Was Maid marrien from robin hood ever portrayed as a warrior?

Question

Was Maid marrien from robin hood ever portrayed as a warrior? Did she have children(paticulary girls? Were there any other strong women in thoes stories?

I am teaching a mini class on women from lit and would love suggestions for STRONG female leads

Paticulalary classical books would be helpfull....

Answer 1

There's an old tv series called "Maid Marian and her Merry Men" where Marian was the leader of the outlaws. It's not meant to be taken seriously, though - in fact, it's hilariously funny. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid_Marian_and_her_Merry_Men

I don't think she was ever portrayed as a warrior in any of the books, at least not those I know of...

Tellings of the story usually end at Marian's and Robin's wedding, so we don't hear about any children. Maybe that could be a project for your class, though - writing a story about Marian's daughter?

Other ideas:

In Lord of the Rings, there's Eowyn - she dresses up as a man to ride into battle (because her uncle, the King, wouldn't let her, even though she could fight) and ended up slaying the King of the Natzgul. It had been prophesied that no man could slay him, so a woman did (not unlike the twist in Macbeth).

"A Handmaid's Tale" (Margarete Atwood) has a strong female lead - I don't know how old your students are, though, and if it would be appropriate. There's some violence, and some references to sex.

"The Color Purple" has a strong female lead - but she's strong in her endurance more than her actions.

Pretty much everything by Marion Zimmer Bradley has a strong female lead - "The Mists of Avalon", "The Firebrand"... But again, check for age-appropriateness first.

A GREAT book witha s trong female lead is "Ronja, the Robber's Daughter" by Astrid Lindgren. (Her books are very, very popular in Europe). It's a children's book, so no worries about appropriateness. the lead character, Ronja, is born the daughter of a robber chieftain. She grows up in a forest will all kinds of mythical creatures, makes friends with the enemy chieftain's son, learns how to survive in the wild, and finally almost single-handedly ends the fighting and overturns the traditions of her n"society". Her mother is also a wonderfully strong woman, as is the enemy chieftain's wife.

Those all I can think of right now. :)

Answer 2

Joan of Arc, perhaps, or Boudiccea?

I have read many versions of the Robin Hood story. Marion is sympathetic in all of them, a willing accomplice in others. No real classic versions to cite, though.