COUSINS  ISSUE #1 - November 1991

A place for the Witches, pagans, nature spirits, fey-folk, and assorted elder
kin of Sherwood to share ideas, challenges, dreams, and projects, and to stir
up a little magic of our own.

for more information about Cousins, contact Susan Gavula,
sjgavula@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu

This Issue's Fun Word:  METEMPSYCHOSIS
The preservation of the identity and/or some or all of the personality of the
individual through the process of reincarnation.

(If you have ideas about this issue's Fun Word, or a suggestion for another,
or even if you think  that having a Fun Word is just too Gemini for, well, for
words... let me know!)

         *   *  *
LETTERS

Kitty Laust-Gamarra:

...I've returned your ad and sent along $5.00 for postage even though I don't
consider myself a  witch.  I find the magic in the show to be very
interesting.  Actually, I've always been intrigued by  magic.  I've just never
done anything about it other than a little library research.  While living in
Spain I learned  quite a bit about the Tarot and palmistry, which was
fascinating.  Europe is  much  more involved in the paranormal than the US.
Many universities actually  have investigation teams  studying phenomena and
courses available to students. More of a "ready to believe" person, I  would
love to hear what others think on  the subject.

Raven:

Some things that I've been curious about... What do you  think about the way
the Old Religion was  handled on RoS?  Do you think that  someone who wasn't
already "knowledgeable" in Craftlore would  get the Pagan  references, or is
it very obscure?

The one objection I've always had is that  there is no mention of the Goddess
whatsoever in any of  the episodes.  The only  references to ANY goddesses at
all are:  Rhiannon (as in Rhiannon's Wheel)  and  Arianrhod (as in Feast
of...), but there isn't any explanation as to who these  people are.  You
don't even know they're of the feminine gender!  Kip's vision  seems to be a
little skewed.  Hernism  (for want of a better term) seems to be  another male
oriented religion to me.  I've tried to find a  feminine  counterpart for
Herne/Cernunnos in books, but there isn't one.  In fanfic, some  authors  have
made Her Cerridwen or Aradia, but is that correct?

Then there's  the Priestess herself.  If Robin/Robert, as Herne's Son, is the
Priest, then  Marion  ought to be the Priestess.  But is she?  She's been put
in the role of  the Maiden, not the Mother,  but she doesn't fit the
requirements of either. What is she?  Also, considering her obvious  Christian
background, even if she  IS the Priestess, how does she summon/connect with
Her?  It  seems hard for me  to conceive of a woman raised as a Christian in
that time period, especially one who was quite willing to become a nun, to
just give up her beliefs and play  Priestess.

Also, someone mentioned to me that they'd heard about Craft groups  who used
Robin Hood as a  tradition.  Does anyone know anything about this? Does anyone
out there use the characters from  the show (or the Archetypes, as  Mark Ryan
would say) as focuses for any of their magick?  If so,  any  elaborations?

How do you think we're perceived by the non-Pagan contingent of  the fandom?
Have you had any  problems with anyone in the fandom because of  your beliefs?

(Raven also suggests a "recipe" section for spells, rituals,  and/or
meditations that people might  want to share.  Sounds good to me!  Throw  it
in an envelope - we're waiting...)


Janet Van Meter:

 ...I think most folks who  have gotten "into" Robin of Sherwood already have
a tolerance towards  different  beliefs but I can understand that not
everybody can get over certain prejudices.

I was born and raised a Methodist but still continue to read and research
other  beliefs.  It was  very gratifying to have my ideas and personal beliefs
"bolstered" by what was presented by RoS  and also talking with a RoS lady
who's  become a good friend (she's a Gardnerian).  So basically,  Goddess
aspects have  only enriched my view of things.

The one area I have always been interested in  is the finding of the
"archetypes" in various myths,  legends, and religions. The Green Man, the
Great Mother, the Son, etc.  My friend has loaned me  some  reading materials
which I found interesting and I've also read the "Spiral  Dance" (I suppose
most folk have).  The only area that I might be uncomfortable  with was the
formalized ritual used  by some - but apparently that is not  "written in
stone" - which is good, because I prefer a much  simpler way of  doing things!

On the whole, once I actually got to meet other folk who believed  what I did,
I was even more  convinced that I was more of a "pagan" than some of  the
types I was running into in other  activities!  So, Hilda, I'd enjoy  becoming
a part of "Cousins" (and I can be discreet, too!).  After  all, with a  middle
name of Fay, I guess it was "meant to be!"

P.S. - but I still like my  little gold cross I wear with my garb, after all,
that's a symbol of many meanings too!  Besides, most everyone was "nominally"
Christian back then and like I said, for me, one doesn't compromise the other
when you distill  everything down to its origins!

Mary Ann B. McKinnon:

 I'm not Pagan, but I'm  very interested in the real Paganism of Robin Hood's
time, and I'd like to participate in your forum.  I'm particularly interested
in how Paganism interacted with early  Christianity, and what was considered
"witchcraft" at the time; it's something I would like to  integrate into my
writing and have very  little idea how to begin.  Was the "witchcraft" of
Robin  Hood's time purely a misconception of what Paganism was all about, or
were there also groups of people who considered themselves "witches" who were
truly evil and worshipped  the Biblical devil? (e.g. "The Swords of Wayland")
Where did the Druids fit  in?  Were they all gone by Robin Hood's  time?

I'm also interested in the Celtic  myths that were integrated into RoS.  What
historical beliefs is  Herne based  upon?  (I know he's based on Cernunnos,
but I seem to be having a great deal of difficulty figuring out what parts of
his portrayal are based on the beliefs of  the people at the  time, and what
part was invented by Mr. Carpenter.)  Also,  what myths is the conception of
Rhiannon's Wheel as Time or Fate based upon?  I  have found references to
Rhiannon, but not to the  Wheel, in Celtic mythology.

The Celtic calendar also fascinates me.  I keep seeing references to Beltain
customs in RoS fan  fiction, and Robin Hood refers to himself as the "Summer
King" and Marion as the "May Queen." What Beltain customs were really in
practice at the time of Robin Hood that were not shown in the  series?  (I
somehow got the feeling that this was censored for Britain's Family Hour...)
Were the  villagers all basically pagan and the nobles basically Christian, as
portrayed in the story?  And  what about the other festivals?  I keep hearing
references in fan fiction to Lammas and human  sacrifice...  Was this
something  that was already ancient by Robin Hood's time?

