╬ Be-Boo series: Little Red Riding Hood ╬

Today, it's 'All Saints' Day' in Spain, we usually honour our loves ones with candles and bouquets in cemeteries. Today, it will be my last Be-Boo post for the time being.

Vintage Ad ' Spanish All Saints' Day' Source

Who haven't read the famous tale 'Little Red Riding Hood'? It was one of my favorite when I was a child. My grandmother (yep, what a coincidence!) used to read it while I was sitting on her lap. I was really fascinated with her costume and how a wolf was able to speak hahaha (I often compared a dog with a wolf ^^') well...I'm beating around the bush...

Some months ago, I was talking to my sister, Nata and we were remembering those gorgeous memories...until she started to intrigue me, with the real story. Yes, I recognize it, I dyed about the truth even though it broke away from the sweet tale. Keep reading if you want to know it...

Antique roots:

Actually, the origins of the story are likely before Perrault's tale. The most of them are very different from the very well known Brothers Grimm's version. It reads its roots might be French, Italian, Austrian or even Oriental. We find titles such as 'The Grandmother' and  'Little Red Hat'.

The rogue is not always a wolf, sometimes it's something similar like a 'bzou' which is a werewolf or lycanthrope and others it's an ogre. These versions are very gross. The wolf kills the grandmother and prepares a feast with her meat,guts and blood for the girl who unwittingly cannibalizes her own grandmother. In some versions, the wolf asks her to remove her clothing and the girl gets into the bed with him. After that, the woft eats the girl. In others, she pretends she needs to urinate and would not wish to do so in the bed, the wolf lets her go but he tied a piece of string so she won't get away. However the clever girl slips the string on a branch and flees.

There is no any hunter who helps her, she uses her own cunning. Sometimes, the red hood doesn't exist.

The girl and her 'nana'

The Grandmother (France) Source

There was a woman who had made some bread. She said to her daughter, 'Go and carry a hot loaf and a bottle of milk to your grandmother.'

So the little girl set forth. Where two paths crossed she met the bzou [werewolf], who said to her, 'Where are you going?'

'I am carrying a hot loaf and a bottle of milk to my grandmother.'

'Which path are you taking? said the bzou. 'The one of needles or the one of pins?'

'The one of needles,' said the little girl.

'Good! I am taking the one of pins.'

The little girl entertained herself by gathering needles.

The bzou arrived at the grandmother's house and killed her. He put some of her flesh in the pantry and a bottle of her blood on the shelf.

The little girl arrived and knocked at the door. 'Push on the door,' said the bzou. 'It is blocked with a pail of water.'

'Good day, grandmother. I have brought you a hot loaf and a bottle of milk.'

'Put it in the pantry, my child. Take some of the meat that is there, and the bottle of wine that is on the shelf.'

While she was eating, a little cat that was there said, "For shame! The slut is eating her grandmother's flesh and drinking her grandmother's blood."

'Get undressed, my child,' said the bzou, and come to bed with me.'

'Where should I put my apron?'

'Throw it into the fire. You won't need it anymore.'

And for all her clothes? her bodice, her dress, her petticoat, and her shoes and stockings? she asked where she should put them, and the wolf replied, 'Throw them into the fire, my child. You won't need them anymore.'

When she had gone to bed the little girl said, 'Oh, grandmother, how hairy you are!'

'The better to keep myself warm, my child.'

'Oh, grandmother, what long nails you have!'

'The better to scratch myself with, my child!'

'Oh, grandmother, what big shoulders you have!'

'The better to carry firewood with, my child!'

'Oh, grandmother, what big ears you have!'

'The better to hear with, my child!'

'Oh, grandmother, what a big nose you have!'

'To better take my tobacco with, my child!'

'Oh, grandmother, what a big mouth you have!'

'The better to eat you with, my child!'

'Oh, grandmother, I have to do it outside!'

'Do it in the bed, my child!'

'Oh no, grandmother, I really have to do it outside.'

'All right, but don't take too long.'

