Kuhn seeks to show that Hood is a survival of
Woden, or of his Wooden, "wooden horse" or hobby horse. The Robin
Hood play was parallel with the May games, which, as Mr. Frazer
shows in his Golden Bough, were really survivals of a world-wide
religious practice. But Robin Hood need not be confused with the
legendary May King. Mr. Child judiciously rejects these
mythological conjectures, based, as they are, on far-fetched
etymologies and analogies. Robin is an idealized bandit, reiver,
or Klepht, as in modern Romaic ballads, and his adventures are
precisely such as popular fancy everywhere attaches to such popular
heroes. An historical Robin there may have been, but premit nox
alta.
ROBIN HOOD AND THE MONK
This copy follows in Mr. Child's early edition, "from the second
edition of Ritson's Robin Hood, as collated by Sir Frederic
Madden." It is conjectured to be "possibly as old as the reign of
Edward II." That the murder of a monk should be pardoned in the
facile way described is manifestly improbable. Even in the lawless
Galloway of 1508, McGhie of Phumpton was fined six merks for
"throwing William Schankis, monk, from his horse." (History of
Dumfries and Galloway, by Sir Herbert Maxwell, p. 155.)
ROBIN HOOD AND THE POTTER
Published by Ritson, from a Cambridge MS., probably of the reign of
Henry VII.
ROBIN HOOD AND THE BUTCHER
Published by Ritson, from a Black Letter copy in the collection of
Anthony Wood, the Oxford antiquary.
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