Jacob born in 1785 and Wilhem born in 1786 are better known as the Grimm brothers. They were deeply religious, hardworking and bright boys who published over 500 tales. Little Red Cap, or Rotkäppchen as it was published appeared in the first edition of their collection Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales) in 1812. (Wikipedia 2006)
The brothers turned the first version into the main story and the second into a sequel of it.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE TALE
The little girl was known as Red Cap because of the velvet cap she wore which was made by her grandmother. Little Red Cap took some cake and a bottle of wine to her ill grandmother.
She met the wolf and told him about her journey to grandmothers. He suggested she pick some flowers for her grandmother, so she strayed off the path and went deeper and deeper into the woods to pick the best flowers. Meanwhile, the wolf entered grandmothers house, pretending to be Little Red Cap, ate the grandmother all up and dressed in her clothes.
Finally, Red Cap arrived and thought her grandmother looked very strange, and asked her a number of questions about her ears, eyes and mouth. The wolf leaped out of bed and ate Red Cap.
A huntsman passed by and noticed the wolf in bed. He took out his scissors and cut open the belly of the sleeping wolf. Little Red Cap and grandmother were freed. Red Cap then filled the wolf's belly with stones and when he awoke his legs collapsed and he fell down dead. Red Cap thought to herself "Never again will you stray from the path..."
There is a story about another wolf who met little Red Cap on her way to grandmothers. Little Red Cap kept to the path and never strayed. She arrived at grandmothers and warned her of the wolf, old Gray head. The wolf was locked out of the cottage, and jumped on the roof waiting for Red Cap to leave.
Red Cap poured some water which sausages had been cooked in into a trough. The smell reached the wolf and he couldn't resist. He slipped and fell into the trough and was drowned.
MODIFICATIONS
The Grimm Brothers turned the tale from enjoyment to one which was educational. This reflected the change in society's views, where literature was considered to educate children, rather than provide entertainment.
The ending of both versions of the tale is happy. The girl and the grandmother are saved, and the wolf dies. Shavit (cited in Tatar 1999: 329) suggests that the turning of the ending was the result of the need to fit the story into the framework of a folktale. The change in ending also coincides with the values of the 1800's in which it was written. According to the views, the child must derive a lesson from every event or story to which they are exposed, and therefore the tale was deemed suitable for children.
The girl does not obey her mother when she is warned to stay on the path, and is punished for her actions by being eaten by the wolf. The second part of the tale, which is very different from Perrault's, suggests the child has learnt a lesson from her mother, and is safe from the dangers of the wolf.
