<![CDATA[A ballad has been presented that takes away Maid Marian as Robin Hood’s first true love. It introduces Queen Clarion to the storyline by crafting a relationship between her and the Prince of Thieves. Nobody had ever really questioned the love that existed between Maid Marian and Robin Hood, the legendary Prince of thieves. The story portrays him as a hero who along with his merry men ruled Sherwood Forest not with an iron fist but with a belief that the social playing field can be leveled. Maid Marian, Robin’s love interest who later became his wife, had always been an important figure that added a romantic twist to the tale of Robin of Loxley and his Merry Men. Maid Marian and Robin Hood is perhaps one of the most loved couple in history books. However, the love they shared is under question based on a ballad that claims that Marian was in no way Robin Hood’s first love. Entitled “Robin Hood’s Birth, Breeding, Valour and Marriage” the ballad has presented a new love interest for Robin Hood prior to Lady Marian; Clorinda, Queen of the Shepherdesses. Though it has been dismissed by experts as farce, some believe it might be true as Clorinda had been mentioned (vaguely) in later ballads of Robin Hood. But who was Clorinda and what of the relationship between herself and Robin Hood? There is a belief that Queen Clorinda and Lady Marian are one and the same; Clorinda being just an alias used by some writers for Maid Marian. While there are many different theories about Queen Clorinda and her relationship with Robin Hood, the ballad does demonstrate a common love interest between the two. The ballad shows that Robin of Loxley was interested in having Queen Clorinda as his wife as it read: For ’tis a fine life, and ’tis void of all strife. ‘So ’tis, sir,’ Clorinda reply’d; ‘But oh,’ said bold Robin, ‘How sweet would it be, If Clorinda would be my bride!’ She blusht at the motion; yet, after a pause Said, Yes, sir, and with all my heart; ‘Then let’s send for a priest,’ said Robin Hood, ‘And be married before we do part.’ Expert on the Robin Hood Folklore and Robin Hood enthusiast, Ralph Needham, says that the ballad must have been written long after the tale of Robin Hood became popular. To hear of anther love interest before Marian might imply that another story had taken place prior to the more popular version or as others might like to believe, there were additions to the legend long after it became such a popular tale. Nonetheless, Marian will always remain an important part of the story. The love between Robin Hood and Maid Marian is embedded among the larger picture, making it more intriguing. The ballad, the legend, the folktale, all ends with only one true love for Robin Hood, and that is what readers have always kept in their hearts; the love between himself and Maid Marian.]]>
Who Was Robin Hood’s First True Love?
