2. Robin Hood
On September 20, 2009 I received an email from Rob Lynley North Yorkshire, England. He had found my name and email address in a forum on the Robertshaw family genealogy. He asked me about the French origin of the name Robertshaw, as being, in some cases, a distortion of the name Robichaud. He wondered if the name Robehod could be another distortion of the name Robichaud. To support his thesis he presented me the text " Le Jeu de Robin et Marion ", written around 1283, by Adam de la Halle (also known as Adam le bossu), Picardy, France. Several days of email exchange will follow. Can you guess the results?
According to Mgr Donat Robichaud and most genealogists, the Robichaud family name comes from the first name Robert or Robin. " Robi " is equivalent to Robert and Robin and "chaud" means son of, so Robichaud means son of Robert or son of Robin. Thus the French surname Robichaud would be the equivalent of the English surnames Robertson or Robinson. Similarly the " chon " of Robuchon is the equivalent of "son" in Robertson.
Family names appeared in France in the twelfth century, when an increase in population created difficulties to differentiate individuals by name. Noble families were the first to have family names.1 Robert is a first name and a family name hrodberht of Germanic origin, composed of hrod which means glory and berht means brilliant. Robin is a familiar form of Robert.
Le Jeu de Robin et Marion
The Jeu de Robin et Marion is reputedly the earliest French secular play with music, written around 1283 and is the most famous work of Adam de la Halle of Picardy.
The story is a dramatization of a traditional genre of medieval French opera, the pastourelle. This genre typically tells of an encounter between a knight and a shepherdess, frequently named Marion. Adam de la Halle's version of the story places a greater emphasis on the activities of Marion, her lover Robin and their friends after she resists the knight's advances.2
It's strange, in this play Robin the peasant, the lover of Marion, may have different names (Robins, Robinet, Robin, Robert, Robechon) depending on the circumstances:
Marion – Robins m’aime, Robins m’a ; Robins m’a demandée si m’ara. (page 1)
Marion – Car j’ain Robinet, et il moi, (page 2)
Marion – Je n’aimeroie que Robin. ( (page 4)
Marion – Vous perdés vo paine, sire Aubert : Je n’amerai autrui que Robert. (page 5)
Marion – Hé Robechon, Leure leure va. (page 6)
Marion – Certes, pour Robechon. (page 18)
Li Rois – Combien tu aimes Robinet, (page 38)3
We know that Robechon, Robuchon and other variants are forms of the name Robichaud found in France of that time and still today. The fact that Robin’s lover is called Marion, contributes to the hypothesis that the legend of Robin Hood or Robin des Bois, like the name Robichaud, could have a French origin.
Do the following mental exercise. Change the "C" in the Robichaud name with an "N " followed by a space ". Change " AU " in the Robichaud name to " OO ".
The legend of Robin Hood
Robin Hood (spelled Robyn Hode in older manuscripts) is a heroic outlaw in English folklore, a highly skilled archer and swordsman. Although such behaviour was not part of his original character, since the beginning of the 19th century he has become known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his " Merry Men ".
Most historians believe that Robin Hood, as we now imagine him, did not really exist. The name comes from Robert and hood (A covering over one’s head). Other historians claim that the " coed " in Welsh or " c’hoad " in Breton means wood. Robin Hood could be effectively equivalent of Robin of the Woods or Robin des Bois. This hypothesis could also mean that the etymology of Robichaud could also be, Robin of the Woods or Robin des Bois.4
In several emails, I came to understand that Rob Lynley was a renowned researcher on the subject, he was interested in everything Robin Hood. To my knowledge, Lynley and others are still trying to find the original source of the legend of Robin Hood.
Lynley was thus interested in a sagamo, a great leader of the Abenaki Nation, in the mid-seventeenth century. Mohotoworomet of the appropriatrly named Merrymeeting Bay, in Maine, was called by the English of New England, Robin Hood. This sagamo probably had its name Robin Hood because he robbed English settlers?
The Robin Hood legend is likely a compilation of several characters that have marked the judicial history of England from the thirteenth century. Lynley research supports the theory that the names Robin Hood and Robichaud might have similar origins.
2. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Jeu_de_Robin_et_Marion
3. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k40355/f1.image
4. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_des_Bois
