Die hebsugtige seekoei en Rooikappie: die groteske in sprokies

摘要

This article presentsa comparative reading of two folktales that are also characterised as children’s stories (one fromVenda folklore and the other a popular European narrative) in order to explore a number ofsimilarities between these stories. These similarities include the grotesque activity of eatinghuman flesh, the way that overly trusting people are tricked by means of a masquerade andother ‘unethical’ and ‘immoral’ activities that occur in both narratives. In The Greedy Hippo(Hippopotamus throws his weight around), the monster for instance mimics the voice of a littleboy in order to trick his sister and gain access to the children’s hut, whilst in Little Red RidingHood the wolf tricks the grandmother in the same way to gain access to her house, in orderto later trick Red Riding Hood. Furthermore, in both stories, the little girls (as well as thegrandmother in Little Red Riding Hood) are swallowed by vicious wild animals (either ahippopotamus or a wolf). As is often the case in fairy tales; however, the victims are saved orescape and live happily ever after. In this article, I argue that, although it seems absurd forchildren’s stories to deal with the grotesque, the presence of the grotesque actually serves anelevating purpose. I conclude that, because of the shock value of the grotesque, these storiesnot only intrigue children emotionally, but that the shocking quality of the grotesque alsoserves as a source of fascination for them. Therefore, the warning messages contained in thestories are more persuasively communicated and better remembered by the child audience