Revised list with additions: 1. The Royal 2. The Knight 3. The Priest, The Monk 4. The Wizard 5. The Bard 6. The professor, scholar, philosopher 7. The Healer 8. The Builder The Artisan, craftsman 9. The Farmer 10. The Merchant 11. The Servant 12. The Outlaw 13. The Judge 14. The Wanderer/Hermit 15. The Mother 16. The Elder 17. The Diplomat, Ambassador 18. The Explorer/Adventurer The Courtesan The Prophet, Scribe, channel, diviner The Fool The Artist, lover The Maiden / Princess — the young feminine, the one becoming, counterpart to the Prince
The Royal — Arthur, Guinevere, Uther. The throne, the court, the crown. Central to everything. The Knight — Lancelot, Gawain, Percival, Galahad. The most fully developed archetype in the entire Arthurian corpus. Perfect. The Wizard — Merlin. The archetype. No notes. The Priest / Monk — the Archbishop who crowns Arthur, the monks of Glastonbury, the hermit priests the knights encounter on quest. Ubiquitous in both Arthurian legend and Robin Hood. Friar Tuck is the Monk expression perfectly. The Bard — the storytellers who preserved and transmitted the Arthurian legends themselves. The troubadours who sang of Lancelot and Guinevere. Present if slightly background. The Healer — Morgan le Fay in her original pre-vilified form is the Healer-Wise Woman. The Lady of the Lake has healing dimensions. The battlefield surgeon. Present throughout. The Builder — the castle itself demands him. The mason who built Camelot. Less a character than a presence, but real. The Farmer — the peasants of England whose oppression drives the Robin Hood cycle entirely. Will Scarlet’s family, the villages Maid Marian walks through. The land that becomes Wasteland when the King fails. The Merchant — the corrupt taxmen and merchants Robin Hood robs. The traveling trader. Present as background and often as villain. The Outlaw — Robin Hood himself. Also the Green Knight in his way. The knight who has lost his lands. The exiled prince. One of the most mythically rich categories in the entire tradition. The Wanderer / Hermit — everywhere in Arthurian legend. The hermit in the forest who gives the knight counsel. The Fisher King in his desolate castle. The knight errant between quests. The Judge — the Sheriff of Nottingham. The corrupt magistrate. Also Arthur himself as the ultimate arbiter of justice at the Round Table. The Mother — Igraine, Arthur’s mother. The mother of Percival who raises him in ignorance of knighthood. A quieter presence but structurally essential. The Elder — the old hermit knight who has retired from the world and gives wisdom. The aged advisor. Partially Merlin in some tellings, but distinct from the Wizard proper. The Explorer / Adventurer — the Quest for the Holy Grail is pure Explorer energy. Every knight who rides out into unknown territory. Percival before he knows what he’s seeking. The Fool — Percival in his early innocent form is the Holy Fool. The court jester present at Camelot. The one who asks the question everyone else is too sophisticated to ask. The Maiden / Princess — Elaine of Astolat, the Fisher King’s daughter, the damsels the knights rescue. The Grail Bearer herself in Chrétien’s telling is a maiden carrying the sacred vessel. Essential and beautifully placed. The Scholar / Philosopher / Professor — present but rarely a protagonist. The learned clerk, the university master, the theological doctor. More background presence than active character in romance literature. In Robin Hood there’s no Scholar to speak of. In Arthurian legend the closest is the learned churchman or Merlin’s intellectual dimension — which is why Wizard tends to absorb him. He’s real in the medieval world but less visible in the stories. Worth keeping but worth knowing he’s the least narratively prominent. The Diplomat / Ambassador — present in Arthurian legend as the messenger between kingdoms, the envoy who delivers ultimatums before battle, the negotiator of treaties. Less a romantic hero than a functional necessity. The herald who rides between Arthur and his enemies. Real but background. The Servant — the squire who tends the knight, the castle servants, the kitchen staff of Camelot. Present everywhere, protagonists rarely. In Robin Hood the servant class is actually central — Much the Miller’s Son is essentially a servant-turned-outlaw.
Looking at the full list, here are the natural fundamental groupings: 1. The Crown — King, Queen, Prince, Princess, all noble ranks, Regent, Chancellor, the entire ruling class 2. The Knight — Knight, Squire, Page, Champion, Marshal, General, Archer, Scout, Ranger, Soldier, Mercenary, Sellsword 3. The Priest — Pope through Parish Priest, Monk, Friar, Hermit, Nun, Pilgrim, Crusader, Templar, Mystic, Saint 4. The Wizard — Sorcerer, Alchemist, Astrologer, Diviner, Oracle, Seer, Prophet, Witch, Cunning Man, Scryer, Necromancer 5. The Bard — Minstrel, Troubadour, Skald, Poet, Harper, Singer, Storyteller, Jongleur, Playwright, Actor, Jester, Fool 6. The Scholar — Philosopher, Theologian, Historian, Astronomer, Mathematician, Cartographer, Librarian, Tutor, Copyist, Translator 7. The Healer — Physician, Surgeon, Apothecary, Herbalist, Midwife, Barber-Surgeon, Plague Doctor, Infirmarian 8. The Builder — Architect, Mason, Carpenter, Blacksmith, Weaponsmith, Goldsmith, Weaver, Potter, Glassblower, all craftsmen and artisans 9. The Farmer — Peasant, Serf, Yeoman, Shepherd, Fisher, Hunter, Forester, Miller, Baker, Vintner, all land workers 10. The Merchant — Trader, Banker, Moneylender, Draper, Spice Merchant, Ship Captain, Harbor Master, Tax Collector 11. The Servant — Butler, Steward, Cook, Lady’s Maid, Chambermaid, Cupbearer, Stable Hand, Groom, all household staff 12. The Outlaw — Thief, Bandit, Assassin, Spy, Rogue, Highwayman, Pirate, Smuggler, Exile, Vagrant 13. The Judge — Magistrate, Justiciar, Sheriff, Bailiff, Notary, Scribe, all keepers of law and civic order 14. The Wanderer — Hermit, Pilgrim, Explorer, Beggar, Wild Man, Foundling, Exile, Changeling, Vagrant
Traveler — the one who goes out into the unknown world. Explorer, navigator, sea captain, caravan leader. This is the questing archetype in its worldly form — Odysseus, Sinbad, Magellan.