Week 12: Storytelling - The Three Little Wolves and the Big Fat Pig

Once upon a time, there was a little village called Wolfville right in the center of the forest. Really, Wolfville was just like any other animal village one might find in any old forest - there was a baker, a blacksmith, and there was even a little market where all the mother wolves sent their wolf-children to pick up milk and eggs. The wolf-children liked to play hide-and-seek, Red Rover, and all of the other silly games that children like to play, but they especially liked to run about the woods on the edge of the village. All children knew that one could not go too deep into the forest, for there were horrid creatures that lurked in the shadows. There was not a wolf-child in Wolfville who had not heard of the Big Fat Pig who gobbles up naughty little wolf-children. The story of the three wolf-children and the Big Fat Pig made even the bravest of the wolf-children unwilling to venture deep into the woods!

There were once three wolf-children, brothers, who decided one day that they were old enough to go out and live on their own. Their mother pleaded with them to stay, for they were still very young, but saw that they had set their minds on leaving. With a sigh, she consented to their journey, but before the brothers left, she gave them each a lunch basket and a piece of advise:

Now, the woods be mighty lonesome
The woods be mighty big
Venture, ye, not deeply
Else you'll meet the Big Fat Pig

The brothers each picked up his lunch basket and went on their way.

Once they reached the woods where they intended to build their houses, a great debate arose concerning the material for the house and it was decided that each brother should build his own house out of whatever material he chose. The wolf brothers all went their separate ways in order to find the building material they wanted.

The eldest wolf wanted to build his house of straw and took off into the woods in one direction, gathering bits of straw along the way. He was so consumed with his task that he didn't realize how deep into the woods he was. Once he had enough straw, the eldest wolf built a fine house and when it was done, he decided to go in and take a nap. While he was sleeping, who should find this neat little straw house but the Big Fat Pig! The Big Fat Pig walked right up to the door and called sweetly,

Oh, wolf, oh wolf!
Are you about?
I want a word
Won't you please, wolf, come out?

The eldest wolf was not to be fooled that easily! He replied,

Away with ye, Pig!
You not be so clever
You ask for a word
I give you one: Never!

At this, the Pig was very angry so he simply knocked the house down and gobbled up the eldest wolf for breakfast.

The middle wolf wanted to build his house of sticks and took off into the woods in the other direction gathering sticks along the way. He was so consumed with his task that he didn't realize how deep into the woods he was. Once he had enough sticks, the middle wolf built a fine house and when it was done, he decided to go in and take a cup of tea. While he was having his tea, who should find this tidy little stick house but the Big Fat Pig! The Big Fat Pig walked right up to the door and called sweetly,

Oh, wolf, oh wolf!
Are you about?
I want a word
Won't you please, wolf, come out?

The middle wolf was not to be fooled that easily! He replied,

Away with ye, Pig!
You not be so clever
You ask for a word
I give you one: Never!

At this, the Pig was very angry so he simply knocked the house down and gobbled up the middle wolf for dinner.

The youngest wolf was the most clever of the three brothers and wanted to build his house out of brick. So he ventured into the heart of the woods to gather mud and water to build his bricks. He was so consumed with his task that he didn't realize how deep into the woods he was. Once he made his bricks, the youngest wolf built a sturdy house and when it was done, he went inside and locked the door. After he locked his door, who should find this study little brick house but the Big Fat Pig! He walked right up to the door and called sweetly,

Oh, wolf, oh wolf!
Are you about?
I want a word
Won't you please, wolf, come out?

The youngest wolf, being quite clever answered

Aye, Pig! I'm here!
But you cannot come through
This door here be stuck
So here's what I'll do

My chimney be wide
It may sound absurd
But down my wide chimney
You'll have your wee word

The Big Fat Pig climbed up on the roof and took a peek down the chimney. He saw that the youngest wolf had a pot of water boiling over the fire - what a clever trick! So the Pig waited and waited on the roof until finally the youngest wolf unlocked his door and poked his head out to see where the Big Fat Pig had gone. The Big Fat Pig jumped down from the roof onto the wolf and ate him up for supper.

Of course, when the wolf-children of Wolfville got older, they realized that the story was nothing but an old fairy tale - something the mother wolves told their wolf-children when they thought they were getting too smart for their own good. The story, though frightening, was far too absurd to be real. I mean honestly, a pig that eats naughty little wolves - everyone knows that such awful creatures as pigs are nothing but make believe!

Author's Note: This is a retelling of the story of The Three Little Pigs from the English Fairy Tales Unit. I thought it would be fun to completely reverse the roles in the story, making the pig the "bad guy" instead of the wolf. I tried to use the repetitive structure used in a lot of the fairy tales in this unit and used rhymes for dialogue to give it more of a fairy tale feel. I changed the ending of the story making the third wolf get eaten because I wanted the story to be seen as somewhat frightening from the perspective of children such that the story would be a good story for mothers to tell their children to keep them from being naughty, which is the way I've set up the story.

Bibliography: "The Story of the Three Little Pigs." English Fairy Tales. Joseph Jacobs, illustrated by John D. Batten. 1890.

Image Information: Three Little Wolves (image source: Daily Motion )