The bzou tied a woolen thread to her foot and let her go. As soon as the little girl was outside she tied the end of the thread to a plum tree in the yard.

The bzou grew impatient and said, 'Are you doing a load? Are you doing a load?'

Not hearing anyone reply, he jumped out of bed and hurried after the little girl, who had escaped. He followed her, but he arrived at her home just as she went inside.

Little Red Hat (Italy/Austria) Source

Once there was an old woman who had a granddaughter named Little Red Hat. One day they were both in the field when the old woman said, 'I am going home now. You come along later and bring me some soup.'

After a while Little Red Hat set out for her grandmother's house, and she met an ogre, who said, 'Hello, my dear Little Red Hat. Where are you going?'

'I am going to my grandmother's to take her some soup.'

'Good,' he replied, 'I'll come along too. Are you going across the stones or the thorns?'

'I'm going across the stones,' said the girl.

'Then I'll go across the thorns,' replied the ogre.

They left. But on the way Little Red Hat came to a meadow where beautiful flowers of all colors were in bloom, and the girl picked as many as her heart desired. Meanwhile the ogre hurried on his way, and although he had to cross the thorns, he arrived at the house before Little Red Hat. He went inside, killed the grandmother, ate her up, and climbed into her bed. He also tied her intestine onto the door in place of the latch string and placed her blood, teeth, and jaws in the kitchen cupboard.

He had barely climbed into bed when Little Red Hat arrived and knocked at the door.

'Come in' called the ogre with a dampened voice.

Little Red Hat tried to open the door, but when she noticed that she was pulling on something soft, she called out, 'Grandmother, this thing is so soft!'

'Just pull and keep quiet. It is your grandmother's intestine!'

'What did you say?'

'Just pull and keep quiet!'

Little Red Hat opened the door, went inside, and said, 'Grandmother, I am hungry.'

The ogre replied, 'Go to the kitchen cupboard. There is still a little rice there.'

Little Red Hat went to the cupboard and took the teeth out. 'Grandmother, these things are very hard!'

'Eat and keep quiet. They are your grandmother's teeth!'

'What did you say?'

'Eat and keep quiet!'

A little while later Little Red Hat said, 'Grandmother, I'm still hungry.'

'Go back to the cupboard,' said the ogre. 'You will find two pieces of chopped meat there.'

Little Red Hat went to the cupboard and took out the jaws. 'Grandmother, this is very red!'

'Eat and keep quiet. They are your grandmother's jaws!'

'What did you say?'

'Eat and keep quiet!'

A little while later Little Red Hat said, 'Grandmother, I'm thirsty.'

'Just look in the cupboard,' said the ogre. 'There must be a little wine there.'

Little Red Hat went to the cupboard and took out the blood. 'Grandmother, this wine is very red!'

'Drink and keep quiet. It is your grandmother's blood!'

'What did you say?'

'Just drink and keep quiet!'

A little while later Little Red Hat said, 'Grandmother, I'm sleepy.'

'Take off your clothes and get into bed with me!' replied the ogre.

Little Red Hat got into bed and noticed something hairy. 'Grandmother, you are so hairy!'

'That comes with age,'  said the ogre.

'Grandmother, you have such long legs!'

'That comes from walking.'

'Grandmother, you have such long hands!'

'That comes from working.'

'Grandmother, you have such long ears!'

'That comes from listening.'

'Grandmother, you have such a big mouth!'

'That comes from eating children!' said the ogre, and bam, he swallowed Little Red Hat with one gulp.

Charles Perrault:

'Le Petit Chaperon Rouge' by Charles Perrault was the earliest known printed version and it's from the late  17th century French court of King Louis XIV. This audience, whom the King entertained with extravagant parties and prostitutes, presumably would take from the story the intended meaning...

