Red Flag Stories: Why We Still Tell 'Those' Tales

Stories and folklore

When we talk about red flags we are often referring to the warnings that people give us in their speech, body language and behaviour. Those indications that they perhaps mean us harm or were not the people we at first thought them to be. Of course red flags in their physical form have been used for centuries to indicate when there is danger, but red flags in their less tangible form can be found all over stories.

A subject that frequently comes up in the storytelling tradition is which stories should we be perpetuating? Folktales and fairytales can often be labelled outdated, patriarchal or validating the oppression of certain groups. Whilst this is true for some stories (to clarify these are not ones I tell) there are others which we have been telling for thousands of years that still hold relevant and important messages.

Little Red Riding Hood is a prime example of this! But what about those very dark and violent tales that we are so often drawn to as adults? What are they teaching us?

Photo by bruno neurath-wilson on Unsplash