Folktales weren’t always cheerful stories to entertain. Sometimes, they were harsh and dark for they needed to be scary to teach a valuable lesson. For instance, every young girl needed to fear the big bad wolf in the woods, i.e. the deceitful man in society that could bring dishonor to her family’s reputation if she trusted him too easily. Shocking images used to be the brand mark of all didactic stories. Isn’t that right, Mr. Charles Perrault?

My great-aunt Nanna used to t...