What is "Earth Magic?"  I saw a  reference to it in a piece of fan fiction to
the effect that Loxley  had once  caused all the soldiers' crossbows to shoot
off prematurely.  Did this happen in  an actual  episode, or did the writer
create this incident?  What other examples  were there of Robin actually
using magic on his own?  (I can't recall any  examples in which Herne was not
involved, but maybe I  was just not observant  enough.)

There's so much more I'm really interested in that's related to RoS-- every
aspect of real medieval  life, particularly how their social and sexual
customs differed from ours; the real historic events  of Robin Hood's time;
the  Robin Hood legend and the historic(?) Robin Hood; costuming as pertains
to  Robin Hood's time; the history of the bow and crossbow; fighting styles of
the  sword and  quarterstaff; the geneology of the kings and nobles of England
and  Scotland of Robin Hood's time;  and the historic language patterns of the
various groups of people in use at the time (How did  language separate the
classes?)--but these topics are not quite as relevant to the issues at hand.

You  may print my name and address.  I look forward to receiving further
information  from  "Cousins."

Nansi Loser and Nancy Arena:

My roommate and I read about Cousins in the latest MPNN Newsletter, and it
sounds like a  wonderful idea -- this group within a group thing.
Coincidentally (if there is such a thing as  coincidence) a day or two before
the Newsletter arrived, we were talking about the fact that it is  so
difficult  to figure out who you can talk to about the Craft/Old
Religion/myths, etc., and  who is  going to get all offended and hyper about
the fact that we hold Pagan  beliefs!  (I am the  nerdopagan of the family,
constantly driving everyone --  even Nancy -- crazy with outcries of "Oh  for
$%"!! sake, it does not work like  that!" when a TV show or movie is on.  Her
son wonUt even  watch "The  Inheritance" with us anymore!

Anyway, let us know what all you plan on doing and  thanks for coming up with
the idea in the first  place!

Hilda:

Kitty:  It's for  such folk as you that Cousins was, in my heart of hearts,
created.  Witches (and  all  people who consciously make magic their day-to-
day lifestyle) can always  find each other.  But  people who who are called by
magic to live in a magical  way, but who are stranded in a culture  that
denies that part of the universe's  organization which is called magic, have a
much harder time  sharing their  hearts' knowledge.  WELCOME!

Raven:  What a lot of complicated questions!  My  reply to the matter of "was
RoS' version of  magic/the Craft/British mythology  too obscure" is a sort of
Ryanic faith in the shared experience  of all humans: I think that the
archetypes involved are strong enough and universal enough to  tell their
respective parts of the story with or without the cultural/ magical
background.

My purely emotional reaction to your comments on "Hernism":  AARGH! Oogh!
GRRRRR!  How dare  you say anything nasty about Richard Carpenter?  I  can't
honestly vouch for the objectivity of my  point of view, given this gut
reaction; but I would guess that Kip was trying to preserve RoS'  chances of
getting aired at all.  You can say a lot of interesting words on the air
nowadays, but  "Goddess" isn't often one of them.  As far as who Herne's
counterpart is, I like Mark Ryan's Ellen  (from  the Green Arrow Special -
although I can't back up this bit of deep-well affection with any  sort of
research); but some deities (e.g. Brigid) don't have a definite and culturally
equivalent  other-sex counterpart.

Marion?  Beats me.  I think (feel) that her  representation of the Goddess was
very much of the  water/earth "save the  details for later and just do"
variety.  She was neither wild Maiden nor  ever- reliable Mother, but she was
the Green Woman just the same - an anchor  simultaneously to  the wonder of
the living world and to the necessities of  getting by.  She was always the
first both  to see the humor in any situation,  and to realize what
preparations had to be made.  Maybe in this  sense, she was  both Maiden and
Mother.  (The fanfic does seem to bear this out.)  I think she  only  took on
the Crone once, accepting Albion and her own continued life  against the loss
of all that  kept her alive.  As a character, that was a lot to  expect of
her, but as the only well-defined  female archetype, I guess she had  to get
stuck with it eventually.  Funny "coincidence" how the  situation with  the
actors stuck her with that...

I deal with both Robin and Robert in my own  magical work, but only as new
faces and new names  for the Dark and Light Gods  whom I've known for a long
time, since long before I knew to call Them  gods. I've run into Marion a
couple of times, but more as a guide/interpreter in the  still largely
unfamiliar world of Sherwood.  Nasir, as "Other," also strikes a  familiar
chord.  I love to play the  airhead theorist and wonder how many other  women,
the "others" of our culture, feel this as well...

My own experience with  the cowans (a cute, archaic term for anybody who's not
Pagan) of RoS has  been  nothing but positive.  Everybody has been willing to
enjoy the art and song and storytelling that goes with the old myths without
taking any of it as a  personal affront.In fact, I'm really glad that there
are so many Christians and Jews and atheists and who-knows-what-all-else in
our  community, because  they give us so many more cultural parallels and
contrasts to enliven and give texture to the story. I think that this
diversity is RoS fandom's lifeblood, despite the social delicacy sometimes
required by its divergent linguistic and  cultural norms.  (And this is really
something, from someone who can't afford  to pride herself on her diplomacy!)

Janet:  What can I say but WELCOME!  I'm so tired of people getting mad at me
if I hum "Amazing  Grace" or use a good old  Christian swear word.  Although I
haven't "accepted Jesus as my personal Savior," I'll be polite to him as I
would to any Sacred King.  But I'll give him  as wide a berth as I  do the
sword-swinging Norse Gods and the often sexist  Yoruba Orishas, because so
many of their  values are at odds with my own.  After  all, if you can't trust
yourself to find the truth in your own  heart, why would  you even be looking
for it in the first place?  (Of course, looking for it  together is  a lot
more fun and goes much faster!  And that's why we're here...)

Mary Ann:  Your questions deal largely with history, so once again I'm
grateful  for the diversity of  RoS fandom.  Any takers?  I'm about as good
with history  as I am with the quarterstaff...

