Friar Tuck

"The friar took Robin on his back" Illustration by Louis Rhead to Bold Robin Hood and His Outlaw Band: Their Famous Exploits in Sherwood Forest

Friar Tuck is a companion to Robin Hood in the legends about that character. He is a common character in modern Robin Hood stories, which depict him as a jovial friar and one of Robin's Merry Men. The figure of Tuck was common in the May Games festivals of England and Scotland during the 15th through 17th centuries. He appears as a character in the fragment of a Robin Hood play from 1475, sometimes called Robin Hood and the Knight or Robin Hood and the Sheriff, and a play for the May games published in 1560 which tells a story similar to Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar. (The oldest surviving copy of this ballad is from the 17th century.) It has often been argued that the character entered the tradition through these folk plays, and that he may have originally been partnered with Maid Marian. It should be noted though that his appearance in "Robin Hood and the Sheriff" means that he was already part of the legend around the time when the earliest surviving copies of the Robin Hood ballads were being made.

A friar with Robin's band in the historical period of Richard the Lion-Hearted would have been impossible, because the period predates friars in England. However the association of the Robin Hood with Richard I was not made until the 16th century The early ballad A Gest of Robin Hood names his king as "Edward".

What follows is a story composited from different versions of the legend. He was a former monk of Fountains Abbey (or in some cases, St Mary's Abbey in York, which is also the scene of some other Robin Hood tales) who was expelled by his order because of his lack of respect for authority. Because of this, and in spite of his taste for good food and wine, he becomes the chaplain of Robin's band. In Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, he is specificially sought out as part of the tale of Alan-a-Dale: Robin has need of a priest who will marry Allan to his sweetheart in defiance of the bishop.

In many tales, from "Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar" to Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, his first encounter with Robin results in a battle of wits in which first one and then the other gains the upper hand and forces the other to carry him across a river. This ends in the Friar tossing Robin into the river.

In some tales he is depicted as a physically fit man and a skilled swordsman and archer with a hot-headed temper. However most commonly Tuck is depicted as a fat, bald and jovial monk with a great love of ale. Sometimes the latter depiction of Tuck is the comic relief of the tale.

Two royal writs in 1417 refer to Robert Stafford, a Sussex chaplain who had assumed the alias of Frere Tuk. This "Friar Tuck" was still at large in 1429. These are the earliest surviving references to a character by that name.

Friar Tuck is yet to appear in BBC show Robin Hood, despite the fact the show has already been running for two series.

Portrayals in other media

In the move [The Adventures of Robin Hood] (1938), Friar Tuck is played by Eugene Pallette as a fat individual fond of food but also quite skilled with a sword. He is quick to quarrel with any one who slights him or deprives him of his food.

In the late 1950's English television series The Adventures of Robin Hood he was played by Alexander Gauge as a fat friar a tad too devoted to good eating. He is also clearly devoted to the Church and the poor people he serves, using his wits in order to spare them unjust taxes, provide them education or shelter them from harm. He often uses the power and rights of the Church to good effect against the forces of the Sheriff.

The 1958 Merrie Melodies animated short Robin Hood Daffy featured Porky Pig as a "fat friar", who sought Robin Hood, but refused to believe Daffy Duck was the legendary outlaw. At the end of the cartoon, Daffy becomes "Friar Duck".

In the Disney animated Robin Hood, Friar Tuck is a badger, voiced by Andy Devine.

In Robin of Sherwood Friar Tuck was played by Phil Rose. In this version the character reluctantly served the Sheriff of Nottingham's brother, an evil abbot, and also served as Maid Marian's confessor. He helped Marian escape, and joined the band alongside her.

In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Tuck was played by Mike McShane, drawing heavily on the overweight, ale-loving interpretation.

In the video game "Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood", Tuck was once again portrayed as Marian's confessor. He joins the band at her request. His enjoyment of alcohol is in the game as one of his abilities involves leaving wineskins to intoxicate the guards.

Baldness

Like the Widows Peak, Friars Tuck has been attached to naming the final stages of Androgenic Alopecia, Male Pattern Baldness or Balding in Men. The Friars Tuck is the common pattern of a border of hair around the back of the head/neck and the sides of the head. This is attached to Friar Tuck the character due to his similar appearance.

External links

• Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar, a 17th century ballad with additional information
• Robin Hood Spotlight: Robin Hood and the Friar, a page on the 1560s play and modern productions of it