O great sage of all things Robin Hood!
Adaptations have rarely done justice to Robin himself, but what (if any) good depictions of other characters from his stories (Maid Marian, the Merry Men, etc.) have you found?
(Aside from the Happy Huntresses, obviously)
Sad to say that the Merry Men and Marian far even worse than my lovely Robin does.
Marian is often the foolish damsel who needs saving and is weak.
Little John is played the lovable oaf-ish type.
Friar Tuck is “a humble man of the cloth” and that’s just wrong.
The rest are either never mentioned or just “general thief type TM”
I still say that there’s almost no good adaptations for Robin Hood, Maid Marian, or the Merry Men.
Maid Marian... DOES have one that’s fun.
A book series “Hawksmaid” which is really great, her best friend in the series is her merlin falcon named ... uh... well... the merlin’s name is Marigold.
I'm going to jump in with some recs.
Marian is my girl and I have loved her since I was 5 years old. I have many a Marian recommendation. As far as the other featured characters of Robin Hood are concerned, it's very rare that they receive the spotlight they deserve. There are adaptations that focus on Marian, but there aren't many at all that focus on other characters. Shoutout to Michael Cadnum for for writing two different "origin story" books from the sheriff's and Little John's perspectives, both of which I have not reread in at least 10 years so I can't recommend them per se, but I respect the effort anyway.
Angus Donald has a popular Robin Hood series (9 books total so far, not sure if there will be more?) which is told from Alan A Dale's perspective, but (again) I haven't read it (yet) because it's a "dark and gritty" Robin Hood retelling which is not my favorite style.
But let's talk about Marian because that's where my heart is and the character I have the best recs for.
There's more than one way to feature a capable and independent female character, so it depends which interpretation of Marian you're asking for, but I think there are some good books out there! Films tend to build on what other films have done in the past without doing their own individual research (which is why Robin Hood movies tank in the box office these days.) I am interested in the murmurs that I've heard of a movie about Marian with Margot Robbie, but we'll see if the pandemic and absolute failure of the 2018 Robin Hood movie killed it. Sailing past films, let's talk about books. (To note, all of these have varied portrayals of all characters, but I'm going to focus on Marian for the sake of brevity.)
The Scarlet Forest by A.E. Chandler is by a medievalist, but is written with the knowledge that Robin Hood in and of itself is anachronistic. The author uses history to tell the story, but she also highlights what makes Robin Hood as a legend so fascinating and embraces the story as it is best loved. This book is marvelous because it weaves together extant tales that are the base for what we know about Robin Hood, tales that have become familiar, and original storytelling to create a cohesive story. This book features Marian as we find her in Child Ballad 150, a swordswoman who finds and joins Robin in Sherwood Forest, even taking on her own alias, Anne of the Hood. This novel combines characters in their earliest evolution with their popular interpretations, and it is so freaking cool. Little John, Friar Tuck, the always overlooked Will Stutely, and many more! I love this book and it is my favorite Robin Hood novel to currently exist. (The author completed her masters degree in Nottingham and wrote a dissertation on Robin Hood, and has had the enviable opportunity to view and study firsthand the extant documentation that exists on Robin Hood.)
The Arrow of Sherwood by Lauren Johnson is a reimagining of the Robin Hood legend with a rather strict lens of history. The author herself is a medievalist and scholar, and the history jumps off the page in a way that is so beautifully immersive. I love it. Marian in this novel is an educated member of the nobility who is incredibly politically savvy and uses the power of her position to the advantage of the causes and people she cares about.
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley is not a book in which Marian is the main character, but it is a favorite of mine as far as novel representations of her go. She rather seamlessly exists in both the outlaw camp and as a member of nobility. She is one of the best of the outlaws at woodscraft, the best at archery, and absolutely integral to the story and group. I have a personal gripe with the final chapter of this book, but let's put that aside since the rest of this book is absolutely lovely.
Those are my recs! I hope more people can find things in this legend that I love so much to enjoy and appreciate. :)
