In 1845 Adalbert Kuhn (in Haupt's _Zeitschrift_, v. 472-94) attempted to
show that Robin Hood was a mythological figure representing one of the
manifestations of Woden, as a vegetation deity; and half a century later
Sir J. H. Ramsay suggested that he was a wood-spirit corresponding to
the Hodeken of German tradition. Theories such as this[7] seem to be
fascinating to all sorts of scholars, perhaps because they involve
continually a minute appreciation of fine shades of probability. In the
present instance they reach a point at which it is suggested that the
rose-garland worn by the Potter--not in the ballad of _Robin Hood and
the Potter_, but in the later play--is a survival of the Strife between
Summer and Winter. Certainly there is no need to seek a mythological
origin for the Robin Hood of the ballads; but we must proceed to
consider the Robin of folk-drama.
To do this, it is necessary to go back some centuries before the time at
which we first hear of Robin Hood the outlaw, and to follow the
development of the English folk's summer festival from song and dance to
drama, and from the folk-games--the 'Induction of May,' the 'Induction
of Autumn,' the 'Play of the King and the Queen,' which, separately or
together, were performed at least as early as the thirteenth century--to
the 'May-game' or 'King's game' of the middle of the fifteenth century.
Going back again to the thirteenth century, and crossing over to France,
we find in the _fêtes du mai_--which were evolved, with the help of the
minstrels, from the French folk's summer festival--the names of Robin
and Marion customarily appropriated to the king and queen of these
_fêtes_.
Now between 1450 and 1500 the May-game becomes associated in England
with Robin Hood: setting aside the possibility that Bower's reference,
mentioned above, to 'comedies and tragedies,' may allude to the
May-game, we can find many entries, in parish records from all parts of
England, which show that the summer folk-festival has developed into a
play of Robin Hood. Further, it has been very plausibly suggested[8]
that about the same time the _French_ Robin, becoming confused with the
English one, brought in Marion (a French name), and thus supplied our
Robin Hood with his Maid Marian, who has no place in the true ballads of
the outlaw.
In 1473 Sir John Paston wrote a letter in which he refers to a servant,
of whom he says, 'I have kepyd hym this iii yer to pleye Saynt Jorge and
Robyn Hod and the Shryff of Nottyngham.' There has also survived a leaf
of manuscript--perhaps it is only an accident that it was formerly in
the possession of the first editor of the _Paston Letters_--of about the
same date, which contains a portion of the play to which Sir John
refers, that of Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham,[9] which is
founded upon a story similar to that of the ballad of _Robin Hood and
Guy of Gisborne_ (see p. 128). Besides this fragment, we have in William
Copland's edition of the _Gest_ a dramatic appendix of 'the playe of
Robyn Hoode, verye proper to be played in Maye games' (printed _c._
1560); this in fact consists of two plays carelessly tagged together,
first _Robin Hood and the Friar_ (who is distinctly called Friar Tuck),
and second, _Robin Hood and the Potter_ (partly founded on the ballad of
that name). Friar Tuck, it should be noted, occurs also in the earlier
fragmentary play; but there is no friar in Robin Hood's 'meynie' in any
of the older ballads, and no Maid Marian in either the older ballads or
the above plays.
These complications of Robin Hood's company are further confused by the
fact that the morris-dance, which was universally affiliated to the
May-game, borrowed therefrom not only Maid Marian but Robin Hood, Little
John and Friar Tuck; so that amongst the later ballads and broadsides we
find Robin's company increased. However, by that time Robin himself had
degenerated from the fine character exhibited in the earlier ballads
given in this volume.
[Footnote 7: The suggestion that 'Hood' = 'o' Wood' was originally
made in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for March 1793, over the
signature D. H.]
[Footnote 8: First, as regards Marian, by Warton, _History of
English Poetry_ (1774), p. 245: recently and in more detail by
E. K. Chambers, _Mediæval Stage_ (1903), i. 176.]
[Footnote 9: This leaf has lately been given to the Library of
Trinity College, Cambridge, by Mr. Aldis Wright. It may be seen in
facsimile as well as in type in the _Collections_ (p. 117) of the
Malone Society (Part ii., 1908), where the two plays of Robin Hood
mentioned above are also reprinted.]
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