Talk:Little Red Riding Hood

Cannibalism

cannibalism? - Ted Wilkes 20:53, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Apparently, one of the versions included the wolf cooking the grandma, and serving her to the girl Vadim tr 19:26, 9 January 2006 (UTC)

Ah, yes.That's true. Furthermore, the wolf drank wine.Did you know what wine it was?Blood! It was the fresh blood of the grandmother!--Tdxiang 陈 鼎 翔 (Talk) Chat with Tdxiang on IRC! 04:45, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

Not cannibalism. Cannibalism is eating one's own kind; see any good dictionary.—Quicksilver^{T @} 05:38, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

And since the wolf serves the cooked grandma to red riding hood, she is eating her own kind. Her own relative in fact. You can't get much closer to one's own kind than that, in any dictionary.24.255.229.253 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 22:29, 26 July 2010 (UTC).

I always imagine Cannibalism as deliberate eating one's own kind. Little Red Riding Hood does not do that, she is played a nasty, disgusting trick by the wolf. Nor, for that matter, does Demeter in the Tantalus story; she is merely distracted.--93.133.228.99 (talk) 10:48, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Song

There's a song that I love called Little Red Riding Hood sung by many artists and thought it should be added to the page by somebody. Here's a refrence: http://www.jacquedee63.com/littleredridinghood.html --Unbreakable_MJ 10:00, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

I don't get the "riding" part

Does anyone, seems like it would make more sense to call her little red hood, what exactly is she riding? 71.174.126.186 (talk) 20:11, 12 April 2019 (UTC)

Her name comes from the cloak she wears; it doesn't mean she is a rider.--174.99.238.22 (talk) 08:03, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

Real story

They say the real story has actually sexual references.I'll tell that.But what do you people say about placing it on the article? Tdxiang 陈 鼎 翔 (Talk) Chat with Tdxiang on IRC! 04:39, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

The wolf is a sex pradator. Take a look at this...

Wolf (as the grandma): "Remove your clothes, my child, then climb into bed with me."

It's true, it's true.Anyone who can follow up on this? --Tdxiang 陈 鼎 翔 (Talk) Chat with Tdxiang on IRC! 04:45, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

Speaking of which, the artist Sarah Moon did an award-winning series of photographs about Little Red Riding Hood as the victim of a sexual predator. Can't find a source, though. Anyone? --Michael K. Smith 15:48, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I thought there would be mention of the Chinese tale Lon Po Po in the LRH article.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.234.108.68 (talk • contribs) 02:54, 10 March 2006

Yes the wolf was a sexual predator attracted to human childs...eh?—Preceding unsigned comment added by Runn (talk • contribs) 08:31, 18 July 2007

Not as a pedophile, but attracted to a child about to become a woman. I imagine that what the cloak symbolizes. She only attracts the wolf after receiving the cloak, so logically the danger of pregnancy before marriage would surely be more important to people at the time then bewaring a pedophile.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.148.192 (talk • contribs) 12:34, 4 February 2010

According to Robert Darnton in his book The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes In French Cultural History (1984 Basic Book Inc. ISBN 0-465-02700-8 page 9-10) A pre-Perrault version of the tale does exist as follows:

Once a little girl was told by her mother to bring some bread and milk to her grandmother. As the girl was walking through the forest, a wolf came up to her and asked where she was going.
“To grandmother's house,” she replied.
“Which path are you taking, the path of pins or the path of the needles?”
“The path of needles.”
So the wolf took the path of the pins and arrived first at the house. He killed grandmother, poured her blood into a bottle, and sliced her flesh onto a platter. Then he got into her nightclothes and waited in bed.

“Knock, knock.”
“Come in, my dear.”
“Hello, grandmother. I've brought you some bread and milk.”
“Have something yourself, my dear. There is meat and wine in the pantry.”
So the little girl ate what was offered; and as she did, a little cat said, “Slut! To eat the flesh and drink the blood your grandmother!”
Then the wolf said, “Undress and get into bed with me.”
“Where shall I put my apron?”
“Throw it on the fire; you won't need it any more.”
For each garment-bodice, skirt, petticoat, and stockings-the girl asked the same questionl and each time the wolf answered, “Throw it on the fire; you won't need it any more.”
When the girl got in bed, she said, “Oh grandmother! How hairy you are!”
“It's to keep me warmer, my dear.”
“Oh grandmother! What big shoulders you have!”
“It's better for carrying firewood, my dear.”
“Oh grandmother! What long nails you have.”
“It's better for scratching myself, my dear.”
“Oh, grandmother! What big teeth you have!”
“It's for eating you better, my dear.”

