Similar Gilbert Whitehand, David of Doncaster, Will Stutely, Much the Miller's Son, Robin Hood | ||
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 is also the name of an ex British Waterways tug.
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plays
Arthur a Bland appears in "Robin Hood" by Larry Blamire, where he is there with Robin and the other soon to be merrymen after the ransacking of the Blue Boar Inn.
Ballads
Arthur a Bland appears in one ballad in the Child collection, Robin Hood and the Tanner. 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.
Mummer's Plays
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. The lines of the Mummers Play versions tend to be less refined than the Childe Ballads, perhaps indicating a more original type of language.
For instance, when Robin Hood has been beaten by Arthur, Little John comes over the hill and Robin tells him what has happened:
Childe's version
Mummers Play version
Later adaptations
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.