Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm.

 

Earliest Versions

The origins of the Little Red Riding Hood story can be traced to several likely pre-17th century versions from various European countries. Some of these are significantly different from the currently known, Grimms-inspired version. It was told by French peasants in the 10th century and recorded by the cathedral schoolmaster Egbert of Liège. In Italy, Little Red Riding Hood was told by peasants in the fourteenth century, where a number of versions exist, including La finta nonna (The False Grandmother), written among others by Italo Calvino in the Italian Folktales collection. It has also been called "The Story of Grandmother". It is also possible that this early tale has roots in very similar East Asian tales (e.g. "Grandaunt Tiger").

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Original Published Version

The story centers around a girl called Little Red Riding Hood, after the red hooded cape that she wears. The girl walks through the woods to deliver food to her sickly grandmother (wine and cake depending on the translation). In the Grimms' version, her mother had ordered her to stay strictly on the path. A stalking wolf wants to eat the girl and the food in the basket. After he enquires as to where she is going, she tells him. He suggests that she pick some flowers as a present for her grandmother, which she does. As she does so, he goes to the grandmother's house and gains entry by pretending to be Riding Hood. He swallows the grandmother whole (or, in some versions, he locks her in the closet) and waits for the girl, disguised as the grandmother.

When the girl arrives, she notices the strange appearance of her "grandmother". She says, "What a deep voice you have!" "The better to greet you with", responds the wolf. "Goodness, what big eyes you have!" "The better to see you with", responds the wolf. "And what big hands you have!" "The better to embrace you with", responds the wolf. Lastly, "What a big mouth you have" "The better to eat you with!", he responds, at which point the wolf jumps out of the bed and eats her as well. Then he falls asleep. In Charles Perrault's version of the story, the first to be published, the tale ends here.