And he ate her.

He cites Paul Delarue and Marie-Louise Teneze's Le Conte Populaire Francais (Paris, 1976). This book supposedly claims to have collected all the oral versions of the French folk-tales. Sugarcoma (talk) 05:33, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

Im sure its even harder for us to know what the oral traditions were then it was for Perrault. Obviously there were more versions with the red cloak, or why would he have introduced it?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.148.192 (talk • contribs) 12:34, 4 February 2010

Interpretations

Um... where are your sources for this? If you don't have any, it doesn't belong in the article. Colonel Marksman 01:56, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

I think the book I just cited in the Neil Gaiman paragraph (The Great Cat Massacre by Robert Darnton) probably deals with cannibalism/sexuality in old versions of the tale. I haven't read it and can't confirm this, but if anyone can, it certainly deserves mention. --- Lazy Anonymous Guy—Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.47.16.27 (talk • contribs) 20:28, 27 June 2006

I cannot confirm it by reference, but I have read somewhere, that the tale actually describes solar eclipse - that is why the girl is red, like the Sun. --- Pavel, 17.8.2006—Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.86.115.34 (talk • contribs) 05:53, 17 August 2006

Oh, there was probably a "solar myth" explanation of Little Red Riding Hood. There was a solar myth explanation of just about every fairy tale known to folklorists when those folklorists were gung-ho about the solar myth Goldfritha 13:12, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, it's been added to the main article now anyway. Yes, it may be a fad as far as interpretations go (aren't they all?) but it's still a valid interpretation, so it's in.Jayunderscorezero 13:18, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I think the interpretation section focuses inordinately on sexual interpretations without mention of alternative interpretations. This section and the pre-Perrault section should be expanded to include Robert Darnton's insights. Notably, he criticizes the sexual and psychological interpretations prevalent in this article both in his book The Great Cat Massacre and an essay "The Meaning of Mother Goose," arguing instead that the majority of pre-Perrault tellings have a girl doing nothing to deserve being arbitrarily eaten/raped and killed, in contrast to Perrault's bourgeois moralism. He suggests this reflects the plight of the peasantry under the ancien regime. The story can then be read as a tale of one-sided, pre-revolutionary class conflict. If there's any moral for the individual to apply, it's that it's better to be smart than good.--71.224.95.73 17:36, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

Controversy

Why was the 'controversy' section entirely deleted? If someone wishes to justify removing a large section, please do so in the talk page. For now, I'm returning it.Jayunderscorezero 11:33, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

Most foul manga ever?

I've never heard of Tokyo Akazukin before so I can't say whether it is justified, but I think the comment "This manga is considered as the most foul manga ever made" goes against npov. Unless there is a source for it (as in "voted 'most foul...' by X"), I think the statement should simply be removed. D4g0thur 14:35, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

It's a bit light guro(manga involving erotic mutilation) involving a young girl who has a strange desire to be eaten by a wolf, definately not my cup of tea *vomits* but hardly the most foul thing about.. 81.151.124.185 22:06, 16 April 2007 (UTC) Elmo

Lists

The article is getting long. Probably the best route to subdivide is to split off the "Modern uses and adaptations" section in a separate list article. Goldfritha 01:32, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

It's been a while since your request, Goldfritha, but a separate article has been created. Should the same thing now be done with 'The Tale and its history'? -- Jayunderscorezero 01:24, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, I've just answered my own question. The tale's history now has its own page, too. -- Jayunderscorezero 01:45, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps you should have given us a moment to answer that no, splitting off the history is a bad idea. Goldfritha 23:51, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Merge

Splitting off the modern usage made the article noticable smaller. There was no need to split off something as important as the tale's history to another article as well. Goldfritha 23:54, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Once the 'modern uses' section was removed, the history section suddenly seemed disproportionately large compared to the rest of the article (as had been the main issue with 'modern uses'). I could go either way on this debate, though, as I'm actually getting used to the notion of it being a separate article. However, you can merge them if you wish. -- Jayunderscorezero 14:28, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Actually, I very quickly came to see your point. The article has now been restored and speedy deletion for the spin-off has been requested. -- Jayunderscorezero 14:50, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Japanese name for the tale

In the section "Other cultures' names for Little Red Riding Hood", it says the following:

Japanese: 赤頭巾 (Akazukin), meaning 'Red Hood'