Perrault collected oral tales told by the French peasantry, but revised them for a different audience–the literate bourgeoisie and aristocrats. Consequently, he tailored his tales to educate upper-class children about the rigid rules of conduct in vogue at this time, rules that were especially restrictive for women.  The redness of the hood was a detail introduced by him. It has a lot of symbolic significances, most of them with sexual connotation:

-The first one and the most famous is that in literature, red is often the color associated with sin and carnality. Red hood riding hood was a bad girl. Perrault describes her as an attractive, well-bred young lady.

-Others authors think, the hood is as parable of sexual maduration. In this interpretation, the red cloak symbolizes the blood of menstruation, braving the 'dark forest' of womanhood. Or the cloak could symbolize the hymen and in this case, the wolf threatens the girl's virginity. The wolf symbolizes a man, who could be a lover, or sexual predator.

The story tells the story of a village girl, who is going to visit her grandmother, with a red hood. She is walking down the country and meet the Wolf. He deceives her to get the address of her grandmother's house easily. He eats her granny while and plans to lay a trap for the Red Riding Hood. The latter ends up being asked to climb into the bed before being eaten by the wolf, where the story ends. The wolf emerges the victor of the encounter and there isn't a happy ending.

The Wolf and the Granny

Little Red Riding Hood (Charles Perrault) Source

Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red riding hood made for her. It suited the girl so extremely well that everybody called her Little Red Riding Hood.

One day her mother, having made some cakes, said to her, 'Go, my dear, and see how your grandmother is doing, for I hear she has been very ill. Take her a cake, and this little pot of butter.'

Little Red Riding Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who lived in another village.

As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, 'I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother.'

'Does she live far off?' said the wolf

'Oh I say,' answered Little Red Riding Hood; 'it is beyond that mill you see there, at the first house in the village.'

'Well,' said the wolf,' and I'll go and see her too. I'll go this way and go you that, and we shall see who will be there first.'

The wolf ran as fast as he could, taking the shortest path, and the little girl took a roundabout way, entertaining herself by gathering nuts, running after butterflies, and gathering bouquets of little flowers. It was not long before the wolf arrived at the old woman's house. He knocked at the door: tap, tap.

'Who's there?'

'Your grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood,' replied the wolf, counterfeiting her voice; 'who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter sent you by mother.'

The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was somewhat ill, cried out, 'Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.'

The wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened, and then he immediately fell upon the good woman and ate her up in a moment, for it been more than three days since he had eaten. He then shut the door and got into the grandmother's bed, expecting Little Red Riding Hood, who came some time afterwards and knocked at the door: tap, tap.

'Who's there?'

Little Red Riding Hood, hearing the big voice of the wolf, was at first afraid; but believing her grandmother had a cold and was hoarse, answered, 'It is your grandchild Little Red Riding Hood, who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter mother sends you.'

The wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could, 'Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.'

Little Red Riding Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened.

The wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bedclothes, 'Put the cake and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come get into bed with me.'

Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes and got into bed. She was greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her nightclothes, and said to her, 'Grandmother, what big arms you have!'

'All the better to hug you with, my dear.'

'Grandmother, what big legs you have!'

'All the better to run with, my child.'

'Grandmother, what big ears you have!'

'All the better to hear with, my child.'

'Grandmother, what big eyes you have!'

'All the better to see with, my child.'

'Grandmother, what big teeth you have got!'

'All the better to eat you up with.'

And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up.

Moral: Children, especially attractive, well bred young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf. I say "wolf," but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all.

Perrault explained the 'moral' at the end so that no doubt is left to his intended meaning.

Brothers Grimm:

In the 19th century, The Brothers Grimm revived many of Perrault’s stories, revising them even further to mesh with Victorian attitudes by editing out some of the elements that might disturb their more conservative readership. (For example, they eliminated a bit where the girl drinks the Grandmother’s blood which the wolf has poured into a wine bottle) As in Perrault’s tales, the Grimm’s protagonists exemplified the differing cultural expectations for men and for women. The earlier parts of the tale agree so closely with Perrault's variant that it is almost certainly the source of the tale.However, they modified the ending; this version had the little girl and her grandmother saved by a huntsman who was after the wolf's skin; this ending is identical to that in the tale 'The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids' , which appears to be the source.

