Adele Treskillard's Blog — Bringing Alive Epic Tales Of The Ancient Past™

We just finished the 7th track for our upcoming album! It’s a beautiful Scottish Gaelic song called Iain Ghlinn Cuaich. Here are the translated lyrics for the version I sang:

Oh Iain of Glen Cuaich, it is not often that one encounters your like
That ringletted head of hair tight curled to the roots
It was your beautiful handsome appearance that left me love-sick
And there is no fault to be noted about you from head to toe

I can’t begin to express a third of your worth
Better to catch a glimpse of your face
Than the new grown dew laden forest in sun
The desire of my eyes is to catch close sight of you
My love deserves a crowned heiress under him.

Iain, Iain, my love, why did you turn your back on me
Without a thought for the love we once had?
I never gave my respect to any other man under the sun but you
And neither will I until my body is under the ground …

Any time now, these blogs may go down due to maintenance issues … We will try to ‘re-boot’ as quickly as possible! Also, Greenwood Shadows is now moving to a new address.

Smiles from Sherwood,

Adele

Three years ago, my dad brought home a video from the library, The Adventures of Robin Hood. It was to be watched after we went skiing for the first time, and he assured us it was a great film. That night, quite sore, we ate enchiladas and had an incredible time watching it in our living room. As I watched, my mind started ticking. I was thinking something like this …

This is so cool …

Ble’r ty myn, medda Dibbon wrth Dobbin
Ble’r ty myn, medda Ricart wrth Robin
Ble’r ty myn, medda Sion
Ble’r ty myn meddar nefar beyond.

Rhyn mynd ty’ar coed—Llad a drwy bach

Where are you going, says Dibbon to Dobbin
Where are you going, says Richard to Robin
Where are you going says John
Where are you going says the Never Beyond.

I’m going to the woods to hunt the wren!

And what the heck did THAT mean???

So ho hey, I decided to probe a little further into the Robin Hood legend, to figure out how old it ACTUALLY was! And, now a happy three years later; I finally understand wren-hunting, I know why Robin was doing it, and I have far better insight into this fascinating hero.

For a start here (it’s SUCH a complex subject, aherm), here’s how I think the oldest extant Wren/Bird hunting song oughta look: (it’s not long)

Shelg mi an dreathan
Gabh’s y cean
Is agam’s ny cassyn
Is bheir muid i fo’n thallamh

(all spoken by Robin Hood)

Now as you likely can’t understand Gaelic/Manx, here’s the probationary translation:

I’ve hunted the wren
You take the head
And the feet are mine
And we’ll bear it into the earth.

(There is a tune for this, btw)

Now, this isn’t exactly the normal way that wren/bird hunting songs proceed!

Usually, what goes on is, several fellows go out, kill a bird, and then discuss what they will do with it in a ridiculous doggerel:

Let’s go hunting, said Rickety-Rockety,
Let’s go hunting, said Robbety-Bobbety
Let’s go hunting, said Johnny Malone
Let’s go hunting, said everyone.

What shall we shoot at?
Shoot at a crow
Bang! Bang!
Dead! Dead!
How do we get him home?
Borrow a cart
How’ll we get him in?
Up! Up!
Take off the wheels
Push! Push!
How shall we cook him?
Boil him in a pot
How he’s done
Let’s eat him
Smack! Smack!
(Arkansas version, very modern)

The crow instead of wren reminds me of this nursery rhyme:

Robin a Bobbin bent his bow
Shot at a pigeon and killed a crow!

Or

All in a row, a bendy bow
Shoot at a pigeon and kill a crow
Shoot again and kill a wren …

In fact, in certain songs, it could be an owl, or, in a German song, a cuckoo being hunted by a young man!

