Robin Hood
A famous outlaw and romantic
hero of the Middle Ages. Whether he was a living man or only a legend is uncertain.
Old
ballads relate that Robin Hood and his followers roamed the green depths of Sherwood
Forest, near Nottingham, in the center of England. There they lived a carefree life,
passing the time playing games of archery, hunting the king's deer, and robbing the rich.
They shared their spoils with the poor and never injured women or children.
According to some
versions of the legend, Robin Hood became an outlaw by
killing a deer on a wager. Then he had slain one of the king's foresters who threatened
his life. A price was set on Robin's head, and he went into hiding. Soon there gathered
about him other bold men who had been outlawed or deprived of their inheritances. Some of
them hated the hard rule of the barons. Others loved the free life of the outdoors. More
than once a man won an honored place in the band by defeating Robin Hood himself in a fair
fight.
One day, when Robin was about to cross
a narrow bridge, a stranger seven feet tall blocked the way. The two men fought with
quarterstaves (long, stout sticks), and Robin Hood was knocked into the stream. As soon as
he could scramble out of the water and catch his breath, Robin Hood praised this stranger
and asked him to join his band. Thus Little John, so called because of his great size,
became Robin Hood's right-hand man. Will Scarlet and Arthur-a-Bland, a tanner, also fought their way into the band. Others
whose names often occur in the ballads are Will Stutely; Much, or Midge, a miller's son;
and the romantic minstrel Alan-a-Dale. Robin Hood's chaplain and confessor was the fat and
jovial Friar Tuck.
In later ballads Robin's sweetheart,
Maid Marian, was introduced. When Robin Hood was outlawed, she dressed as a page and went
to seek him in Sherwood Forest. At last they met. Both were disguised, and neither
recognized the other. They fought until Robin, admiring her skill, invited Marian to join
his band. Then she recognized his voice.
Robin Hood's greatest enemy was the
sheriff of Nottingham. The sheriff tried by force and trickery to bring the outlaw to
justice. He was always outwitted. He even announced a shooting match, feeling sure that
Robin Hood would appear to show his skill as an archer. The outlaw did appear, but in
disguise. He won the prize, a golden arrow, which was handed to him by the sheriff
himself. Not until Robin was once more safe in Sherwood Forest did the sheriff learn how
he had been deceived.
Although Robin Hood lived on the king's
deer, the ballads say that the outlaw "loved no man in the world so much as his
king." According to one tale King Richard the Lion-Hearted went in disguise to
Sherwood Forest and, having tested Robin Hood's loyalty, granted him a royal pardon.
The Robin Hood legends may have grown
up about some actual victim of the harsh forest laws of old England. Robin Hood is said to
have lived from 1160 to 1247. Some accounts state that he was created earl of Huntingdon
by Richard the Lion-Hearted. Most of the legends say that Robin Hood died at Kirklees
Priory, in Yorkshire. Near the ruins of this priory is a grave supposed to be Robin's. The
epitaph (with the spelling modernized) reads:
"Here underneath this little stone
Lies Robert, Earl of Huntingdon. Ne'er archer was as he so good And people called him
Robin Hood. Such outlaws as he and his men Will England never see again."
Below is a statement that Robin died in
1247. Some believe the inscription, which is in 18th-century lettering, is a copy from an
earlier and genuine stone. Most scholars, however, doubt this. An argument against the
hero's existence is the fact that he is mentioned by no historian of the time during which
he is supposed to have lived. The events referred to in the stories could not all have
occurred in his lifetime.
Robin Hood probably was a mythical
character, first introduced into England in connection with the May-Day celebrations. The
earliest record of a "Robin" associated with such festivities is in the rustic
plays given at Whitsuntide in France in the 13th century. The hero was called Robin des
Bois (Robin of the Woods). An old English spelling of "wood" was whode, which
could easily have become hode, or hood. At any rate, in the 15th century and
later the May-Day celebrations in England were called "Robin Hood's Festivals."
Garlands of flowers, a Maypole, morris dances, archery contests, and bonfires were
features of the celebrations. Robin Hood was king of May, and Maid Marian was his queen.
Robin Hood represents the ideal of the
common people of England in the later Middle Ages. He stands for liberty and the rights of
the people against unjust laws and the tyranny of the nobles.
Between 30 and 40 Robin Hood ballads
have been preserved. Some date from the 14th century. He is referred to in 'The Vision of
William Concerning Piers the Plowman', by William Langland (about 1400). A life of the
hero in verse, entitled the 'Little Gest [tale of adventures] of Robin Hood', was compiled
from a number of the older ballads and printed about 1500. A ballad, 'Robin Hood and Guy
of Gisborne', is given in Thomas Percy's 'Reliques of Ancient English Poetry' (1765).
Robin Hood appears in two of Sir Walter
Scott's novels — 'Ivanhoe' and ' The Talisman'. A popular modern
version of the legends is Howard Pyle's 'The Merry Adventures
of Robin Hood'. From about the end of the 16th century Robin became a subject for
dramas and operas. Alfred Tennyson's drama 'The Foresters' is based on legends of the
outlaw. Reginald De Koven wrote a light opera entitled 'Robin Hood'. There have been
several motion pictures based upon Robin Hood's legendary life.
Related
videos:
A
Challenge for Robin Hood (1968) VHS.
Adventures
of Robin Hood (Richard
Greene) (1950s British TV series) VHS.
New
Adventures of Robin Hood (1994) VHS.
Robin Hood (1922) DVD.
Robin
Hood (very
good made for TV version) (1991) VHS.
Robin Hood
(animated, but not Disney version) (1985) DVD.
Robin Hood (Disney) (1973) DVD.
Robin
Hood (Disney) (1973) VHS.
Robin Hood - Men in Tights (1993) VHS.
Robin
Hood - Prince of Thieves (Kevin Costner) (1991) DVD.
Robin
Hood - Prince of Thieves (Kevin Costner) (1991) VHS.
Robin
Hood: The Swords of Wayland (1984) VHS.
Robin
Hood/King Arthur - Legends
of the Isle VHS.
Robin
Hood and the Sorcerer (1983) VHS.
The Adventures of Robin Hood
(Errol Flynn) (1938) DVD.
The
Adventures of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) (1938) VHS.
The
Story of Robin Hood
(filmed in England by Walt Disney with excellent cast)
(1952) VHS.
Trail
of Robin Hood
(Roy Rogers) (1950) VHS.
Young
Robin Hood: The Viking Treasure (1991) VHS.
More related
videos.
Related
books:
Robin Hood.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Everyman's Library Children's Classics).
The Merry Adventures
of Robin Hood.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (Great Illustrated Classics).
The Outlaws of Medieval Legend.
The Talisman.
More related
books.
Further
info:
Robin Hood.
Robin Hood - Reality or Myth?
The Legend of Robin Hood.
The Robin
Hood Archive.
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