Introduction
A Märchen is a folk story that has characters that depict magical powers or supernatural abilities. In some cases, a character may be presented as immortal or in other instances some characters defy the normal laws of nature. Such characters are presented as heroes and heroines who use their supernatural powers to save humanity against tragedies of life. The most notable formula of beginning a Märchen is “once upon a time” (Hallett 14).
The main reason for starting Märchens in this format is to create an indefinite time to describe when the event took place. Such stories exist in most parts of the world and in different versions (Hallett 14). They however have one thing in common, no one can explain their origin. In addition, Märchen have been subject to re-working over the years since there are no patents attached to them.
Comparison
This article analyzes Little Red Riding Hood, to show similarities in the motif of popular Märchens. Comparing the Little Red Riding Hood Märchen to the Household of the Witch, a number of similarities are drawn from their plots (Hallett 23). The little red riding hood is a story about a girl who visits her grandmother who was later devoured by the wolf. On the other hand, Household of the Witch is also based on a similar story line of a girl who visits her cannibal grandmother.
She is devoured after mentioning the things she had seen around her grandmother’s compound. This two Märchens have a similar story line in the sense that the two girls in both stories died. Both where devoured although one was killed by the wolf while the other was devoured by her cannibal grandmother. Generally, the two stories have a similar plot.
Contrast
While the two stories have a similar plot, there are two major points of divergence in the unfolding of events. In the story of the little red riding hood, the girl was warned against leaving the path that led to her grandmother’s place (Hallett 23). Nonetheless, the wolf saw her heading to that direction and it ran faster and devoured the grandmother. Then the wolf masqueraded as the grandmother, tricked the girl and devoured her as well.
In this story, both the girl and her grandmother were the victims of the wolf. In the other story, the girl is the victim but in this case the devourer is her own grandmother. This brings a point of divergence between the two stories. Though they are based on similar ideologies, the characters and their roles have changed dramatically hence creating a slight plot difference.
Common motifs in the stories
Setting
The two stories have several motifs that are common to all and they include; setting, character, plot, style, theme and conflict (Hallett 32). The two stories are drawn from the events happening in the real world but the characters have unique abilities. For example, animals speaking and the magical spells. The common phrases used to describe the places where these events took place are very indefinite. They include “once upon a time in a dark forest”, “long time ago in a land far away” among others (Hallett 33).
Character
Characters in the stories are very easy to identify and in most cases their temperaments are either very good or evil. In the two stories mentioned above, the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood is the evil character while the hunter is the Good Samaritan who saves the girl and her grandmother (Hallett 34). On the hand, the Household of the Witch presents the grandmother as the evil character who devours her own daughter.
In most folktales the characters respond to their desire for something. This is mainly greed, love, fear, hatred, or even jealousy. Many of the folk stories also tend to support an idea of stereotype such as jealous siblings, wicked grandmothers, and good hunters among other stereotypes.
Plot, Absent motifs, theme and conflict
The two stories are generally shorter and easier to understand compared to other genres of literature. In these two, there is a journey involved in the story line and in both cases, it is a walk through a dark forest. There is also the aspect of repetition where the characters have a coded language to prove their legitimacy (Hallett 23). Folktales will always have a theme that is very easy to identify but one that has very deep lessons to the readers.
Such themes include compassion, generosity humility among others. Conflicts in the two folks are on the other hand based on greed and selfishness. Some regular motifs absent in this two folks include songs. Most folktales are characterized by songs within the story.
Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folk Tale
According to Propps analysis, all folk tales have four spheres. The first sphere is the introduction where someone disappears or is warned against something. Then there is the part where the villain gains information of what is going to happen and attempts to deceive the victims. On the second sphere the hero discovers the villain’s actions, and on the third sphere he or she performs the magical action (Hallett 32). The fourth sphere which is the last one is when the heroic actions are recognized. The stories discussed above have shown all these spheres as anticipated in Propp’s Morphology of the Folk Tale.
Axel Olrik’s Laws of Epic Narrative
The law of three has been depicted in the story because it is based on three characters. In these tales also, the law of two characters per scene has also been displayed (Hallett 56). It is also evident that the law of contrast has been used in both stories since there is a comparison of the good and evil characters. The scene where the wolf is being cut open evokes a strong visual image which is consistent with Axel’s law of epic narrative.
Holbek’s “The Language of Fairy Tales”
According to Holberk, fairytales are superstitious by nature and they always involve a notion of supernatural actions. These two tales have portrayed scenes where the wolf is cut open to rescue the girl and the granddaughter (Hallett 67). This is a characteristic that is seen in almost all the fairy narratives around the world (Hallett).
Similarities In the different versions
Most of the motifs in the stories are quite conspicuous and easily notable. The folks are obviously meant to pass different messages and themes. However, they have a similar style of doing so. It is very easy to identify a folk by analyzing its setting. Most settings are in the forest and in the woody country sides where civilization is largely not common (Hallett 56). Folks do not have a common origin or owner of the literature. They belong to no one and they are owned by the society where they were created.
In the above discussed versions for example, the stories are based on the same plot. The stories are based on a girl and her grandmother. The setting is the same, in the woods in a forest (Hallett 56). The stories seem to refer to an ancient time long time ago and the mood of the texts is that in that period both animals and people coexisted together.
Other aspects in the text that cannot be explained by a type and a motif approach
There are things in the texts that cannot be explained in any motif as discussed. For instance, the idea of devouring and killing innocent people cannot be placed in any motif. The grandmother killed her own daughter while the wolf killed a girl and her grandmother. The idea of people getting killed is a style that can be seen in most of the tales. However, this style is not placed in any of the motifs.
Insight to specific culture
The tales are giving an insight on the culture of the ancient Europe. This shows how the pre-historic cultural setting was shaped when the witches were actively involved in the daily human lives (Hallett 77). The tales are opening an ancient historic background to the audience to create a picture of the real events that took place in the past. They give a general view of the cultural believe of the ancient Europe about the fairy tales and the supernatural events (Hallett 77). Ancient societies believed in the supernatural unfolding and people feared witches and old people.
Structural and formal analysis
In structure, the stories are based on the same old structure where it starts with a good obedient character that later ends up dead. This helps in bringing the difference between the characters and also in building the emotional disparity (Hallett 78). By starting with a character that has good morals, the audience will be inclined to like him or her and associate with his or her role.
In order to provoke the reader’s emotions, the tales have created a good mood and reputation for the characters playing the good roles. The deeper the emotional attachment the better it is because it will measure the level of disappointment when the evil character plays their role (Hallett 86). Due to the deep emotional attachment created with the good characters, when the evil characters are introduced the reader will be more remorseful and disappointed.
Why are the stories similar?
Based on the plot and the storyline, the folktales can be classified as the same. They both have similar endings, characters, as well as motifs. The formation of these tales is very similar and effectively outlined to achieve a specific goal. They are created to warn the society against some ills. For the little red riding hood, the story is meant to teach that being greedy is social ill. The wolf that had devoured the girl and her grandmother was cut open and filled with stones and later left to drown and die painfully (Hallett 67). This is unique with folktales. They always have a good and happy ending and always with a lesson to teach the audience.
Works Cited
Hallett, Martin. Folk and Fairy tales. New York, NY: Boston publishing, 2008. Print.