And this is a typical explanation of what went on at wren-hunts:

‘On a certain day of the year a wren was caught and killed. It was carried round by a singing procession of men or boys, in a decorated receptacle, from house to house, its feathers, in exchange for food or coins, being distributed to be worn as protective charms or luck-bringing amulets, or to be kept in houses and fishing boats for the same purpose. The body of the bird was afterwards buried to the singing of ‘dirges’, formerly in the churchyard with circular dances, but latterly on the seashore or in any convenient place of waste ground.’

A Second Manx Scrapbook, W W Gill

However, there seems to be another Manx tradition in which two people bury the wren/hen after hunting it:

‘In the days when it was a truly ritual observance, the Wren was buried with all solemnity, by torchlight at night, to the accompaniment of singing, dancing and ‘keening’. The song and dance were both performed by men and boys, but one of these was dressed as a woman, and another, who actually buried the Wren, either wore a mask or had his face blackened. The ‘keening’ was done by the women-folk of the neighbourhood, who had to remain outside the churchyard wall, and keep their heads covered. In its passage down the years, most of this ritual, and all of its solemnity, has been lost …’

Now, the guy dressed as a woman; strange? Indeed! In fact something’s desperately awry here. This is illustrated by some OTHER Manx folklore … concerning the exact same character, who is commonly known as the Fool or Jockey, at least in English/Scottish/Irish mummer’s plays.

It’s a window in the world
A little portal where you get a better view
And all along the way the days are made
Of little moments of truth

{Song by Andrew Peterson}

Besides The Lord Of The Rings, The Song Of Albion series is certainly my favorite. In fact, 4 years ago, reading those exact same books breathed a desire within me to discover Western heritage; the forgotten ’simple’ past, the long-lost ‘epic tales’. First, that meant becoming a Gaelic singer, then it meant searching out such things as Tiwyr & Robin Hood and learning the strange art of writing so as to better, deeper, tell those stories.

So I find this video of Kevin Kaiser explaining how artists and writers are ‘thin places’ or ‘portals’, people who rend the fabric and let us see absolute truth and beauty in the Other World … I find it truly satisfying to my soul. Kevin, thanks for revealing the truth about Lawhead’s ‘portals’!

It is sad to relate that Richard Todd, the actor who played Robin Hood in Walt Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men, has recently passed away. He went with ‘courage and dignity’ in a fight against cancer.

Here are some pics from the movie for which we know him best:

Sherwood must rise again!

Thank you Clement for introducing us all to The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men!

My friend Sophie just emailed me a fascinating little ballad about Robin Húd’. I would like to point out the word ‘mickle’, a Scottish word for ‘great’ or amazing.

The part about Little John going to ‘town’ may be related to a particular sequence of verses in the Lytle Gest of Robyne Hode, in which it seems Little John has returned to the forest of fair Barnesdale from the outside world, and is eagerly asked for news by Robin Húd’ and his ‘menye’—his company of men. (I believe that menye is pronounced men-yee based off the way it was rhymed with other words).

Robin Hood, Robin Hood,
Is in the mickle wood!
Little John, Little John,
He to the town is gone.
Robin Hood, Robin Hood,
Telling his beads,
All in the greenwood
Among the green weeds.

Little John, Little John,
If he comes no more,
Robin Hood, Robin Hood,
He shall fret full sore!

Sophie, thanks a LOT for pointing this jewel out!

When Child published his collection of the ballads of England and Scotland—most of which were originally about Robin Hood, friends & family—he did not include many tunes to the songs. So many years later, Bertrand Harris Bronson made another collection—this time, with many new variants plus tunes!

Unfortunately, the four volumes which he printed have become in scarce supply. And in the folk-song community, demand is very high. To help things along further, the original printings were done unevenly and so the last volume became quite pricey.

So, a few months ago, I was thinking that my thin resources would evaporate in the attempt to procure them. As I was mournfully contemplating this, I discovered on the Mudcat Digital Tradition forums that they were being reprinted—within a few days! And, unbelievably, they are now available for $40 a volume. So I’m happily studying my Bronsons—thank you, God!

