Folk tales evolve much like species do, a researcher found after studying the evolutionary history of the tale "Little Red Riding Hood."
(Photo : Carl Larsson/Wikimedia Commons)
(Photo : Carl Larsson/Wikimedia Commons)
Folk tales evolve much like species do, a researcher found after studying the evolutionary history of the tale "Little Red Riding Hood."
In the study published in the journal PLOS ONE, Durham University anthropologist Jamie Tehrani demonstrates that the story shares a common ancient root with the tale "The Wolf and the Kids," though the two have since evolved into different stories.
"This is rather like a biologist showing that humans and other apes share a common ancestor but have evolved into distinct species," Tehrani said.
Based on his research, "The Wolf and the Kids" likely originated in the 1st century, with "Little Red Riding Hood" branching off roughly 1,000 years later.
In older story, still popular in Europe and the Middle East, a wolf impersonates a nanny goat and eats her kids, whereas a wolf eats a young girl by impersonating her grandmother in "Little Red Riding Hood." Other variations, such as "The Tiger Grandmother," found in Japan, China and Korea, have all evolved.
Tehrani used a phylogenetic model analysis, used by biologists to group closely-related organisms, in order to map out the stories many evolutions based on 72 plot variables.
"My research cracks a long-standing mystery. The African tales turn out to be descended from 'The Wolf and the Kids' but over time, they have evolved to become like 'Little Red Riding Hood,' which is also likely to be descended from 'The Wolf and the Kids,'" he explained.
"This exemplifies a process biologists call convergent evolution, in which species independently evolve similar adaptations. The fact that Little Red Riding Hood 'evolved twice' from the same starting point suggests it holds a powerful appeal that attracts our imaginations."
Going forward, Tehrani says he that in applying the same method to other folk tales, to be able offer new insight into human migration patterns by identifying where they started and where they ended up.
