Little Red Riding Hood: the older versions
In short: Little Red Riding Hood is older than the red hood. Oral versions, collected in France and Italy in the 19th century but probably much older, show a clever girl who outwits the wolf herself. Perrault printed it in 1697 as a warning that ended badly, and the Brothers Grimm added the huntsman who saves the day in 1812.
The girl who saved herself
In some French folk versions known as The Story of Grandmother, the girl is not rescued. She finds an excuse to leave the house, escapes, and the wolf is left behind. There is no red hood and no huntsman.
Perrault: a warning for salons
Charles Perrault wrote the tale for French court readers in 1697. His girl wears a red hood, and the story ends with the wolf eating her, followed by a moral about talking to strangers.
Grimm: a rescue and a lesson
The Brothers Grimm included Rotkäppchen in 1812 and gave it a rescue by a huntsman and a promise to stay on the path. This is the version most picture books follow.
Relatives around the world
A 2013 study by the researcher Jamshid Tehrani compared dozens of versions using methods borrowed from biology. It suggests that the tale is related to The Wolf and the Kids and to East Asian tiger stories, and that it was shaped over a long time rather than invented in one place. These are still scholars' best estimates.
Timeline
- Before 1697Oral versions circulate in Europe, never written down at the time.
- 1697Perrault prints Le Petit Chaperon rouge.
- 1812Grimm's Rotkäppchen adds the huntsman.
- 19th centuryFrench folklorists collect The Story of Grandmother from storytellers.
Questions
Is Little Red Riding Hood too scary for young children?
Many modern tellings keep the wolf mild or turn it into a trickster who learns something. Choose a version that ends calmly.
Why red?
The red hood first appears in Perrault's text. Writers have offered many readings, but there is no proof of what it meant.
Sources and further reading
- Perrault, Histoires ou contes du temps passé (1697).
- Grimm, Kinder- und Hausmärchen (1812).
- Jamshid J. Tehrani, The Phylogeny of Little Red Riding Hood, PLoS ONE (2013).
- Aarne-Thompson-Uther index, tale type ATU 333.