Of two men who ‘traumatised’ an entire nation, and a people in desperate need of such men…
When the Brothers Grimm began collecting and writing down German folk tales in the early 19th century, they could not have imagined that their work would have repercussions lasting for centuries. These repercussions are both positive and negative in nature.
Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm preserved a part of German culture for posterity. Generations have grown up – and continue to grow up – with their fairy tales. What would the ‘nation of poets and thinkers’ be without its folk and household tales?
They would probably be far more tolerant of the wolf. It is not for nothing that people speak of ‘Little Red Riding Hood syndrome’, from which the German population seems to be suffering increasingly since the reintroduction of the wolf in Lusatia. The wolf preys on sheep, if not even humans, and is, in its very nature, evil. Such is the opinion of many.
The bear, though every bit as much a predator, faces not half as much hostility. The shooting of Bruno the brown bear in 2006 provoked consternation rather than relief. Are fairy tales really to blame for this attitude?
The Cowichan First Nations, a Native American tribe on Vancouver Island, certainly do not have to ask themselves this question. In their mythology, the wolf plays a different role. The phrase ‘Brother Wolf’ is no coincidence. Yet the Cowichan First Nations are a people who have passed on their knowledge orally from generation to generation.
Unfortunately, under the influence of Americanisation, this intergenerational exchange is now crumbling. There have never been any Canadian Brothers Grimm. A culture that deserves to be preserved is in danger of falling into oblivion.
With a book of traditional Cowichan folktales, we want to do our bit to prevent this from happening. No one can say with certainty that, without these tales, the wolf would play a less negative role in our own cultural context either. Yet the example of the Cowichan Tribes shows that there is another way. For it is evident that a people’s mythology influences their attitudes towards certain aspects of life, both positively and negatively.