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La Finta Nonna – The Italian Red Riding Hood

Posted in Dark Tales, Italian Fairy Tales, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red Riding Hood Stories, News

A treacherous walk through the woods, a wicked wolf, and an all too familiar meal.

La Finta Nonna – The False Grandmother

– The Italian Red Riding Hood –

Once upon a time a girl was walking through the woods with a basket of goodies for her grandmother, when she met a wolf.

“Good day,” said the wolf. “Where are you going so early in the morning?”

Now the girl did not know that the wolf was a wicked animal, so she told him that she was going to visit her grandmother, who lived on the other side of the woods. She continued merrily on her way. The wicked wolf ran on ahead and arrived at the grandmother’s house before the girl. He crept inside, leaped on the poor grandmother, and ate her up, saving only a pitcher of blood and a piece of flesh. He then climbed into the grandmother’s bed, and waited for the girl. The girl soon arrived, and knocked at the door.

“Just let yourself in,” said the wolf, disguising his voice. “You must be hungry from your long walk through the woods. Do eat some of the meat that’s on the kitchen table.”

And the girl ate from her grandmother’s flesh.

“You must be thirsty from your long walk through the woods. Do drink from the pitcher that’s on the kitchen table.”

And the girl drank from her grandmother’s blood.

“You must be tired from your long walk through the woods. Do come to bed with me.”

And the girl climbed into bed with the wolf.

She soon saw that it was not her grandmother in the bed with her, and she became frightened. Not knowing how else to escape, she said, “I have to go to the privy.”

“You can just do it in the bed,” answered the wicked wolf.

“I don’t have to go little. I have to go big,” said the girl.

“All right,” said the wolf, “but hurry right back as soon as you are done.”

The girl ran out of the house, and she ran past the privy, and she ran through the woods, and she did not stop until she was safely back at home.

Little Red Riding Hood, Charles Folkard

This story was taken from the book:

Little Red Riding Hood – Origins of the Fairy Tales from around the World contains seven different versions of the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ story, detailing her encounters with the big bad wolf. It includes an in-depth introduction to the fairy tale genre, as well as the folkloric provenance of the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ story itself.