*Why would I get these? So Wren Song can begin to re-construct, re-tune and re-sing the ancient songs of Britain—that is, the songs of Robin Hood.

In fact, the money left over after getting the new Bronsons has just procured software & other things necessary to a home-studio. Wren Song is going to be learning a lot now. The hope is, after re-forming a decent amount of songs, to make some available here for download for free—the ones at the heart of the Robin Hood legend. Even more will be available track-by track for the usual 99-cents price or all together in an actual CD.

I might add an especially special thanks to Clement of the Glen for prodding us in this direction!

This is going to be so fun!

I don’t go in for uncivil incivilities. But here’s a beautifully civil incivility.

This perfecto supero song is modeled on The Candyman Can. It’s called The Government Can.

And here are the words:

Uncle Sam … hey, uncle sam …
Hey everybody, gather around! I’m here to give you anything you like! You want free college? Energy? Mortgages? Whatever you like! You have come to the right place! Why? I’ll tell you why!

Who can take your money
(Who can take your money)
With a twinkle in their eye
(A twinkle in their eye)
Take it all away and give it to some other guy
The Government
(The Government)
The government can
(The government can)
Who can tax the sunrise
(Who can tax the sunrise)
Who can tax the trees
(Who can tax the trees)
Lecher on a business
and collect up all the fees
The Government
(The Government)
O the Government can
(The Government can)
And the Government can cause they mix it up with lies
and make it all taste good
(And make it all taste good)
The Government takes everything we make
to pay for all of their solutions
Healthcare, Climate Change, Pollution
Throw away the Constitution

And who can give a bailout
(Who can give a bailout)
Tell us to behave
(Tell us to behave)
And make the Founding Fathers roll over in their graves
The Government
(The Government)
O The Government can
(The Government can)
And the Government can cause they mix it up with lies
and make it all taste good
(and make it all taste good)
The Government takes everything we make
They’re power-hungry and malicious
Their economics are fictitious
Soon we’ll have to eat our dishes
Ooh delicious
Ooh who can be a failure
(who can be a failure)
In so many ways
(in sooo many ways)
Instead of getting fired hey we’ll give ourself a raise
The Government
(The Government)
Oh the Government can
(The Government can)
And the Government can cause they mix it up with lies
and make it all taste good
And your Uncle Sam can cause he mixes it with lies
and makes it all taste good
makes it all taste good
And I feel so good cause the Government says I should—!

It seems our hero has many names!

Whereas we think of him with only one—Robin Hood, or in medieval spelling Robyn Hode—it may be time for an overhaul. Unfortunately, he has several. Let’s begin with one from the Forester’s Manuscript (some Robin Hood ballads which were collected in 1670 AD, and discovered in 1993).

In this story, a variant of Robin Hood and the Bishop, Robin catches sight of his enemies and has to take to his heels:

But by the trampling of a steed
This mighty man did wake
He was aware of the sheriff and all his men
Came riding over the lake.

Away then run good Bobin Hood
For he durst no longer abide
Until he espied a little house
Hard by the river’s side.

Now this ought to come as no surprise if you have seen these nursery rhymes:

Robin a Bobbin
Bent his bow
Shot at a pigeon
And killed a crow.

Or:

Robin the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben*,
He eat more meat than fourscore men;
He eat a cow, he eat a calf,
He eat a butcher and a half;
He eat a church, he eat a steeple,
He eat the priest and all the people!
A cow and a calf,
An ox and a half,
A church and a steeple,
And all the good people,
And yet he complained that his stomach wasn’t full.

*Ben means male hero in Scots Dialect. By extraction, I suppose it’s related to the Cymric usage of the Welsh word penn, (head or top), which is sometimes used for a chieftain or warleader—so in reality, this is a Gaelic version; i.e., the benn/penn, the top man. His appetite is a piece of ridiculous exaggeration, of course, but how do you think legends change? Compare to this verse in the Gest of Robin Hood, and decide which of them you prefer:

Robin:

“I was never so greedy, by dear worthy God,
My dinner for to crave.”

