The Virgin And The Werewolf: The Legend of Red Riding Hood — Charles Perrault

The folktale of Red Riding Hood has its origins in tales from various European countries, of which several still exist, some significantly different from the better-known Perrault and Grimms versions. It was told by French peasants in the 10th century, and also in Italy in the 14th century, engendering a number of versions, including "La Finta Nonna", often with elements of cannibalism, scatology, and nudity. Later Germanic variants were most likely inspired by the 16th century “werewolf” trials of Peter Stumpp and others. This special ebook collection of texts relating to the Red Riding Hood legend starts with "La Finta Nonna", and then features the two most well-known latterday versions: "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge" (“Little Red Riding Hood”) by Charles Perrault (1697), and "Rotkäppchen" (“Little Red Cap”) by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812). Elements of this story are similar to those in the Grimms' tale "Der Wolf Und Die Sieben Geißlein" (“The Wolf And The Seven Young Kids”), which is also included for comparison. This collection also includes "Little Red Hood", the Slavonic version retold and analysed by A.H. Wratislaw (1890); plus a special bonus text: "The Damnable Life And Death of Peter Stumpp", by George Bores, a graphic true account of lycanthropy, cannibalism and black magic written in 1590. With a cover illustration by Arthur Rackham.