Have been reading the thread entries (The title kinda leaped out at me and "rang bells" as I perused the threads titles) - trying to get a feel for the group before 'joining' - if allowed, of course!

Reynardine stuck out as it reminded me I had seen / heard of / read about the title / song in the past. Have an odd mind that sort of works that way, sorry.

The only version I have actually heard live was by Maddy Prior here in Melbourne about 3 years ago or so and I resurrected my copy of "Arthur the King" by Maddy and sure enough, Reynardine was there. Read the lyrics and then followed the links to REYNARDINE and REYNARDINE 2 on this thread - one (R-2) is almost identical to Maddy's version and the other is not far off that.

HOWEVER!!! I also recall reading the lyrics many years ago by a source I now cannot recall (I'm 46 and I was quite young, then) However, I do recall that the first version mentioned EYES in place of TEETH. I feel that the use of the teeth was either someone's effort at individuality or a genuinely alternative version - A step away from the "well-worn beautiful-eyes" track, if you will.

One also feels that it is this mention of "shiny teeth" that has given rise to the Vampire / Lycanthrope interpretation. One also feels (as has, I think, been mentioned) that this is inaccurate. Generally (and I am a student of Vampire Lore) that a vampire's teeth are never referred to as teeth but as fangs - except as by way of introduction: To paraphrase Bram Stoker when he discovered Count Dracula asleep in his coffin - he described "a healthy, robust man with ruby lips and full, dark hair drawn into a Widow's Peak and his eye teeth (which we might call the canine teeth) were now protruding below his lower lip as veritable fangs". Remember, when he first met the Count, Dracula appeared as an older man of pale complexion, pallid lips and white, wispy hair!
I am quoting from memory as my only copy has been loaned and has as yet not been returned - miserable mortal - it was an OLD copy, too!

Sketchy, but many theories start out that way.

As for the Huguenot angle; it is interesting and plausible except for one thing. The majority of the Huguenots fled from France during the Catholic (or Roman) persecutio - NOT to England: many did flee in that direction, but were turned away - England and France were at war with each other at that time (as usual)- and even the prospect of resettling more Protestants to swell the numbers against the dreaded "Papist Threat", they still didn't trust FRENCH Protestants any more than they trusted ANY Frenchman. In fact, the vast majority of the French Huguenots fled not to England, but to Holland (Belgium was too Francophilic and not genuinely its own entity entirely and the Dutch, despite being predominantly Catholic as well, were, in fact, very liberal in their attitude to the "New Faith". Protestants and Catholics existed side-by-side with little rancour. Thus the Huguenots flourished. The Huguenots also fled to Spain - VERY surprising, but also very tolerant. They had little or no status there, but they were not hunted down. Despite the rampant Catholicism in Spain (the spiritual home of the Inquisition) the Spaniards hated the French more than they disliked non-Catholics - after all, they'd been ruled by the Moslem Moors for a few hundred years and not suffered TOO greatly as a result!
This information comes from my Mother-in-Law; a French Huguenot of Spanish extraction and from a small history tract entitled: "Les Histoire Des Huguenot".

Finally, I too have heard the legend of "Reynoldyn" or "Reynauldynne" from the Robert of Locksley (Robin Hood) tradition. Again, I have to agree with this 'person' as being the inspiration for this name. It fits the 'outlaw character'of the titular character.

As the lyrics suggest: Reynardine was an outlaw of sorts as he is "...searching for concealment all from the Judges men...". At this point our heroine falls for the "black sheep" (the good girls always fall for the bad men)- the implication being the age-old premise that "her love can change a rogue into a gentleman".

Finally; one also feels that the constant referral to Reynardine as a fox, were-fox or similar is drawing FAR too long a bow. Granted "renard" IS the French for fox - NOT Reynard! The assimilation of the latter name with 'fox' is undoubtedly due to the rather pathos-inspiring English poem: "Reynard the Fox", written, I believe in either the very late 19th or very early 20th Century and often included in school poetry anthologies - I had a copy which belonged to my sister who began school in the 1950's and it was an OLD poem then! Reynard is the anglicisation of 'renard'.

Thus, In summation, one draws the following:
1. Reynardine is NOT about a fox or were-fox.
2. One cannot accept (however good) the Huguenot angle.
3. Reynardyn of Robin Hood fame is the most likely source of the
    name.
4. The song is NOT about a vampire or Lycanthrope; as I recall the
    (apparent) originalversion of the song, confirmed by an earlier
    posting on this thread that the "shiny" anatomy referred to was
    eyes and not teeth.
And Finally
5. I feel that confirming the 'vampire' interpretation by simply linking the Irish writer Bram Stoker of 'Dracula' fame with an Irish version of the song waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy too long a reach!

Hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I LOVE a good muso-historical mystery - actually, I love ANY kind of historical mystery.

Thanks

John "Muttley" Waters

PS - I'm off to 'join up' now - if I'm still welcome!