Friar Tuck is a core member of Robin Hood’s band of outlaws, despite not being mentioned in early stories. He is believed to have originated as a Maid Marian and is often portrayed as a nature-loving man who joins the band to become their minister. Tuck is a dark figure open to interpretation and acts as a liaison between the gang and the outside world. He has a firm place in Sherwood outlaw lore.
Friar Tuck is considered to be a core member of Robin Hood’s legendary band of outlaws. Although he is not mentioned in the earliest surviving stories, the friar has become an integral part of Robin Hood Lore. He is often portrayed as a nature-loving man who could not survive the rigors and rules of life in a monastery.
The introduction of Friar Tuck into historical legends is difficult, as Robin Hood’s period is believed to predate the friars’ arrival in England. Only one surviving Robin Hood ballad mentions the friar. In Robin Hood and the Friar Curtal, Robin fights with him until the friar summons wild dogs to help him fend off Robin’s outlaws. In a stalemate, Robin invites him into the band. In later stories, Will Scarlet introduces Friar Tuck to Robin when the band helps a bard save his fiancée and needs a religious man to marry them.
Friar Tuck is believed to have originated as a Maid Marian, as part of traditional May Day celebrations. The May Day plays of 1475 and 1560 tell a story very similar to that of Robin Hood and Friar Curtal, in which Tuck was driven out of his order for disrespect. He is a food and drink lover and joins the band to become their minister.
In the original story and many subsequent versions, Robin and Tuck engage in a battle of the wits. Usually, by threat or trickery, Robin forces Tuck to carry him across a river. These tales almost always end with the friar tossing Robin into the water, often resulting in a sword fight. This tradition leads to two distinct versions of the character: the lazy, beer-drinking, comical Tuck, and the angry, rebellious swordmaster.
Perhaps due to origins as May Day characters, Friar Tuck is sometimes portrayed in relation to Marian. He is often her longtime chaplain or confessor, and is sometimes essential in helping Marian escape to Sherwood. In some versions, Tuck is called upon to marry Robin and Marian.
The character often acts as a liaison between the outlaw gang and the outside world. While he is often portrayed as living with outlaws, there are also interpretations that show Friar Tuck as maintaining a church in the poor villages surrounding Sherwood Forest. Maintaining a respectable position in the towns, this version of the friar is able to gain insight into Robin’s nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and help uncover any plots the evil sheriff may be forming.
Because he didn’t enter the stories until centuries after the original Robin Hood ballads, Tuck remains a dark figure open to interpretation. Most of the writers used it as they saw fit, to further develop the plot and offer insight into other characters. Unlike Robin Hood and Will Scarlet, there is no evidence that there was a historical Friar Tuck. However, the friar is included in nearly every modern adaptation of the Robin Hood legend and has a firm place in Sherwood outlaw lore.
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