For what it's worth, I tend to give little  credence to any portrayal of
devil-worshipping "witches,"  as most tales of such  stuff arising from
medieval times have proven to be the heavily interpreted reports of repressed
and frightened churchmen.  But Satanism does exist, and for  whatever  reasons
it exists now (barring heavy metal), I suppose it could have  existed then.  I
shouldn't think  that such folk would have had any reason to  call themselves
"witches," though.  (For that matter, I  canUt figure out why  todayUs
Satanists donUt call their services "Masses" and their groups "parishes."
Christian heretics celebrating "sabbats" in "covens" is like Norse  Asafolk
celebrating  Kwanza by playing African rhythms and dancing in dashikis!)

I can offer only the local pseudo-consensus on Herne/Cernunnos.  Herne seems
to  play more the  part of the Gatherer of Souls, the Wild Hunter of the
Winter  Solstice.  Cernunnos appears to be  more of a guardian of the woodland
and its  beings.

"Rhiannon's Wheel" (correct me if I'm wrong, folks!) is the name of an  actual
stone circle, but the  Wheel of Time or Fate that I've encountered in my
limited studies of Celtic mythology is  Arianrhod's Silver Wheel of the stars.
Maybe all those Welsh Ladies looked alike to our heroes...

I think you've got  the right idea about why we didn't see more Authentic
Beltane Action on our screens...more's the pity... Lammas was indeed a
traditional time of sacrifice,  but by Robin Hood's  time, the substance of
the sacrifice was more likely the  first fruits of the harvest.

I don't know how widespread the use of the term  "Earth Magic" is, but I can
tell you how I use it. I tend to use it to mean  magic accomplished by the
direct use of the energy of the living Earth, directed by will (as opposed to
more ceremonial ways of doing things, with lots  of props and  memorization.)
It's a more "peasanty" kind of magic than, say,  high alchemy with all of its
symbols, or Belleme's mangulated Latin chants and  fancy knives.  Definitely
the sort of magic that  Loxley would be most likely to  use in a pinch (and he
was always in a pinch!)  I don't recall him  being  obvious about
independently working magic in the show, but I very clearly  remember my
reactions to his dreams and his tendency to take a fix on his own  heart when
he was lost.  Enough  was left to the imagination for me to pretend  that he
was dealing with his difficulties in just the  same way that I would!

Nansi & Nancy:  Why am I getting the feeling that my little "special interest"
project is going to  end up involving 95% of the fandom?  DoesnUt it feel nice
not to have to sneak?  Lady, thank you for  the Macintosh - this is going to
be  fun!

ELABORATE RESCUE IN THE FACE OF RIDICULOUS ODDS DEPARTMENT

I said I  wouldn't print full-length articles because all of my printing and
copying is,  in essence,  stolen; but by the time I got around to telling
Ariel this article  was already half-written. I expect  that it should start
things off with a  bang...  So, please take this as proof positive that I'll
print  anything within  reason and that I'm not afraid of controversy!  But it
doesnUt mean that I  expect  to be able to handle this kind of volume once the
letters really start  coming in.  So - here goes!

PAGANISM IN ROBIN OF SHERWOOD REVISITED
by Ariel

The wonderful thing about fan fiction is that writers aren't constrained by
budget, cast, weather,  and the sundry other problems that face a TV crew
trying  to film a 50 minute story.  Writers can  resurrect dead characters,
bring in  unlikely guest stars, write spectacular sequences that would  have
cost $500,000  in special effects, and so forth.  Most of the fun in fanfic,
however, probably   comes from getting inside the characters' heads and
describing how they feel,  particularly at a  crucial moment in a story.
Equally as fun is wondering,  "Wouldn't it be neat if..." and then applying
your own creativity to an already  given set of characters.

This temptation is irresistible in Robin of Sherwood  fandom, not only because
the series is so  multifaceted and complex, but because  of the famous "loose
ends" that everyone feels compelled  to tie up sooner or  later.  The sheer
volume of fanfic that RoS has produced is staggering, as   anyone who voted
for the Major Oak Awards (and certainly Rache, who put the  ballot together)
will  probably attest.  As a relative newcomer to the fandom,  I've spent the
past two years sifting  through past issues of Uzines, while  trying to keep
up with new Uzines as they come out, and also  working on pieces  of my own.
One thing that has struck me is that, given the number of people
contributing to RoS fanfic, thereUs not more diversity of ideas.

Go back to the  early Uzines and youUll find a wide variety of storytelling.
Go to any of the  more  recent issues and youUll get the same themes popping
up over and over  again.  Not that this is  inherently bad - thereUs bound to
be some overlap of  ideas sooner or later - but it is exasperating. I get the
feeling that fanfic  is beginning to fall into a rut, where certain beliefs
are held as canon,   almost as dogma.  In watching and re-watching the series,
IUve thought that  there are many nifty  directions that fanfic could go in,
and IUm surprised  someone hasnUt explored those paths.

This article is not meant to be a critique  of individual pieces of fanfic,
though I may bring one up  if I feel that it  illustrates a particular point.
What IUd like to do here is discuss some of the   broad, general themes in
fanfic and suggest a few alternatives.  The reason IUve  chosen this forum,
rather than one of the other RoS newsletters, for expressing  my opinions is
that so much fanfic  has involved paganism or the Old Religion,  magic,
witchcraft, whatever you want to call it.  The  opinions stated here are
mostly my own, except where IUve indicated otherwise.

Robin of Loxley

Robin is  probably the character most associated with the Old Religion in RoS.
The first  two  seasons are replete with pagan symbolism, some of it subtle,
some of it  quite obvious.  Read any  book on witchcraft and youUll find
yourself saying,  "Oh, thatUs what that meant!"  For example,  when Robin
returns to the outlaws  after his first visit to HerneUs cave in "The
Sorcerer," the  camera gives us a  lovely shot of his knee.  Why?  Perhaps to
give us a view of the garter tied   around his knee - according to Doreen
ValienteUs An ABC of Witchcraft, the  garter is a symbol of  the leader of a
witchesU coven.

