Fairy Tale Friday--El Lappelin Rosso (Italy/Austria, 1867)

Hello and welcome to Fairy Tale Friday. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then I’ll begin.

Today’s version is a very gruesome offering that was collected in Italy by Austrian folklorist Christian Schneller in 1867 in his book , Märchen und Sagen aus Wälschtirol: Ein Beitrag zur deutschen Sagenkunde. If you thought the first one from 14^th century France where the little girl eats the flesh and drinks the blood of her grandmother was shocking, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

I debated about talking about this one second straight after the 14^th century French tale due to their similarities (extreme cannibalism and not a wolf but a bzou/werewolf or in this case an ogre) but ultimately, I decided to go chronologically.

There is also an interesting similarity in the paths they take. In the 14^th century French version they talk of “the path of needles or the path of pins.” In this version the ogre asks, “Are you going across the stones or the thorns?"

There is also a strange theatrical convention where the young girl repeatedly asks an innocent question, the ogre replies under his breath with a horrible answer which causes the girl to ask him to repeat himself. Then the ogre replies with a sensible answer and the little girl is none the wiser. This made me feel like it was written to be performed, but I have no proof of that.  I also like that it follows the traditional banter of “what big something you have” and “the better to whatever you my dear” but the words are slightly different to the ones we are used to.

Be aware, this tale is more akin to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre than the nursery. You have been warned.

El Lappelin Rosso

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 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.

Stay tuned for a version entitled The True History of Little Golden Hood which contains a pluckier grandmother then we have seen in other versions as well as some magic.