“Robin Hood and the Tanner”
Description
Robin Hood meets a tanner in the woods; they fight. After two hours Robin blows his horn. Little John comes running; Robin says the other has tanned his (Robin's) hide. Little John offers to continue the battle; Robin says no, praising the tanner's skill.
Notes
For background on the Robin Hood legend, see the notes on "A Gest of Robyn Hode" [Child 117].
Fully half the Robin Hood ballads in the Child collection (numbers (121 -- the earliest and most basic example of the type), 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131, 132, (133), (134), (135), (136), (137), (150)) share all or part of the theme of a stranger meeting and defeating Robin, and being invited to join his band. Most of these are late, but it makes one wonder if Robin ever won a battle.
Bronson, in searching for the tunes of the Child Ballads, notes that many are the same tune, and that tune is most likely to be "Arthur A Bland." Which, if it is anything, is this. So this may be one of the "core" Robin Hood ballads. Except -- all this is based on a few tag lines, which are often unreliable. - RBW
References
- Child 126, "Robin Hood and the Tanner" (1 text)
- Bronson 126, "Robin Hood and the Tanner" (3 versions+ 2 in addenda)
- Davis-Ballads 31, "Robin Hood and the Tanner" (1 text, 1 tune entitled "Robin Hood and Arthur O'Bland") {Bronson's #3}
- Leach, pp. 372-376, "Robin Hood and the Tanner" (1 text)
- Sharp-100E 4, "Robin Hood and the Tanner" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Lomax-FSNA 94, "Robin Hood and Arthur O'Bland" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #3}
- BBI, RZN12, "In Nottingham there lived a jolly Tanner"
- DT 126, RHOODTAN*
- Roud #332
- BI, C126