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Female Merryman

Started by missShire, October 18, 2010, 08:16:46 PM

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missShire

Has anyone played a female member of the Merrymen before? I want to play one next year, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull it off / if my faire will allow me to.

What were your characters like?

I was thinking of portraying Bold Jane Downey from Clayton Emery's Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood and playing her shy, in love with Little John [very timid school girl about it], clumsy, but always up for a fight [pretty much the only time she shows any courage.] I don't know stage combat, so if I don't learn it by April I was thinking I could always want to fight but not be skilled at it. Since my faire probably wont let me join the Merrymen for real, I was thinking part of my character [as I work currently solely as a street performer] could be WANTING to join the Merrymen but since she cant fight, they wont let her in.

stonebiscuit

There was a similar character on cast at GARF in 2003 (I think? My mind, she is going in my old age); she called herself "Raven Hood" and was campaigning for the rights of women to join the Merry Men. I thought it was cute; I'm not sure how well it played to the audience. It might be easier to have a character who is a woman disguised as a man, similar to Cecil/Cecily from Robin McKinley's <I>Outlaws of Sherwood</I>.

missShire

#2
Yeah that's kind of what I was thinking with her being a tomboy. Dressing like a man and stuff. But she's clumsy and cant handle the fighting and activity of the Merrymen.

I was also thinking some more and decided that she'd be shy around Little John and everyone EXCEPT for the rest of the Merrymen. She'd be totally annoying around them, constantly asking them if she can help / go with them and constantly asking if Little John mentioned her or if he likes her.

GirlChris

There actually were a few female "Merry Men" in the Robin legends. Unfortunately, they're mostly suffixed with "So-and-so's wife"

-Maid Marian
-Ellen, Alan a Dale's wife
-Bettris, George a Greene's wife
-Clorinda, Queen of the Shepherdeses (Robin's ORIGINAL lady love. Bet you've never heard about her!)

Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. There's som

missShire

Quote from: GirlChris on October 20, 2010, 02:36:03 PM
There actually were a few female "Merry Men" in the Robin legends. Unfortunately, they're mostly suffixed with "So-and-so's wife"

-Maid Marian
-Ellen, Alan a Dale's wife
-Bettris, George a Greene's wife
-Clorinda, Queen of the Shepherdeses (Robin's ORIGINAL lady love. Bet you've never heard about her!)

Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. There's som

I actually have heard of all of them... we have a very talented Maid Marian... but our gang doesn't have Alan a Dale or George a Greene... I've heard of Clorinda, but also that she may have been Marian in disguise.
Our Merrymen include: Will Scarlett [who in our story, is Marian's brother], Much the Miller's Son, Little John, and Robin. I know some stories have Little John married to an Alice Little, but there is virtually NO information on her online, and I think Bold Jane Downey sounds fun [she's the virtual opposite of my role this year.]