Synopsis

A tanner

Tanning

Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...

, Arthur a Bland

Arthur a Bland

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 a British Waterways tug.-Ballads:...

, goes to Sherwood. Robin Hood

Robin Hood

Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....

 appears and accuses him of poaching

Poaching

Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...

. They fight. Robin blows on his horn, summoning his men, and tells them that the man is certainly a tanner, as he has tanned his hide. They take him into the band.

In some variants, Arthur is related to Little John

Little John

Little John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...

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Recordings

Broadside Electric

Broadside Electric

Broadside Electric are an American electric folk band from Philadelphia. Formed in 1990, they are still active in 2011...

 recorded a version of this ballad on their 1995 album Amplificata

Amplificata

Amplificata is the title of the second album by Broadside Electric. It was released on January 3rd, 1995 in the United States.-Track listing:#"When I Was a Fair Maid" – 6:35#"Tam Lin" – 5:20#"Hal-an-Tow" – 2:19#"Robin Hood and the Tanner" – 5:40...

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External links

• Robin Hood and the Tanner
• Robin Hood and the Tanner with commentary