Maid Marian

Maid Marian is the female companion to the legendary figure Robin Hood.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The earliest Medieval Robin Hood stories gave him no female companion. The Robin Hood character at this time was rather brutish woodsman and a female companion would have been out of place.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Maid Marian was originally a character in May Day festivities, usually the Queen or Lady of May. It has been been suggested that she became associated with Robin Hood in this context, as Robin Hood became a central figure in May Day, associated as it was with the forest and archery.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In narrative terms, Maid Marian was first attached to Robin Hood in the late sixteenth century as Robin was gentrified and given a virginal maid to pine after. Her biography and character have been highly variable over the centuries, being sometimes portrayed as a pagan or Saxon and other times as a high born Norman.

Related Topics:
Saxon - Norman

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Maid Marian's character evolved, becoming conflated with the Goddess Diana as she became portrayed as a skilled huntress that fought alongside Robin. In the Victorian Era she reverted to her previous role as the dainty maid. With the rise of modern feminism in the 20th century, the character has often been depicted as an adventurer again, sometimes as a crack archer herself. The standard ending for Robin Hood stories became that he married Maid Marian and left the woods for a civilized aristocratic life. See also Maid Marian and Her Merry Men for a modern role reversal.

Related Topics:
Diana - Victorian Era - Feminism - 20th century - Archer - Maid Marian and Her Merry Men

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~