The second part featured the girl and her grandmother trapping and killing another wolf, this time anticipating his moves based on their experience with the previous one. The girl did not leave the path when the wolf spoke to her, her grandmother locked the door to keep it out, and when the wolf lurked, the grandmother had Little Red Riding Hood put a trough under the chimney and fill it with water that sausages had been cooked in; the smell lured the wolf down, and it drowned.

The Brothers further revised the story in later editions and it reached the above mentioned final and better known version in the 1857 edition of their work.It is notably tamer than the older stories which contained darker themes.

Poor Little Red Riding Hood!

Little Red Cap (Brothers Grimm) Source

Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl. Everyone who saw her liked her, but most of all her grandmother, who did not know what to give the child next. Once she gave her a little cap made of red velvet. Because it suited her so well, and she wanted to wear it all the time, she came to be known as Little Red Cap.

One day her mother said to her, 'Come Little Red Cap. Here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your grandmother. She is sick and weak, and they will do her well. Mind your manners and give her my greetings. Behave yourself on the way, and do not leave the path, or you might fall down and break the glass, and then there will be nothing for your sick grandmother.'

Little Red Cap promised to obey her mother. The grandmother lived out in the woods, a half hour from the village. When Little Red Cap entered the woods a wolf came up to her. She did not know what a wicked animal he was, and was not afraid of him.

'Good day to you, Little Red Cap.'

'Thank you, wolf.'

'Where are you going so early, Little Red Cap?'

'To grandmother's.'

'And what are you carrying under your apron?'

'Grandmother is sick and weak, and I am taking her some cake and wine. We baked yesterday, and they should give her strength.'

'Little Red Cap, just where does your grandmother live?'

'Her house is a good quarter hour from here in the woods, under the three large oak trees. There's a hedge of hazel bushes there. You must know the place,' said Little Red Cap.

The wolf thought to himself, 'Now there is a tasty bite for me. Just how are you going to catch her?' Then he said, 'Listen, Little Red Cap, haven't you seen the beautiful flowers that are blossoming in the woods? Why don't you go and take a look? And I don't believe you can hear how beautifully the birds are singing. You are walking along as though you were on your way to school in the village. It is very beautiful in the woods.'

Little Red Cap opened her eyes and saw the sunlight breaking through the trees and how the ground was covered with beautiful flowers. She thought, 'If a take a bouquet to grandmother, she will be very pleased. Anyway, it is still early, and I'll be home on time.' And she ran off into the woods looking for flowers. Each time she picked one she thought that she could see an even more beautiful one a little way off, and she ran after it, going further and further into the woods. But the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked on the door.

'Who's there?'

'Little Red Cap. I'm bringing you some cake and wine. Open the door for me.'

'Just press the latch," called out the grandmother. "I'm too weak to get up.'

The wolf pressed the latch, and the door opened. He stepped inside, went straight to the grandmother's bed, and ate her up. Then he took her clothes, put them on, and put her cap on his head. He got into her bed and pulled the curtains shut.

Little Red Cap had run after flowers, and did not continue on her way to grandmother's until she had gathered all that she could carry. When she arrived, she found, to her surprise, that the door was open. She walked into the parlor, and everything looked so strange that she thought, 'Oh, my God, why am I so afraid? I usually like it at grandmother's.' Then she went to the bed and pulled back the curtains. Grandmother was lying there with her cap pulled down over her face and looking very strange.

'Oh, grandmother, what big ears you have!'

'All the better to hear you with.'

'Oh, grandmother, what big eyes you have!'

'All the better to see you with.'

'Oh, grandmother, what big hands you have!'

'All the better to grab you with!'

'Oh, grandmother, what a horribly big mouth you have!'

'All the better to eat you with!' And with that he jumped out of bed, jumped on top of poor Little Red Cap, and ate her up. As soon as the wolf had finished this tasty bite, he climbed back into bed, fell asleep, and began to snore very loudly.

