It’s almost as difficult to count the number of adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood as it is to pin down its origins. I feel like I really shouldn’t have to explain this one. The versions that’re most well-known are the ones told by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, which are heavily sanitised, but early versions tend to carry strong themes of seduction and sexual politics which tend to get left out, as bestiality doesn’t always go down well. It seems to be a standard cautionary tale, but there’s an interesting theory that the story’s prevalence in Medieval Europe may have been a reaction to the witchcraft trials, which were often closely intertwined with stories of lycanthropy, cannibalism and possession. There are variants of the story all over the world, some going back many centuries – what tends to vary is the nature of the beastie that ends up eating poor old Red. Much like Cinderella, it’s difficult to pin down the origins of this tale. In some versions, she’s rescued by a convenient woodcutter, but in others, she only escapes the wolf by the wrong end of its digestive tract. Old Wolfie runs along to grandma’s house, eats her, impersonates her, and gobbles up Red with the same enthusiasm that you or I would normally reserve for a tub of Ben & Jerry’s. When walking through the woods, she comes across a wolf – and instead of running for her life, she stops, has a bit of a chat, and tells him exactly where she’s going and what she’s doing. Her elderly grandmother wants some snacks, and instead of ordering some takeout she gets her naïve little granddaughter to bring her food instead. For those of you that don’t know, Little Red Riding Hood is the story of a small child trying not to get eaten by wolves while running her errands.
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