Is Robin then a witch?   Are the outlaws a coven?  It can certainly be argued
either yes or no.  A  coven  doesnUt necessarily have to have thirteen
members, though this number is more  usual.  Seven  is certainly one of the
most powerful numbers in traditional  magic.  [See "A Theory on Seven" by  Ali
Pourabbas, Journal of the Friends of  Robin of Sherwood, Issue 1.  -H]  Some
writers have  depicted Robin as the  religious leader of the band, their
spiritual guru.  We see him invoke HerneUs   blessing before the outlaws eat,
but he does not seem to preside over any other  ritual.  (DonUt  forget, at
least two of the outlaws, Nasir and Tuck, are not  pagans and Robin doesnUt
seem the  type to force his faith down someone elseUs  throat.)  Given that
Robin is often confused or  uncertain himself, I canUt see  him providing
spiritual guidance to others.  That seems to be HerneUs  role.  I  see Herne
as more of a "High Priest" than Robin, who appears to be HerneUs  legman, his
knight or champion.  To paraphrase Richard Carpenter, Herne is  Merlin to
RobinUs King Arthur.

Robin has been associated with supernatural or  paranormal abilities - we do
see him have visions  and prophetic dreams.   However, he also exhibits very
human emotions, limitations, and  frustrations.   His sixth sense offers
clues, but doesnUt provide him with the answer to every   problem he
encounters.

Fan writers have, in some instances, taken these  abilities to extremes, and
we read stories where  Robin reads peopleUs thoughts,  performs feats of
telekinesis, and summons the elements and wild  beasts to do  his bidding.
Again, these are far beyond the abilities of what we actually see  Robin  do
on television.  ThatUs not to say he absolutely wouldnUt be capable of  these
things.  Personally, I  find it more interesting to have a hero use his  own
strength, courage, willpower, intelligence, and  intuition to resolve a
problem or crisis, rather than just snap his fingers and have the entire might
of nature at his disposal. Fan writers have also suggested that Robin,
representing the GodUs son, is the Sacred King, the  harvest sacrifice whose
blood feeds the crops.  (He would then be "reborn," accounting for  RobertUs
presence in Sherwood the next year.)  This would then take RobinUs personal
sacrifice for  Much and Marion into a larger, more symbolic realm, that of
dying  for the people or the land. Nearly every book on witchcraft or
mythology that  IUve read has made reference to this belief. There also seems
to be some  disagreement as to whether this sacrifice was literal or symbolic.
It  may have  been both.

Certainly RobinUs death on the tor has aspects of ritual sacrifice  about it.
However, I feel that  itUs important to keep in mind that Robin's  death (as a
character) came about because Michael  Praed left the series.  Had  Praed not
decided to leave the show, Robin wouldnUt have died and the  idea that  his
death was (or represented) a divine sacrifice would be inconsequential.

The  idea of the Sacred King is one thatUs practically become canon in RoS
fanfic.   Might there  possibly be some other reason behind RobinUs death?
Surprisingly  few writers have explored this  path.  One notable exception is
Rache, who  suggests in "Miracles" (Tree of Life 1) that death is the  price
Robin  ultimately pays for having Marion restored to life in "The KingUs
Fool."

 My last  musing on Robin regards his origins.  A number of writers have
painted him as a  member of  the Faery, the Little People of the Hills.  I
personally see no  evidence either supporting or refuting  this idea in the
series itself.  According to Valiente, the Little People may possibly have
been an  aboriginal  group of Britons who were forced into hiding by the
invading Celts.  This is a  historical  explanation, rather than folkloric or
mythic.  However, any  description of fairies IUve come across  invariably
describes them as very  small. I have a hard time believing that anybody with
a drop of  faery blood in  his (or her) veins would grow to be six feet tall.

True, we never meet RobinUs  mother (but then, we never meet anyoneUs mother,
except when itUs  convenient to  the plot), and fan writers have suggested
that Ailric of Loxley mated with a  faery  woman who then bore Robin and died.
RobinUs "magical powers" can then be  attributed to his  motherUs heritage.
My problem with this is that it puts  Robin above the rest of the characters
on  the show and makes him something  other than a mere mortal.  To my way of
thinking, this isnUt  congruent with the  Robin who makes some painfully human
mistakes as the Hooded Man.  (It also  runs  contrary to the belief that all
people are created equal and itUs what one does  with oneUs life  that makes
the difference.  This is an underlying tenet of  democracy as well as the re-
emerging  Goddess religions.)

IUve seen few writers  explore the possibilities of RobinUs ancestry. From his
coloring, he might   easily be of Irish or Welsh descent.  ThereUs a vast
reservoir of mostly  untapped story ideas here  and nobodyUs really made use
of it.

On a related  tangent, writers seem to assume that Robin "inherited" his
rebellious spirit  from  Ailric.  Yet, Robin only knew his blood father until
he was about five.   IsnUt it possible Robin  "learned" rebelliousness from
Matthew the Miller, who  raised Robin for fifteen years?  After all,  Matthew
refuses to disclose RobinUs  whereabouts to Gisburne, at the cost of his own
life.  ThereUs  another story  possibility right there, and yet Matthew has
been, for the most part, overlooked  by  fan writers.

Robin of Loxley:  magus, witch, pagan sacrifice, faery king?
How about leader, friend, hero, lover  fighter?  I think I like him best as a
human being.

Marion of Leaford

Marion, as the only female member of the regular  RoS cast, has had a lot of
attributes credited to  her by feminist writers who  want to see a strong
woman character.  Indeed, "our" Marion is  probably the  most resilient and
independent Marion in any version of Robin Hood.  She fights,  she  plots, she
lives with the guys and commands a lot of respect from them.   She has her own
mind;  sheUs called "headstrong" more than once.  Yet she still  exhibits
"feminine" qualities of nurturing,  comforting, healing.  SheUs RobinUs  wife,
but becomes like a mother to Much, like a sister to Nasir,  Will, and  John,
and like a daughter to Tuck.

Writers with pagan leanings have depicted  Marion as the Maiden aspect of the
Goddess, just as  Robin represents the  youthful aspect of the God.  Yet we
never see Marion under the direct  guidance  of a Goddess figure (such as
Cerridwen, Rhiannon, or Arianrhod).  WeUre not even  sure if  there is a "Lady
of the Trees," although according to traditional Craft  or mythology, Herne
would  certainly have a female consort.  [I disagree - many  Gods and
Goddesses have no regular consort. See my reply to Raven.  -H]  At  the very
least, he would co-exist with the Goddess.  In my view,  stories that  portray
Marion as the GoddessU daughter are well-grounded in Wiccan tradition.