Except, from what (admittedly little) I know of Japanese naming/nicknaming schemes, the "in" ending on a name is usually a(n affectionate?) diminutive form; see for example one of the recurring characters from Azumanga Daioh, whose given name is Kaori and whose nickname is Kaorin. Well, it's actually the "cutesy" honorific of "rin" according to the Wikipedia article on the characters, but it's close enough that I just kinda had to ask. If I recall, "aka" does indeed mean "red", but my question is, is the word for "hood" really "zukin", or does the name in fact actually mean "Little Red Hood"? Just wanted to know for sure. Runa27 18:45, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

As far as I'm aware, it does indeed mean "Little Red Hood" as I know that the anime/manga Akazukin Chacha means "Little Red Hood Chacha" (the name of the central character). I'm not 100% certain, though. -- Jayunderscorezero 00:45, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

Hoodwinked

Should a link or section about this modern version be added? Missjessica254 16:11, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

You'll find a link to the main article and a small section on the film in Modern uses and adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood, where it belongs. -- Jayunderscorezero 00:54, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, must of have missed it. Missjessica254 13:20, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

"Freeway"

This is one of the most recent adaptations of Red Riding Hood, staring Reece Witherspoon, can it be added to "modern uses and adaptations"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.1.97.246 (talk) 17:48, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

See the point about Hoodwinked above; there is a reasonable entry on Freeway over at the main page for adaptations of LRRH. However, if you feel you want to add a point about Freeway to what is already written under "Modern uses..." on this page then please go ahead, just remember that the place for more extended entries is at Adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood. --Jayunderscorezero 18:16, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Aarne-Thompson type 333

Paragraph two of the introduction currently reads as follows.

The tale is categorized as Aarne-Thompson type 333, "The Glutton"/"Red Riding Hood".

I hadn't a clue as to what that meant. Aarne-Thompson ... type 333 ... ? You might as well have written something in Latin. Can a more appropriate place for this be found so that non-experts like me are not baffled from the very onset? Jɪmp 00:20, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

• Is the current wording any better? "This story is number 333 in the Aarne-Thompson classification system for folktales." --Damian Yerrick (talk | stalk) 15:02, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Yarmulke

The article states, "Hebrew: כיפה אדומה (Kippah Addumah), meaning 'Red Yarmulke'." Sorry, not the correct translation for כיפה, which also means cap, dome or even the top of a palm. So, the proper literal translation is 'Red Cap', and the reference to the article on Kippah is inappropriate, it is to an article of a different meaning of the word.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.109.62.158 (talk • contribs) 16:18, 22 December 2007

Repeated languages

Why do we have Castellano and Spanish ?? It's the same language... so decide only one —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.164.195.131 (talk) 07:07, 12 January 2008 (UTC)

Re-organisation

(psst! Just realised comments should go at the bottom... d'oh! I've moved my comment to the right place. Don't tell anyone, I think I got away with it!) She'sGotSpies (talk) 18:31, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Seems to me that this article is a bit muddled up.

• The Grimms version is talked about in two different sections, maybe these should be merged?

• The lead also doesn't give much of an introduction to the tale. Maybe it should mention some themes raised and have more detail, can Little Red Riding Hood really just be boiled down to "a young girl's encounter with a wolf"? That said, we don't want to just repeat the plot summary that is below. I think the impact and controversy behind this tale and its interpretations should be mentioned in the lead. After all, there must be a reason why the story has been retold so many times.

• Some mention should be made about the Grimm's title actually being Little Red Cap and that it's Perrault's title that is usually tacked onto the Grimm version.

• Pre-Perrault section seems a bit light. Should we talk a bit more about the oral tale and the inherent difficulties in identifying what exactly these tales consisted of? By their very definition they are 'oral' and therefore there is no record of their form before Perrault. Because of this, we can't know the influence that Perrault has had on any surviving oral versions in France/Italy today.

• It doesn't seem clear that Perrault invented the red riding hood. I know it is mentioned but could be made clearer.

Thats because Perrault DID NOT invented it. Its difficult to know what the original story was, because it was ORAL, thus NOT written down. Very likely Perrault did indeed hear the version of the story with the red hood, and in fact that likely how it was even before Perrault. Just because there are versions without it doesn't mean that he invented it.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.148.192 (talk • contribs) 12:38, 4 February 2010

• Interpretations section doesn't make clear what versions are being interpreted or the criticisms of each.

I know quite a bit about the topic and would be happy to re-write a few things but I thought I should get your opinions on what needs to be looked at.

Also, I'm a newbie! I would appreciate any advice on exactly how articles should be arranged/formatted etc.

She'sGotSpies (talk) 14:37, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Grandma?

