Some time ago @adarkrainbow talked about how there are a bunch of Christmas fairy tales, but not many about the other holidays (in regards to this exception), and that got me thinking of one italian folk tale that is set during Carnival season. Italo Calvino saw it as a distant relative of Little Red Riding Hood, and retold this story from Faenza (collected by Paolo Toschi) in his "italian folk tales".
So, since it is that time of the year now, let us take a look at
Uncle Wolf
There was a girl with a sweet tooth. On a Carnival day, the teacher told the girls: - If you are good and finish your knitting, I'll make you fritters.
But that girl couldn't knit, and she asked to go in the side room. She locked herself up there and fell asleep. When she went back into school, the other girls had eaten all the fritters. And she went to cry to her mother and told her the whole story.
-It's alright, you poor thing. I'll make fritters for you,- said the mother. But the mother was so poor that she didn't even have a frying pan - go to Uncle Wolf and ask him to lend us his frying pan.
The girl went to the house of Uncle Wolf and knocked at the door "bum bum".
-Who's there?
-It's me
-Many years, many months that no one knocks at this door. What do you want?
-My mommy sent me to ask if you'll lend us your frying pan for the fritters
-Wait, I'll put on my shirt
"bum bum" -wait, I'll put on my underpants
"bum bum" -wait, I'll put on my pants
"bum bum" -wait, I'll put on my coat
Finally Uncle Wolf opened up and gave her the frying pan. - I'll lend it to you, but you tell your mother that when she gives it back, she must fill it with fritters, and a loaf of bread, and a bottle of wine. - Yes, yes, I'll bring everything.
When she was home her mother made a lot of fritters and left a pan full for Uncle Wolf. Before evening she told the girl: - Take this pan full of fritters to Uncle Wolf, and this loaf of bread, and this bottle of wine.
The girl, having a sweet tooth, started smelling the fritters on her way - Oh how nice they smell! And she tried one. And one two three she ate them all, and alongside the bread, and downed it all with the wine. Then to fill the pan she picked up some donkey droppings. And she filled the bottle with dirty water. And she made a loaf from the mortar of a mason who was working on the street. And then she brought all this ugly stuff to Uncle Wolf.
Uncle Wolf tries a fritter - Puech, these are donkey droppings!
He quickly goes to the wine to wash the taste off - Puech, that's dirty water!
He bites into the loaf of bread - Puech, that's mortar!
He looks at the girl with firey eyes and says: - Tonight I'll come over and eat you!
The girl runs home to her mother - Tonight Uncle Wolf comes over to eat me!
The mother immediately started closing every hole in the house, so that Uncle Wolf couldn't get inside, but she forgot to close the chimney.
That night the little girl was already in bed when Uncle Wolf's voice came from outside:
-Now I'll eat you! I am near the house!
Then they heard a step on the tiles
-Now I'll eat you! I'm on the rooftop!
Then they heard a big sound from the chimney
-Now I'll eat you! I'm in the chimney!
-Mommy, mommy, the wolf is here!
-Quickly, hide under the blankets!
-Now I'll eat you! I'm in the fireplace!
The little girl cowered beneath the blankets and trembled like a leaf
-Now I'll eat you! I'm in the room!
The little girl held her breath
-Now I'll eat you! I'm beneath your bed! Ah, how I'll eat you!
And he ate her.
And so Uncle Wolf always eats greedy little girls!