However, I start to run into the same problems here as I do with Robin.  Does
Marion have any  "power" of her own, and if so, what is the extent of it?  Is
she then the coven High Priestess, the  bandUs female leader?  As far as the
series goes, MarionUs psychic abilities seem to be limited. Herne appears to
her in "The Witch of Elsdon" and warns her that the band is in danger, but he
could arguably appear to anyone if he wanted to.

In "The Power of Albion," she  has another vision, that of Robert being
wounded.  This scene raises  an  interesting question.  From MarionUs
reactions in this story, it seems that she  had been unaware  that Albion
would not kill HerneUs Son.  Which makes me  wonder:  was Robin himself aware?
If so,  why didnUt he tell Marion?  ThereUs  another story idea.

MarionUs final vision comes in a dream in "Time of the Wolf," when she sees
GulnarUs copy of  Robert dead in the Ring of the Nine Maidens.  When she later
actually finds the body, she believes  it to be Robert.

These visions suggest to me a mild clairvoyant ability.  It doesnUt seem as
though Marion has these  experiences as a matter of course, only in cases of
extreme urgency.  Yet, writers frequently  depict Marion as a full-fledged
psychic who, like Robin, "knows" when something is amiss.  Again, I  think
this  detracts from her characterUs basic humanity.  There are points in the
series  where  Marion doesnUt "know" whatUs going on.  For example, in "Swords
of  Wayland," Marion is unaware  that the other outlaws have been bespelled by
Morgwyn.  Robin clearly feels something when  Morgwyn casts the spell, but
given  that she used Albion, which is psychically a part of him, itUs  hardly
surprising.  However, Marion goes charging off after Little John, indicating
(to  me, anyway)  that she had no clue what had happened to him.

Another point that  can be made against Marion as a witch is that in "Cromm
Cruac," she doesnUt   know when Samhain is and has to ask the Abbot.  If she
were a practicing Wiccan,  wouldnUt she  have known?  (It could be argued that
after RobinUs death, Marion  stopped observing the pagan  feast days, or maybe
the outlaws had been away from  their "home" villages long enough for her to
have lost track of time.  But  again, this is only a hypothesis.)

In "The Greatest Enemy," Marion doesnUt seem  aware that Herne has warned
Robin of his impending  death.  ItUs not until  theyUre actually up on the tor
that Marion asks, "Are we going to die?"  It seems to me that if sheUd had any
inkling what was going on, she would never have let the outlaws go to Wickham.
Yet, a number of writers have suggested a  psychic link between Robin and
Marion. I personally doubt this, given that  Marion doesnUt know RobinUs going
to die until he tells her.  Also,  when Robin  jumps off Ravenscar Cliff in
"Swords of Wayland," Marion visibly believes him to  be  dead.  If there had
been a link between their minds, wouldnUt she have  realized he was alive?
(Unless, of course, she couldnUt "sense" his mind when  he was unconscious.)

Writers who prefer the Praed Robin hold that Marion is more  independent and
strong in the first  two series than in the third, where she  becomes a
wilting sexual stereotype.  I disagree with this  completely.   Firstly,
Marion is not a fighter from the very beginning.  SheUs stubborn and  strong-
willed in "The Sorcerer," but she also exhibits some conditioned  passivity.
It takes her a while to  shrug this off after she marries Robin.   Marion is
not above tears when she thinks RobinUs life is in  danger.  SheUs not  above
needing comfort in times of trouble, nor is she above giving comfort to
those who need it.  She fights, but she also gets captured on occasion and
needs  to be rescued,  just like the rest of the outlaws.

In the third series, sheUs  just as strong, but this strength is tempered by
sorrow and probably  also the  fear that Robert might get himself killed at
any moment.  ItUs also important to   remember, as Richard Carpenter pointed
out at HerneUs Con 2, that in the first  two series, the  entire band played
an integral part in the plot of each story.   In the third series, part of the
storytelling focus shifted to convincing  viewers of RobertUs legitimacy as
Robin Hood.  Marion gets  a little less story  time in the third series, but
so do the other outlaws.

As for Marion not being  "strong" in the third series - Marion doesnUt wait
around forever in Clun   Castle to be rescued.  She tries to get out herself,
but runs afoul of Gulnar.   Despite having been  pardoned by the king, she
returns to Sherwood when Robert  is wounded.  She gets captured in "The
Inheritance," but sheUs also ready to  rip Isadora to shreds in the dungeon.
In "The Cross of St.  Ciricus," "Adam  Bell," "The Pretender," and
"Rutterkin," sheUs in the fray, plotting, fighting,  and  ambushing as always.
A weak woman could hardly have played "Conquest" with  King John and  gotten
away with it.  I would not describe the woman who fights  the guards in "The
Sheriff of  Nottingham" as a typical female character.  And  in "Time of the
Wolf" she fights with the other  outlaws until sheUs wounded and  is forced to
remain in Halstead.  To paraphrase Linda Furey, if  thatUs a  helpless, frail
flower, "IUll eat my bow and arrows."

Every writer, it seems,  has come up with her (or his) own view of why Marion
decided to stay in   Halstead and/or whether she remained there permanently,
or returned to Sherwood.   IUve even herd  of two "official" versions from the
fabled fourth series:  one,  that Marion would remain in  Halstead and the six
male outlaws would be captured  and killed, a la BlakeUs Seven; or two, that
Marion would come out of the  convent in the final episode of the series and
marry Robert.

The "Marion returns  to Sherwood" stories generally have her leaving Halstead
either because of  some  earth-shattering event, or simply because sheUs bored
silly.  The "Marion stays  in Halstead"  genre offers numerous reasons why she
chooses the nunnery over the  forest.  Some stories take her  statement in
"Time of the Wolf" at its face  value:  sheUs afraid of losing Robert.  Some
writers  suggest that she never  loved Robert and so stayed in Halstead rather
than marry someone she  could  never truly love.  On a related theme, other
writers have suggested that Marion  could not  give her heart "freely" to
Robert and became a nun because she could  never give Robert "the kind  of
love he really needed."