Does anyone know where abouts grandma lives in this story?? (On a hill, in the forest etc.) Include picture if possible.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.30.0.145 (talk • contribs) 09:15, 4 September 2008

I imagine she lives in different places in different versions of the story. Do you mean any one story in particular? --Jayunderscorezero (talk) 12:28, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Red Hot Riding Hood not a stripper

"In the short animated cartoon Red Hot Riding Hood by Tex Avery, the story is recast in an adult-oriented urban setting, with the suave, sharp-dressed Wolf howling after the stripper Red." -- Just viewed this again and Red is not a stripper per se. She appears on stage in a hooded cloak, which she discards to perform a song wearing a short dress. -- 201.53.7.16 (talk) 17:40, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Pre-Perrault

Some of the assertions made in this section appear to be supported by books, but these books are not the original sources. Perhaps the authors currently cited identify the original sources in their own work. It would also be nice if there was some explanation as to how elements of the unrecorded stories were preserved.--65.6.40.232 (talk) 14:58, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

The book by Jack Zipes supports few of the claims for which it is cited as a reference. Zipes presents a version called "The Grandmother," not "The False Grandmother," and does not date any version to the 14th century. Peter M. Brown (talk) 16:52, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Crimes in this story

There is more crimes than just murder in this fairytale. There is also impersonation. The peson who does the impersonation is the big bad wolf. He pretends to be granny! (detective31)—Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.217.83.66 (talk • contribs) 02:24, 8 March 2009

Ancient Origin

This could be useful to the article: Fairy tales have ancient origin. "Contrary to the view that the tale originated in France shortly before Charles Perrault produced the first written version in the 17th century, Dr Tehrani found that the varients shared a common ancestor dating back more than 2,600 years.".--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 07:36, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Wolf Attacks NPOV

The Interpretations subsection on Wolf Attacks is NPOV. It seems to tacitly assume that wolves never attack people, while the article on wolf attacks on humans strongly suggests otherwise. The subsection ought to be rewritten to accommodate the probability that wolf attacks on children and women did happen in the rural French countryside during the period the story originates in. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to do this, since the evidence would mostly be in parish records or the like, showing single kills by lone wolves (I'm honestly just extrapolating here, but citations from the previously-linked article suggest the likelihood that many attacks are by hungry young wolves without a pack attacking children); and I don't read older varieties of French or have access to those records to begin with. Linking to the wolf attacks article could be a start though. ClockwerkMao (talk) 02:56, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Best would be to check the secondary scholarly sources. I'm working another fairy tale page at the moment and will check the sources to see what I can find. We can delete the unsourced material too. Truthkeeper (talk) 03:08, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Nude Great Red Riding Hood ( Apocalyptic Version )

From the sweetest wine, the tartest vinegar

There was a Starkers Great red Riding Hood with a crown of twelve stars on her head. She has been photographed actually by a great photography's professional. Some wolves had seen her and they wanted to catch her. Later, they even heard her giving a ring to a fruit-tree. So they infered that she was somewhere on the Earth and they disguised themselves as ewes. But they weren't ewes. Great Red Riding Hood In The Raw helps only real ewes and she can't be catch because her palace is in Heaven with Jesus-Christ, her husband. Did the false ewes known the proverb ? : "Real ewes are worse than wolves".

    Don't be afraid, Heaven is close to you.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.64.0.101 (talk) 15:45, 2 April 2012 (UTC) 

LIttle Red Riding Hood Simple Translation

Once upon a time a beautiful girl. Her mother had made a red dress and the girl wore it so much that all the people called her Little Red Riding Hood. One day her mother asked her to bring some sweets to her grandmother who lived on the other side of the forest because the forest crossing was very dangerous, and there was always a wolf who lived there. Later that day the girl began her journey. The girl had to go through the forest to reach grandma's house many times, but she was not afraid because he was always there with many friends. This time, when she was walking suddenly saw the wolf in front of her. Where are you going, pretty girl? asked the wolf. To my grandmother, told the girl. That's good, said the wolf. After the wolf left. "The wolf is gone," the girl thought "I have nothing to fear." Meanwhile, the wolf went to grandma's house, knocked softly on the door and the grandma opened the old thinking it was Little Red Riding Hood. A hunter who was passing had observed the arrival of the wolf. The wolf ate the grandmother and put on the</ref></ref></ref> grandmother's hat, got into bed and closed his eyes. Not have to wait long, as the girl came away very excited. The girl went to bed and saw that his grandmother was different.

Grandma, Grandma, what big eyes you have!

