. This famous fairy tale existed for hundreds of years and across many cultures before it was recorded as a moral ‘stranger danger’ tale by 17th century French author, Charles Perrault. In his terrifying version, Little Red Riding Hood gets into bed with the wolf before he devours her. She doesn’t escape.
2. The French title of Perrault’s story is Le Petit Chaperon Rouge.
A chaperon started life as a hooded cape, but evolved into an elaborate and fashionable hat crafted from sumptuous materials like velvet or silk and was worn mainly by men. By the time of this story it had fallen out of fashion and, in a painting from roughly the same period, it looks a bit like a nun’s wimple.
3. In earlier versions from rural France and Italy, the tale was called The Story of Grandmother. There was no red hood and the wolf was actually a werewolf. In some versions, he was an ogre. The little girl has to choose between paths of pins or needles to reach her granny’s house and, when she gets there, granny has been eaten. It’s a pretty gruesome tale, but with an interesting ending – the little girl escapes using her own wit.
4. Far Eastern folklore has its own version of Little Red Riding Hood called Grand Aunt Tiger or Tiger Grandma, but folklorists are now convinced that the story has its roots in the West and was around as long ago as the first century.
Folk tale nerds can find out more here.
5. By the time the Brothers Grimm tackled the tale in the 19th century, the red hood had become a cap and the huntsman who saved the day was introduced, cutting open the wolf and freeing his victims with a pair of scissors. As if that wasn’t enough, Little Red Cap fills the wolf’s tummy with heavy rocks to be certain that he dies. Clearly, revenge is best served in a completely over-the-top way!
If you enjoy reading Storytime’s Little Golden Hood, there are many books out there that put a completely new twist on this classic tale and are worth exploring too. For starters, try Alex T. Smith’s witty and wonderful Little Red and the Hungry Lion, sweet and funny Very Little Red Riding Hood by Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap, and the wonderfully graphic Little Red by Bethan Woollvin.
I’d love to hear what you think of our Little Golden Hood version – could it ever replace the ‘original’ or are we just too attached to that iconic red hood? And how do you feel about new twists on classic fairy tales – love or loathe? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and even Youtube, where we post sneak previews of our new issues.
Like a good story, we get around!
See you next time for more story ponderings!
"Little Red Riding Hood" summary for the reader's diary based on the fairy tale Perrault (Grade 1) - review, the main idea that you liked
4.3
Average rating: 4.3
Total ratings received: 102.
Updated on August 6, 2021
4.3
Average rating: 4.3
Total ratings received: 102.
Updated on August 6, 2021
"Little Red Riding Hood" is an instructive story about a gullible girl who, due to her frivolity, almost became a victim of an evil gray wolf.
Summary of "Little Red Riding Hood" for the reader's diary
Name of the author : Charles Perrault
Title : Little Red Riding Hood
Number of pages : 4. Charles Perrault . "Little Red Riding Hood". Publishing house "Rosmen". 2008
Genre : Fairy tale
Year of writing : 1697
The material was prepared jointly with the teacher of the highest category Kuchmina Nadezhda Vladimirovna.
Experience as a teacher of Russian language and literature - 27 years.
Main characters
Little Red Riding Hood is a kind, sweet girl, overly trusting and frivolous.
Mom is a kind, caring woman who sent her daughter to visit her grandmother.
Grandmother is a loving, kind old woman who became a victim of the Wolf.
The wolf is an angry, hungry and treacherous predator trusted by Little Red Riding Hood.
Lumberjacks are brave and determined men who saved Grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood.
Pay attention, we also have:
Plot
In a village there lived a kind little girl who was very much loved by her mother and grandmother. For her birthday, her grandmother gave her a wonderful little red cap. She liked the girl so much that she went everywhere in it and never took it off. Since then, everyone began to call her Little Red Riding Hood.
One day, her mother asked Little Red Riding Hood to visit her grandmother - to bring her pies and butter, to ask about her health.
The road ran through a dense forest, but Little Red Riding Hood fearlessly set off. Soon she met the Wolf, who asked the girl where she was in such a hurry. Little Red Riding Hood told him everything.