Writers who interpret  the series in terms of its pagan symbolism have
suggested that with RobinUs   death, Marion has passed into the Mother phase
of the Goddess, and is  incompatible with Robert,  who as the youthful aspect
of the God, needs a  Maiden.  Yet, according to books such as StarhawkUs  The
Spiral Dance, the  Goddess created the God, then mated with Him, so the
"incestuous" nature of  the  son/lover does not have the Oedipal connotations
given to it by Western culture.   I personally  feel that the Maiden/Mother
theory is a device used by Loxley- oriented writers to prevent Robert  from
marrying Marion.

ItUs interesting how  most writers frame MarionUs decision to stay in Halstead
in terms of her   relationship with Robert.  ItUs possible that the reason
lies within Marion  herself.  Perhaps she  was sick of the uncertain life of
outlawry and decided to  quit while she was still ahead (or alive). Modern
psychology describes the  stages of grieving that people go through upon a
loss.  One of the  first steps  is denial.  Perhaps Marion never allowed
herself to grieve RobinUs loss properly  and  didnUt go through the stages
necessary for acceptance.  In marrying Robert,  she would have to  admit that
Robin was truly dead and would never return, and  she could not bring herself
to let go  of this fantasy.  When she tells Robert,  "Let me live in your
heart, but let me go," perhaps sheUs  asking him to do to  her memory what she
could never do to RobinUs.  [OUCH!  That rings so true it   hurts! -H]

Given how independent and free-spirited Marion is, her choice of  staying in a
convent is surprising. ThereUs room for a lot of creative  storytelling here.
As Rache says in Merry Meet, Merry Part: "Where the trail  goes from here,
well, thatUs up to you."

Robert of Huntingdon

Robert gets a lot  of grief in RoS fanfic.  ItUs funny how one of the most
down-to-earth,  determined  individuals in the series has had more negative
labels stuck on him  than the sheriff, Gisburne, and  Belleme combined.  It
seems to me that writers  canUt find enough bad things to say about him.

IUve seen Robert portrayed as  weak, cowardly, indecisive, high-strung,
arrogant, and insensitive. IUve seen  stories where heUs depicted as an
unfeeling block of wood with no magical  abilities, no  real rapport with the
outlaws, and no chance of winning Marion.   IUve seen stories where he loses
his mind after MarionUs departure, gives up on  the outlaws, and slinks back
to Scotland or  Huntingdon with his tail between  his legs.

What particularly irks me is that Robert is viewed as a somehow less  "real"
Robin Hood than  Loxley.  This might stem from Robin Hood as the Earl of
Huntingdon having been invented by  Elizabethans who couldnUt abide the Robin
of  their plays and ballads being a peasant.  In this case,  Marion and Tuck,
who  were also introduced in the Elizabethan period, would not be "real"
Merries   either.

Quite a few writers assume that the only reason Robert eventually  returned to
the forest is  because Marion was kidnapped.  IUd like to point out  the
vastly different circumstances  surrounding RobinUs and RobertUs being  chosen
as HerneUs Son.  Loxley had nothing to lose when he  came to Sherwood.   He
was an outlaw and a fugitive.  He had no material wealth or social status at
stake, nor did he have a family name to dishonor.  Because the outlaws more or
less came together  fighting a common cause in "The Sorcerer," Loxley won
their  support more easily than did  Huntingdon.

Robert, on the other hand, had  everything to lose.  He had wealth and a title
at stake, and his  familyUs name  to consider, all formidable things in
medieval England.  He had to fight not  only the  bandUs suspicion of him
because of his noble status, but their grief  at losing Robin.  He had to walk
in the footsteps of a man who had commanded  intense loyalty from his
followers.  Given this, itUs  hardly surprising that  Robert initially fled to
Huntingdon.  However, once he made the decision to   return to Sherwood, that
choice was final.  He could easily have gone back to  Huntingdon after  saving
Marion, but he didnUt.  His commitment to justice was  stronger than the ties
that bound him  to his family.

Despite their different  circumstances, there are similarities between the
initial reactions of both   Robin and Robert to being chosen.  When Robin
first encounters Herne in "The  Sorcerer," he doesnUt  exactly rush headlong
into his destiny.  He shouts, "No!"  and runs away.  Herne has to come for him
again later.  Outside of ambushing  Gisburne and winning the archery
competition, RobinUs first  really formidable  trial is rescuing Marion from
Belleme.

Likewise, Robert at first denies HerneUs  claim on his future.  The main
difference is that thereUs a  full year between  RobertUs first and second
encounters with Herne.  In "HerneUs Son," Robert   admits to John that he
lacked the courage to stay in the forest; however, if he  had presented
himself to the outlaws at the end of "Greatest Enemy," would they  have
accepted him? Or, in their  grief, would they have driven him away?  The
"lost year" probably gave the outlaws a bit of time  to ease the pain of their
loss. True, the wounds have festered a bit.  But I have a hard time  believing
that the outlaws would have welcomed Robert into the band immediately after
RobinUs  death.  Outside of pulling the band back together in "HerneUs Son,"
RobertUs first trial, like Robin's,  is rescuing Marion, this time from Owen
of  Clun.

Loxley writers have also suggested that Robert, coming from a noble
background, would have sexist  attitudes, whereas Robin, coming from the pagan
faith, would hold a more egalitarian world view,  given that witches revere
the  Goddess as well as the God.  However, Barbara Walker, in her  WomenUs
Dictionary  of Symbols and Sacred Objects, points out that the Goddess
cultures were  being  usurped by patriarchal pagan sects long before the rise
of Christianity.  (Thus,  the  widespread evidence of phallus worship over
much of Europe.)

In RoS, we see  evidence of sexism exactly once on the part of each Robin.
Loxley refuses to let   Marion fight with the outlaws in "Witch of Elsdon"
until she comes to their  rescue at the end of the  story.  Huntingdon goes
through the same thing with  Isadora in "The Inheritance," but she argues  him
down pretty quickly.  RobertUs  speedy capitulation is probably in part due to
having already  fought with  Marion and realizing that if one woman could
fight, any woman could.

