Little Red Riding Hood Rides Again

Hollywood is bringing us at least one more version of Little Red Riding Hood.  But not without a spin.  I reported on it very briefly once before when I first heard about it.  Such a long time ago that I'd forgotten there's a werewolf involved in this adaptation.  Apparently a lycnathrope is part of the tale in some of its earlier manifestations.  (For the record, I'm all for such a 'twist' since I am a fan of werewolves.)  But something someone said in the comments about the upcoming (March 11, 2011) movie prompted me to go and look it up.   It had been said that the Brothers Grimm version had a werewolf as well.  I happen to have a collection (just little paperback books) of the complete set of their stories so I picked it up and read...

I'm not sure if I ever heard the tale outside the general knowledge and (ahem!) retellings of it as a kid.  In the version/translation that I have, it's not a hood with a cape attached but just a little red cap.  Little Red Cap, as far as I can glean from the text, doesn't come across a wolf-man in the forest.  No, just a talking wolf.  But talking animals are common in fairy tales, so that's no big deal.  Granted, the illustration had the wolf upright on his hind legs and he wore fine clothes (completle with a snazzy hat and shoulder cape) but a drawing to accompany it isn't always a definitive piece of evidence.  Thus, it doesn't seem to me that a werewolf is in Grimm.  I'd love to know of any evidence that anyone can bring to this forest...

...but what really struck me is that the tale contains a sequel in and of itself.  Yes, really.  There's a quick little "addendum" of how Red Cap/Hood went back to her Grandmother's house on another trip with some goodies.  She meets another wolf - but she is not fooled again.  She isn't led astray by the wolf's temptations nor does she spill any information about where she's going. She is followed, however, and during the visit Grandmother notices the wolf, who jumps up on the roof.  There he waits for Little Red to leave so that he may gobble her up.  But Grandmother has a plan on how to dispose of the wolf so that Red may leave safely...

I'll leave you to find out what happens on your own.

I'm currently looking forward to the film Red Riding Hood.  Here she's a young woman, of course, but then, it will be playing up the (inherent) sexual tensions in the story.