Arthur a Bland is, in English folklore, a member of Robin Hood’s Merry Men, though his chief appearance is in the ballad in which he joins the band. Arthur a Bland appears in one ballad Robin Hood and the Tanner of Blyth. He is going through Sherwood when Robin accuses him of poaching. When they fight and Arthur beats Robin, Robin invites him to join the band. In some versions, he is Little John’s cousin. In English Mummer’s Plays, Arthur a Bland’s fight with Robin is incorporated into the general fight/death/healed setting. Most of the lines derive from the ballad, though there seems to be material from Robin Hood and the Shepherd mixed in. For instance, when Robin Hood has been beaten by Arthur, Little John comes over the hill and Robin tells him what has happened. The story reappeared in later versions. Howard Pyle in his The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood set the bout between Little John and Arthur a Bland, and had Arthur appear in various later adventures as a minor character.
Appearance List Ballads: A Gest of Robyn Hode, Robin Hood and the Monk, Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar, Robin Hood and Allin a Dalem, Robin Hood and Queen Catherin, Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow, Robin Hood and the Tanner of Blyth. Literature: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle (1883, PG), Robin Hood by Paul Creswick (PG), Robin Hood by Anonymous (PG), Bold Robin Hood-And His Outlaw Band by Louis Rhead (1912, Internet Archive), Robin Hood and the Men of the Greenwood (1920) [Internet Archive], Robin Hood: His Deeds and Adventures as Recounted in the Old English Ballads (1923) [Internet Archive].
Sample Read The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood [PG]
Description Arthur a Bland is, in English folklore, a member of Robin Hood’s Merry Men, though his chief appearance is in the ballad in which he joins the band. Arthur a Bland appears in one ballad Robin Hood and the Tanner of Blyth. He is going through Sherwood when Robin accuses him of poaching. When they fight and Arthur beats Robin, Robin invites him to join the band. In some versions, he is Little John’s cousin. In English Mummer’s Plays, Arthur a Bland’s fight with Robin is incorporated into the general fight/death/healed setting. Most of the lines derive from the ballad, though there seems to be material from Robin Hood and the Shepherd mixed in. For instance, when Robin Hood has been beaten by Arthur, Little John comes over the hill and Robin tells him what has happened. The story reappeared in later versions. Howard Pyle in his The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood set the bout between Little John and Arthur a Bland, and had Arthur appear in various later adventures as a minor character.