Otherwise,  both Robert and Robin are considerate and non-patronizing with all
of the women  they  encounter.  Each of them seems to have his own code of
chivalry. This  brings me to another point:  religion.

Robin is pretty obviously a pagan.   However, he has no  objection to having
both a Christian and a Moslem in his  band.  Tuck gives up none of his
Christian  practices and this doesnUt seem to  bother Robin one bit.  What
both Robin and Tuck resent (and  quite  understandably so) is
institutionalized religion, "Churchianity," particularly  the high-ranking
Church officials who use their positions as a means for  gaining personal
wealth.

Several writers have depicted Robert as a devout  Christian.  However, unlike
Tuck, we do not see  Robert observing Christian  practices.  He kneels at the
burial of Lady MargaretUs servants, but  this might  be simply out of habit
and/or courtesy.  He asks Tuck to marry him and Marion,  but this  might be
because he regards Tuck as a friend.  At this point, Tuck  might very well be
excommunicated, indicating to me that the religious aspect  of the ritual is
not that important to Robert.

Robert strikes me as being a  skeptic. Given that he would be well aware of
the abuses of power in  the  Church, he would probably take its doctrines with
a grain of salt.  Writers have  also portrayed  RobertUs father as a devout
Christian, yet thereUs no evidence  of this in the series.  Like Robert,  the
Earl would most likely be very world- wise.  In fact, in any work of
historical fiction IUve read  set in this time  period, the Christian nobility
are usually quite cynical about their faith.

 So,  itUs possible that Robert didnUt have very strong ties to Christianity
to begin  with.  Indeed, he  accepts HerneUs authority with no apparent
qualms.  However,  he doesnUt seem much in awe of  Herne, either.  Maybe he
generally regards all  religion as hocus-pocus. Writers often paint Robert as
very ignorant of the Old  Religion.  I have a hard time buying this.
According to Valiente, and T.C.  LethbridgeUs Gogmagog:  The Buried Gods,
pagan beliefs in England  persisted  well into the era of the Plantagenet
kings. (Valiente points to Henry IIIUs  Order of the  Garter as evidence.)
There also seems to have been a long period  where the two faiths were
mingled and interchanged.  I canUt believe that even  with a Christian
upbringing, Robert would know  nothing whatsoever of pagan  customs.
Particularly if Robert had had a lot of contact with  servants and  guards
(such as the one whoUd taught him the quarterstaff), itUs even more  likely
that  he would at least have been familiar with the beliefs of the common
people.

I think there are some excellent story possibilities regarding Robert  and
witchcraft or magic.  Yet,  writers are so set in the notion of Robert being
a Christian that they canUt allow any aspect of  paganism to enter his
character  (there have been a few instances of Robert having supernatural
experiences, but  these stories are few and far between.)  This has resulted
in a split in the  fanfic,  with Loxley stories being "mystical" and
Huntingdon stories being  "historical."  IUd really like to  see a writer put
the shoes on the other feet,  so to speak.  How about a historical Loxley
piece, or a  magical Huntingdon  piece?

The last part of this article concerns RobertUs relationship with Marion.
Obviously, Robert is very  attracted to Marion from when he first sees her in
"HerneUs Son."  I feel quite sorry for him.  Not  only was Marion deeply in
love  with her first husband, they lived on the swordUs edge of danger,  which
would  doubtless bind them even more closely together. RobinUs death was
violent and  tragic,  and the grief Marion felt at his loss was probably
unfathomable.  Also,  there surely must have  been an element of guilt in
MarionUs sorrow - after all,  Robin died in order to save her life.

Marion, therefore, is no ordinary widow  and Robert knows this.  He always
seems to know just the  right thing to say,  but when it comes to expressing
his feelings for Marion, he becomes tongue-tied   (as in "The Cross of St.
Ciricus.")  He knows sheUs in mourning and doesnUt  press his affections on
her.  When they first kiss at the end of "The  Betrayal," itUs by mutual
consent.

MarionUs behavior towards Robert is difficult  to interpret.  She is friendly
one moment, cool the  next.  She seems to worry  about him, perhaps fearing
heUll also meet an untimely end.  She seems  willing  enough to marry him in
"Time of the Wolf," but her fear is still there ("promise  me weUll  never be
parted.")  When she believes him to be dead, she has  hysterics and decides to
enter the  order of Halstead Priory. Even when she  learns that Robert is
alive, she remains in the convent.

My first question is:
why did Marion stay in Halstead?  As I mentioned previously, perhaps she had
never really come to terms with RobinUs death.  In marrying Robert, she would
not only have to  accept that Robin was truly gone, but that Robert might also
one day be killed.  Taking the story at  its face value, it seems that Marion
has come to the end of her emotional endurance.

My second question:  would  Marion have returned to the forest?  Again,
writers have debated this   endlessly.  Some feel that no, she wouldnUt
because she could never love Robert  as truly as sheUd  loved Robin.  In some
tales, Marion stays in the convent and  rots, while other stories have her
"rescued" from Halstead by the resurrected  Loxley.  Often, Loxley
resurrection pieces also have  Robert marrying another  women (usually
Isadora).  As long as the lovers are all (re)united and  happy,  the fen seem
to have no complaints.

In the stories where Marion does go back to  Sherwood, sheUs usually spent
some time  contemplating her own thoughts and is  now prepared to marry Robert
and take the risk that heUll  die.  The coming-to- grips process varies,
depending on the nature of the story and the   circumstances that bring her
out of the convent.

And what of Robert?  Could he  find love with another woman?  ItUs possible to
believe he might  overcome his  sorrow at MarionUs departure and eventually
come to love another woman.  Again,   writers have created different
scenarios.  Post-Halstead stories have ranged  from Robert going  mad with
grief to stories where he settles down with another  woman, be it Isadora or
Owen of  ClunUs sister.

My only real objection to post- "Time of the Wolf" stories is that so many of
them show Robert in  an  unfavorable light, and not as the strong-willed
individual we see on TV.   Regardless of what  decision Marion might
ultimately make, IUm sure heUd survive  it.

Where the Trail Goes from Here...