A huntsman was just passing by. He thought it strange that the old woman was snoring so loudly, so he decided to take a look. He stepped inside, and in the bed there lay the wolf that he had been hunting for such a long time. 'He has eaten the grandmother, but perhaps she still can be saved. I won't shoot him,' thought the huntsman. So he took a pair of scissors and cut open his belly.

He had cut only a few strokes when he saw the red cap shining through. He cut a little more, and the girl jumped out and cried, 'Oh, I was so frightened! It was so dark inside the wolf's body!'

And then the grandmother came out alive as well. Then Little Red Cap fetched some large heavy stones. They filled the wolf's body with them, and when he woke up and tried to run away, the stones were so heavy that he fell down dead.

The three of them were happy. The huntsman took the wolf's pelt. The grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine that Little Red Cap had brought. And Little Red Cap thought to herself, 'As long as I live, I will never leave the path and run off into the woods by myself if mother tells me not to.'

They also tell how Little Red Cap was taking some baked things to her grandmother another time, when another wolf spoke to her and wanted her to leave the path. But Little Red Cap took care and went straight to grandmother's. She told her that she had seen the wolf, and that he had wished her a good day, but had stared at her in a wicked manner. 'If we hadn't been on a public road, he would have eaten me up,' she said.

'Come,' said the grandmother. 'Let's lock the door, so he can't get in.'

Soon afterward the wolf knocked on the door and called out, 'Open up, grandmother. It's Little Red Cap, and I'm bringing you some baked things.'

They remained silent, and did not open the door. The wicked one walked around the house several times, and finally jumped onto the roof. He wanted to wait until Little Red Cap went home that evening, then follow her and eat her up in the darkness. But the grandmother saw what he was up to. There was a large stone trough in front of the house.

'Fetch a bucket, Little Red Cap,' she said. 'Yesterday I cooked some sausage. Carry the water that I boiled them with to the trough.' Little Red Cap carried water until the large, large trough was clear full. The smell of sausage arose into the wolf's nose. He sniffed and looked down, stretching his neck so long that he could no longer hold himself, and he began to slide. He slid off the roof, fell into the trough, and drowned. And Little Red Cap returned home happily and safely.

Why were the tales so cruel?

I am sure, you are wondering it at the momment. Well, these stories are very very old. In the 17th-18th century, children were like little adults. Families used to live crowded together in poor areas and children went to bed late. They spoke like adults, reproducing crude words. They were aware of adults' sexual activities.

Around them, there were horrific problems such as drunkards, prostitution, public punishment and tortures (lash, hanging, Madame Guillotine...) , murders and so on. They were got used to see 'the death'. The life was very hard.

Therefore, Fairy Tales mixed wonderful fantasy with the ugly thruth. Telling them those kind of stories was utterly normal and no harmful.

To finish, I couldn't resist the temptation to make an horrifying photo perfomance given that the original versions, as you can see, aren't  fairytales for children. The book is a vintage one from the 60's and it's in Catalan: 'La Caputxeta Vermella'. My sister, Nata, gave it to me as a present because she saw it at a book fair in Barcelona :)

Blood, bugs, spiderweb, pumpkin candles&skulls. My sweet creepy pic^^ 
 Boooooooooooo!

After reading this, I think 'Red Hot Riding Hood' it's a sweeter version, although she perfoms in a night club, the wolf goes absolutely insane over her and the granny is oversexed man-chaser hahaha. I love Tex Avery! Check out two posts , I wrote about him some months ago: In cartoon you can do everything and Symphony in slang. Bravissimo! :)

Love,

Lorena Be-Bop

P.S Únete a mi página de Facebook si quieres ver los posts en castellano, los suelo traducir unos días después :)

Y si queréis leer una carta realmente sorprendente, de Charles Alexander Lesueur a los Hermanos Grimm, pinchad en este enlace. Yo aluciné leyéndola.