Maid Marian is a character in Robin Hood tales, whose personality and background have changed over time to fit societal ideas of women. Originally not part of the legend, she was added as Robin’s lover during May Day celebrations. Her origins and character vary in different adaptations, from a virtuous Norman aristocrat to a rugged outlaw. Modern retellings usually end with Robin and Marian’s marriage. Clorinda was Robin’s first love interest, but modern versions often omit her or make her an alias of Marian.
Maid Marian is a literary character commonly written as the love interest of Robin Hood. Over the years, her personality and character circumstances have changed to fit the social ideas of women. Although she Maid Marian was not part of the original Robin Hood tales, she has become an integral part of the legend in modern retellings.
The earliest recorded Robin Hood stories, which date from the late 14th century, make no mention of this character. Legends of Robin Hood were often performed as a comedy to celebrate May Day in England. Originally, separate performances were held where the main character was the Queen of May or the Lady of May. Eventually, the two performances merged, changing the May Queen’s name to Marian and making Robin her lover.
Because May Day celebrations were strongly linked to the new life and fertility of spring, the May Queen was a vigorous figure, similar to Bacchus or Dionysus in Greek and Roman traditions. When Maid Marian entered literature, she was portrayed very differently. As a maiden, she was a model of virtue and chastity.
Literary Maid Marian has no fixed background or origins. The adapters of the Robin Hood stories turned her into whatever fits their stories best. In some tales she is Norman nobility, a frail and perfect woman. Other ancient accounts state that Marian is an orphaned Saxon, or half Saxon, half Norman. Critics suggest that Marian’s origins have changed to fit her times. In Victorian times, Marian was generally seen as a virtuous Norman aristocrat. In modern times she is generally less noble and more active.
Likewise, Marian’s character has no fixed basis. Early film versions, such as 1938’s Robin Hood, prefer to show the character as a demure maiden, but many early stories contradict this interpretation. In The Ballad of Robin Hood and Maid Marion, a tale dating back to at least the 17th century, Marian dresses as a boy and ventures into Sherwood Forest. Robin, not recognizing her, attacks and they fight for several hours. Most modern film and television versions of Robin Hood favor a rugged Marian who is often a competent archer and an outlaw. In the BBC television series Robin Hood, Marian balances her life of nobility with her missions of robbery and justice.
Robin Hood’s romance with Marian has been interpreted in various ways over the years. In the 1938 film, Robin and Marian meet and fall in love as he steals his party. In Robin McKinley’s book, The Outlaws of Sherwood, Marian has known and loved Robin since they were children. In general, modern retellings of Robin Hood end with the marriage of Robin and Marian after King Richard the Lionheart pardons Robin’s outlaw.
Marian, however, was not Robin’s first literary love interest. In Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage of Robin Hood, his girlfriend is Clorinda, a shepherdess. To keep Maid Marian in the story, most modern versions either omit this account, or state that Clorinda was simply an alias of the cunning Marian.
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