Best said the wolf sees you trying to imitate the voice of the grandmother.

Grandma, Grandma, what big ears you have!

Best said the wolf hear.

Grandma, Grandma, what big teeth you have! So I can eat you who said the wolf The hunter saw that something was wrong. So I went to my grandmother's house and saw the wolf there with a big belly. So Wolf opened his mouth and pulled the girl and grandmother out.

The wolf was afraid and ran away never to return to the woods. As Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, suffered no more than a scare, but Red Riding Hood had learned his lesson. He promised his grandmother did not speak to any stranger who was found on the road. From now on, follow the judicious recommendations of his grandmother and his mother. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Little_Red_Riding_Hood&action=edit&section=new# — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shortstory332 (talk • contribs) 01:55, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

“Little Red Riding Hood” was a seduction tale

Once upon a time, “Little Red Riding Hood” was a seduction tale~~ Xb2u7Zjzc32 (talk) 20:58, 6 February 2015 (UTC)

Chainsaws

In spain, the traditional part of the story, as it was told at least a century ago, has the brave little woodcutter using a chainsaw to fight the Big Bad Wolf.

Why it isn't that part allowed to be in the article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.136.238.100 (talk) 21:28, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

I did heard that version, too. The woodcutter wielding a chainsaw was truly the climax of the story. Please, allow it to stay. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Souhiro (talk • contribs) 14:45, 31 January 2018 (UTC)

Wrong name of an animated film

The first entry in the "Animations and films" section has a wrong name. "Soyuzmultfilm", as the linked page implies, is the studio name, not the film name. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.39.245.252 (talk) 06:55, 3 July 2018 (UTC)

Vampire connection, phony reference

The reference regarding "These early variations of the tale, do differ from the currently known version in several ways. The antagonist is not always a wolf, but sometimes an ogre, vampire" doesn't support the claim. First, the Little Riding Hood section is pg 583-588. Second, the closest mention of "vampire" appears on page 568 (Lee, Tanith) and 613 (McKinley, Robin). Finally, pg 466-492 covers several unrelated topics starting with "Hybridity, Hybridization" by Lee Haring and ending with "Internet, Folktale Collections" and there is no use of the word "vampire" in that section either. Since this is clearly a phony reference I have removed it. If you can find the wording that supports the claim then post it here. There is a pdf version of the work in existence making it easy to search for it.--174.99.238.22 (talk) 19:35, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

• Thanks. Coolabahapple (talk) 23:18, 7 May 2020 (UTC)

European ?

European ? Not really. French fairy-tale. Other country just copy... Stop the f****** lie SwaxawS (talk) 21:33, 25 May 2020 (UTC)

Unattributed claim of banned song

The following was marked as needing a citation in July 2016: "A.P. Randolph's 1925 "How Could Red Riding Hood (Have Been So Very Good)?" was the first song known to be banned from radio because of its sexual suggestiveness." I have done some searching via Google and an academic database and cannot find any source for this. However, the above sentence is copied verbatim on about three pages of Google results. Rhetoricalray (talk) 02:09, 28 November 2021 (UTC)

Audio version

This edit proposed removing the audio because, according to the edit summary “The recording was incorrect”. What is incorrect about it? --Northernhenge (talk) 15:05, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

Jim C. Hines

Okay, seriously, did this guy add himself to this page? He's a modern author but shows up randomly on the page. Come on, I laughed out loud when I was reading this. 2404:440E:2A43:3600:A471:2155:E1B1:BE52 (talk) 09:30, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

I can only see one mention. It was added here. If you have issues with this addition, you're in the right place to say what they are. --Northernhenge (talk) 11:47, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Obviously meant to be humorous

The story is obviously meant to be humorous. Ask any young child. No child old enough to walk alone to her Grandmother's house carrying food would be fooled for a moment by a wolf dressed as her beloved Grandmother. The humor is in the girl not recognizing the obvious fake--or politely pretending not to notice; instead just pointing out some details in the wolf's appearance that were very different from her Grandmother.

The equally obvious moral is: "Don't be hoodwinked by obvious fakes. And don't be so polite to obvious fakes that they have time to take advantage of you."

There is also a little secondary humor about a grandmother so hairy and ugly that a wolf could successfully masquerade as her. Greg Lovern (talk) 04:43, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

how old was little red riding hood when she died

how old was she when she died 2406:2D40:41F5:B610:9954:AC1A:97D4:6064 (talk) 09:08, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

D 82.39.120.99 (talk) 21:58, 7 May 2024 (UTC)