Maid Marian

## About

### Allies

Robin Hood, Will Scarlet, Will Stutely, Little John, Friar Tuck, the bride, Alan a Dale, Richard at the Lee, the Merry Men

### Other Names and Epithets

Lady Marian, Lady Marian Fitzwalter, Marian Dubois

## Origin

The love interest to Robin of Loxley Marian was an interesting character with a varied past and many versions of her tale, sometimes a sheltered noblewoman but originally a skilled fighter capable defeating her lover at the end of a long sword fight. She swore off marrying him until he had gained a King's pardon.

## Early Life

Marian was born the daughter of nobility in some ballads but originally she had a more humble origin as a shepherdess. Sometimes she and Robin knew each other since childhood but other tales have them meet as adults. When she is portrayed as a noble Richard at the Lee is sometimes her father.

## Courted by an Outlaw

At what point Marian and Robin met is variable but her oath to marry her love, instead of a man of her family's choosing, is on the condition that he first be pardoned. Her most well known act was joining the Merry Men in the forest after disguising herself as a male page and defeating Robin in a duel in during which he was unaware of her identity. In several stories where she is said to be of noble birth rather than a sword wielding shepherdess she remains in a castle spying discreetly on Robin's foes instead of joining him in the greenwood.

## Later Life

Marian married Robin immediately following his pardon by the King just as she had promised to do while he was living as an outlaw and was widowed many years later when Robin was murdered by his cousin. She is not said to have left him when he left the king's service and returned to living like an outlaw in the woods.

## Adaptations

The name of Robin's alternate wife Clorinda from the circa 1660s ballad *Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage*, which takes many of its elements from outside the Robin hood tradition, is sometimes used by Marian as an alias.

## Appearances in Media

#### **Ballads:**

* Robin Hood and Maid Marian
* Robin Hood and Queen Katherine
* Robin Hood's Golden Prize
* Maid Marian

#### **Plays:**

* 1641 *The Sad Shepherd, or A Tale of Robin Hood* by Ben Jonson (incomplete, first published 4 years after author's death)

#### **Literature:**

* 1822 *Maid Marian (1822)* by Thomas Love Peacock

### Character Filmography

##### **Film:**

* 1912 *Robin Hood* played by Barbara Tennant
* 1913 *Robin Hood* played by Gerda Holmes
* 1922 *Robin Hood* as Lady Marian Fitzwalter played by Enid Bennett
* 1938 *The Adventures of Robin Hood* played by Olivia de Havilland
* 1948 *The Prince of Thieves* as Lady Marian Claire played by Patricia Morison
* 1950 *Rogues of Sherwood Forest* played by Diana Lynn
* 1952 *The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men* played by Joan Rice
* 1960 *Sword of Sherwood Forest* as Maid Marian Fitzwalter played by Sarah Branch
* 1969 *Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood* as Lady Marian Fitzwalter played by Ciaran Madden
* 1973 *Robin Hood* voiced by Monica Evans and Nancy Adams
* 1976 *Robin and Marian* played by Audrey Hepburn
* 1991 *Robin Hood* played by Uma Thurman
* 1991 *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* as Marian Dubois played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
* 1993 *Robin Hood: Men in Tights* played by Amy Yasbeck
* 2010 *Robin Hood* played by Cate Blanchett
* 2018 *Robin Hood* played by  Eve Hewson

##### **Television:**

* The Adventures of Robin Hood (1956) 143 episodes played by
* Robin of Sherwood (1984 - 1986) 26 episodes played by Judi Trott
* *Robin Hood* (2006–2009) played by Lucy Griffiths
* 2014-2016 *Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood* voiced by Sarah Natochenny

##### **Video Games:**

* 2002 Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood

## Gallery

Maid Marian by Louis RheadRobin Hood and the Lady, by Walter CraneOlivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Marian and Errol Flynn as Robin Hood in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Marian and Errol Flynn as Robin Hood in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland and Una O'Connor in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian in publicity still for *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938)Paul Cavanagh, Lowell Gilmore, Diana Lynn, and George Macready in Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950)Joan Rice as Maid Marian in Disney's *The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men* 1952.Joan Rice as Maid Marian disguised as a page in *The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men* 1952.Jason Connery, Anthony Valentine, John Abineri, Robert Addie, Nickolas Grace, Rula Lenska, Clive Mantle, Michael Praed, Phil Rose, Mark Ryan, Judi Trott, Peter Llewellyn Williams, and Ray Winstone in Robin of Sherwood (1984)Clive Mantle, Michael Praed, Phil Rose, Mark Ryan, Judi Trott, Peter Llewellyn Williams, and Ray Winstone in *Robin of Sherwood* (1984)Uma Thurman as Marian and Patrick Bergin as Robin Hood in *Robin Hood* (1991)Uma Thurman as Marian and Patrick Bergin as Robin Hood in *Robin Hood* (1991)Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Alan Rickman in *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* (1991)Kevin Costner, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Nick Brimble, and Daniel Newman in *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* (1991)Amy Yasbeck as Marian in *Robin Hood: Men in Tights* (1993)Marian from Disney's Robin Hood
## External links

* Wikipedia
* ComicVine
* Robin Hood Wiki
* Disney Wiki
* IMDB
* Fables Wikia
* Public Domain Heroes Wiki