Little Red Riding Hood
The history of Little Red Riding Hood
So... Where did the tale originate from?
Little Red Riding Hood is a well-known tale that has been told all over the world. However, the story that was told hundreds of years ago for adults, is quite different from the story we know today (Orenstein, 2002, p.3; ABC, 2015). Over the centuries, the tale has undergone a serious of archetypal, psychological and structural changes. For years, scholars have questioned the origins of the tale (Teherani, 2013). Some believe Charles Perrault introduced the seventeenth century version, while others believe it derived from oral story telling from as early as the eleventh century (Hartigan, 2013). In turn, anthropologist, Jamie Tehrani, believes the tale originated from early European oral story telling.
According to Tehrani, the tale evolved by “decent with modification” as they were retold with slight alterations, and then passed down to the next generation (Hartigan, 2013). He also suggests that there is a poem from the eleventh century written by a priest in Belgium. The priest claims that the poem derived from peasants who believe there was a girl wearing a red baptism tanic who runs into the woods and encounters a wolf (Harigan, 2013). Furthermore, in the early sixteenth century, in certain areas of France, men were accused of being werewolves. These men were known to be charged for devouring children. Consequently, young girls needed to be warned of the danger of these creatures (Zipes, 1993, p.19).
Click the play button to listen to a structual and psychological analyst of The Story of Grandmother.
To further support these claims, in 1951, Paul Delarue published a study called “The Grandmother’s Tale.” He concluded that folklorist, Achille Millien, was told the oral story by Louis and Francois Briffault that was passed down through generations. Additionally, Delarue found dozens of versions of the tale from France which had been passed down by word and mouth. These tales shared themes of sexuality and cannibalism, which is seen in The story of Grandmother (Orenstein, 2002).
Another theory is that the tale originated in East Asia. Folklorists believe there is a connection between Little Red Riding Hood and the early Asian tale of The Wolf and the Kids. However, as Tehrani suggests, no one has demonstrated the nature of the relationship. He agrees that the Asian tale resembles modern fairy tale traits (Hartigan, 2013).
The story of Little Red Riding Hood, despite which version is read, is about teaching young children that people are not always who they seem to be. It is also there to teach youth the importance of listening to parents, and keeping on the right path.
This tale, specifically Grimm's Little Red Cap is used as a useful resource for teaching the theme of stranger danger.