The second place that ‘Bobin’ appears is, British Wren Songs.

The British Wren Songs are actually the genre of folk-song that led me into the Robin Hood legend. A strange story, in which Robin, Shaun/John and Bold Archer—the Brothers Three—go out and hunt a wren! These songs are in Gaelic, Welsh and English. I’ll do a post on the meaning behind this, it’s very complicated and audacious.

Where are you going, says Robin the Bobbin
Where are you going, says Richard the Robbin
Where are you going says Shaun
Where are you going says the never beyond

I’m going to the woods to hunt the WREN!
says Wise Willie
says Festal to Foze*
says Dibbon to Dobbin
says Ridge to Rodge
says Arty Art
says Milda to Molda
says the Brothers Three!

*No idea who this is. Suggestions welcome. But we’ll talk about Dibbon & Dobbin, Ridge & Rodge, & Richard further on.

Look at this:

Robin the Bobbin—Robin Hood
Wise Willy—Will Shakelock
Shaun—Little John
Arty Art—Bold Archer/Arthur
Milda—Much the Miller’s son.

So, you’ve seen Robin a Bobbin, and Bobin Hood, and some Dobbin and Rodge stuff, but what about an, um, Robin HODGE?

=> Read more!

This is an open letter to Brendan O’Neill, who wrote a particularly odious article for the BBC on Robin Hood. His main point, having cut his journalist eye-teeth for the Revolutionary Communist Party, is that Robin Hood is some kind of golden folk-hero who is Marxism incarnate, exactly as Obama is a golden folk hero, lavishing bailouts upon hungry souls (not keeping a penny for the government—of course).

If you want my take on Robin Hood, look here, or just click on the button above which says Robin Hood’s Original Audacity.

Letter:

Brendan O’Neill,

May I suggest that you change a few things in that Robin Hood article? Take this from a dyed-in-green researcher of Robin Hood:

Number One: Robin Hood is mentioned in the earliest sources as having seven score men—not ‘three score’. Look through the Little Gest of Robin Hood. It’s mentioned 5 times.

Number Two: The earliest film of Robin Hood was an American black and white. It was filmed in 1908 and was called Robin Hood and His Merry Men. You were probably thinking of the later, 1922, Douglas Fairbanks film, but in reality there were many in between. Try this website, which has one of the most comprehensive lists.

Number Three: The best kept secret of the Robin Hood ballads is that he is never once mentioned as ‘robbing from the rich and giving to the poor’. Now you can find that idea on the 16th century epitaph set up over the grave of at least three (plague?) victims at Kirklees—the real, old slab-marker of which has now disappeared leaving only the stupid epitaph. The current *ancient* version of which, by the way, is the worst extant imitation of Old English. A truly reliable source set up for the 16th century tourist trade: Robin Hood’s grave. Realio and trulio.

I advise you to *change* the article. A new, really shocking point could be that Robyn Hode was in fact liberating people, not coins.

Your article says:

It’s telling that the legend really sky-rocketed in the 16th and 17th Centuries - an era of the “earliest capitalist enterprises", says Prof Hahn - amongst ordinary people who found new economic systems alien and oppressive.

Really? It did? The Robin Hood legend was in near decay by the 1500’s. Not many could even make real ballads anymore by then. It was much more vigorous 300 years earlier, except that few people could write things down!

And another thing; have you ever truly studied medieval England? Because if so, you would have known that, au contraire, the poor serfs who escaped (in the 1400’s) into the cities invented the ‘capitalism’ and it wasn’t alien, oppressive, or bad—it was freedom! In old English times, ‘poor’ meant the unlucky people still under the lock and key of the country nobility—the, ah, government.

Have lots of fun,

Adele Treskillard