Well, IUve stood on my soap box for about 20 pages now.  [ItUs all true... -H]
Does anyone have  thoughts about paganism, fanfic, and how the characters are
portrayed?  I hope that someone will  respond to this lengthy column, and that
writers will continue to produce stories with ingenuity  and imagination.

Nifty Books You Might Want to Read

Lethbridge, T.C.  Gogmagog:  The Buried Gods.
Starhawk.  The Spiral Dance.
Valiente, Doreen.  An ABC of Witchcraft.
Walker, Barbara.  A WomanUs Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred
Objects.

Ariel-

I hope you didnUt underestimate my eagerness to exercise my  Droit de Editor,
and to present you  with my opinions in turn... I agree with:   the need for
more diversity, and fairer treatment of Robert. As for RobinUs  death being
precipitated by Michael PraedUs leaving the series, itUs a solid  fact -  but
I donUt believe in coincidence.  After all, one of the most fertile  fields
for fanfic ingenuity,  MarionUs defection to Halstead, came about because
Judi Trott wanted to be less involved in the  series; but the Marion Stays in
Halstead/Marion Leaves Halstead genres are hardly invalidated by  that fact!
In  both cases, Richard Carpenter did what he could with an awkward
circumstance -   why blame fan writers for doing the same?

While historical/aboriginal Faerie  were indeed small, mythic/folkloric
versions of the Faerie (such  as the Irish  Sidhe) often render them as at
least 6 feet tall, which must have been  particularly  remarkable in medieval
times.  They were also sometimes credited  with the ability to change shape
at will, but seldom did this for extended  periods of time; and could also be
changed unwillingly by  others of their own  kind by way of punishment or
instruction.

I hardly think that Loxley-oriented  writers need an "excuse" to keep Marion
from marrying Robert! TheyUve tried  just about everything, and any of their
strategies could be labelled an "excuse"  on a  bad day.  But I do agree that
excessive rigidity in distinguishing between  two phases of the  Goddess is
probably incompatible with Paganism as it was  practiced by illiterate (and
probably  incestuously inbred) peasants.

Yes,  writers who ascribe supernormal abilities to Robin and Marion are
departing from  both the  showUs basic premise and most folksU ranges of
belief.  I can only  hope that they continue to do so. Perhaps IUm a foggy-
headed space cookie, a  credulous fool, and a snob, but those stories transfix
me like only the very  best of the more egalitarian RoS literature can.
RobinUs courage and   dedication and MarionUs determination and wisdom as
portrayed in the show  already awe me so  much that I simply canUt identify
with them, and I like a bit  of magic to help me explain their  already
superhuman (though imperfect)  characters.  That way, I can pretend that if
only I had  been born with this or  that ability, I could be just like Marion
- but since IUm just a mongrel   working slob of no particular bloodline, I
have to get by on my own merits  (sound familiar?) and  canUt be blamed for
the fact that IUm a bit thick  sometimes, or that I sometimes lose my temper
or  get sick or have to go to the  bathroom.  ThatUs what fantasy is for - I
get enough real life!  Can  you hear  me, you fan writers?  Please - donUt
stop!

Robin is definitely portrayed as a Pagan, which is precisely why he doesnUt
mind having a Christian  and a Moslem  in his band.  Polytheism lends itself
to allowing each individual their own  gods.

My guess as to why Marion didnUt know when Samhain is (or any other such
apparent lack of  information on the part of the outlaws) is that it was
written  in to give the characters a chance to  explain it for the audienceUs
benefit.   This is a hard thing to do gracefully, but it has to be done in
any show that  takes place in another culture and makes use of that culture in
its plot.  In   retrospect, I guess I might have chosen a different character
- but hindsight is  20-20.

I feel compelled to mention here that "fen" is the plural of "fan."

In  conclusion, or perhaps confusion:  I guess that itUs RobertUs very
lovability  that makes me put  up with people who cut him down to size.  In
such a tale of  high and fated hearts, where can I find  someone with whom to
identify?  Loxley  is GodUs son born, too well-suited to his circumstances to
seem at all familiar  (at least to me).  Marion is a shining creature of
distilled love.  Will is   borderline suicidal, and so afraid of nothing.
TuckUs faith is true and  unshakable.  NasirUs role is  "Other," meant to be
known only from outside.   JohnUs simple common sense and MuchUs loyalty are
like nothing I see in my day- to-day life.  But Robert - heUs from the
"oppressing" class, heUs torn  by  conflicting loyalties, he has to admit that
heUs out of his territory and has  things to learn. ThereUs a character.  The
rest of the outlaws I usually know  "through a glass, darkly," and can  love
but never feel.  When Robin makes a  mistake, I say, "Oops, what a dumb
mistake," but when  Robert makes a mistake I  blush and say "Ouch!  I canUt
believe he did that."  I think it was Laura   Chevening who once said "I love
to stick pins in my characters!" but when most  RoS characters get  pins stuck
in them, it feels like a bad dream.  When Robert  gets stuck, I bleed.  Robert
appeals to  alienation, our cultureUs unfortunate  default emotional state.
Above and beyond the need to  create conflict to  construct a story, we who
can never live up to the ones we insist on writing   about, singing about, and
dreaming about have a kind of National Enquirer need  to injure those we
admire most to bring them closer to us.  Robert, with his  considerable
situational disadvantages,  is just the most likely target.  HeUs  certainly a
Sacred King in this metaphorical sense!  We thirst  for his blood  like
England does for RobinUs, and become one with him through his humanity.

EditorUs Notes

Well, thatUs Issue 1!  If youUre going to be at Visions U91, watch the Con
Bulletin Board for a  message for "Cousin Jennet" - it will be a notice for a
Cousins get-together.  If I manage to find a  time in the Con schedule when
there arenUt any RoS events going on, IUd like to have a very simple  circle
to  thank the Lady and Lord for bringing us together and to request continued
harmony and  learning - and then to get acquainted!  Bring munchies if you
can.

Meanwhile, keep those cards and letters (and, please, postage contributions)
coming.  And please  do your best to make them legible (unless, of course,
youUre telepathic like Loxley.)  (Gotcha,  Ariel!)  It looks like we have a
wonderfully diverse and fascinating brew of humanity here!  Until  the next
issue, may Herne protect you.  Blessed be.  Love, Hilda