The wolf decided that the old grandmother would be easy prey for him, and ran to her house. He swallowed the old woman, and he lay down in her bed and began to wait for Little Red Riding Hood. When the girl knocked on the door, the Wolf in a hoarse voice invited her to enter. She did not recognize the voice of her beloved grandmother, but decided that she was simply hoarse from a cold.
When Little Red Riding Hood entered the house, she wondered why her grandmother had such big eyes, hands, ears and teeth. At that moment, the Wolf pounced on the girl and swallowed her.
Luckily, there were lumberjacks walking nearby. Hearing the noise, they hurried to the rescue and ripped open the belly of the Wolf. Grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood were alive and unharmed.Retelling plan
- Mother sends Little Red Riding Hood on the road.
- Road through dense forest.
- Meeting with the Wolf.
- Little Red Riding Hood tells the Wolf about her grandmother.
- The wolf eats the grandmother and lies down in her place.
- Little Red Riding Hood does not recognize her grandmother.
- The wolf also eats Little Red Riding Hood.
- Lumberjacks come to the rescue.
Main idea
Do not trust strangers and tell them about yourself and your loved ones.
What
teachesThe fairy tale teaches to be careful and attentive when dealing with strangers. Not all people are kind and harmless, some of them can cause serious harm.
Review
Even if a person is as kind, sweet and open as Little Red Riding Hood, you still need to be always on the alert. You can get into big trouble, and not always someone can come to the rescue.
Illustration for the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.Proverbs
- Trust but verify.
- God saves the safe.
Liked
I really liked that the Wolf, no matter how cunning he was, still got what he deserved, and Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother were free.
Fairy tale test
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Reading diary
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Little Red Riding Hood - Charles Perrault, read online
Once upon a time there was a little girl. Her mother loved her without memory, and her grandmother even more. For her granddaughter's birthday, her grandmother gave her a red cap. Since then, the girl went everywhere in it. Neighbors talked about her like this:
- Here comes Little Red Riding Hood!
Once a mother baked a pie and said to her daughter:
— Go, Little Red Riding Hood, to your grandmother, bring her a pie and a pot of butter and find out if she is healthy.
Little Red Riding Hood got ready and went to her grandmother.
She is walking through the forest, and towards her is a gray wolf.
— Where are you going, Little Red Riding Hood? Wolf asks.
— I go to my grandmother and bring her a pie and a pot of butter.
— Does your grandmother live far away?
“Far away,” answers Little Red Riding Hood.
- Over there in that village, behind the mill, in the first house from the edge.
— All right, — Wolf says, — I also want to visit your grandmother. I'll go down this road, and you go down that one. Let's see which one of us comes first.
The Wolf said this and ran as fast as he could along the shortest path.
And Little Red Riding Hood went along the longest road. She walked slowly, stopping along the way, picking flowers and collecting them in bouquets. Before she had even reached the mill, the Wolf had already galloped up to her grandmother's house and was knocking on the door: knock-knock!
- Who's there? Grandma asks.
- It's me, your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood, - the Wolf answers, - I came to visit you, I brought a pie and a pot of butter.
And my grandmother was sick at that time and was in bed. She thought it was really Little Red Riding Hood and called out:
— Pull the string, my child, and the door will open!
The wolf pulled the string and the door opened.
The wolf rushed at the grandmother and swallowed her at once. He was very hungry because he had not eaten anything for three days. Then he closed the door, lay down on his grandmother's bed and began to wait for Little Red Riding Hood.
Soon she came and knocked:
Knock Knock!
Who is there? Wolf asks. And his voice is rough, hoarse.
Little Red Riding Hood was frightened, but then she thought that her grandmother was hoarse from a cold, and answered:
— It's me, your granddaughter. I brought you a pie and a pot of butter!
The wolf cleared his throat and said more subtly:
— Pull the string, my child, the door will open.
Little Red Riding Hood pulled the rope-door and opened it. The girl entered the house, and the Wolf hid under the covers and said:
- Granddaughter, put the pie on the table, put the pot on the shelf, and lie down next to me!
Little Red Riding Hood lay down next to the Wolf and asked:
— Grandmother, why do you have such big hands?
- This is to hug you tighter, my child.
