Ed de Moel

Child Ballads - Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge

115. Robyn and Gandeleyn

Printed by Ritson, Ancient Songs, 1790, p. 48, and by Thomas Wright, Songs and Carols (selected from the Sloane Manuscript), No. x, London, 1836, and again in his edition of the whole Manuscript for the Warton Club, 1856, p. 42. The manuscript is put at about 1450.

Wright remarks on the similarity of the name Gandelyn to Gamelyn in the tale ascribed to the Cook in some manuscripts of the Canterbury Tales, and on the resemblance of the tale of Gamelyn to Robin Hood story. But he coidd hardly have wished to give the impression that Robin in this ballad is Robin Hood. This he no more is than John in the ballad of Johnie Cock is Little John; though Gandelyn is as true to his master as Little John is.

This page most recently updated on 09-Dec-2010, 17:41:26.
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