Robin Hood, Medieval England's Most Wanted
The Myths and Facts Surrounding History’s Undisputed King of Thieves
Sep 9, 2009
Who, or what, was the real Robin Hood? Was he a man, and if so was he a noble ‘commoner’ who really did steal from the rich to aid the poor? Or was he in fact nobility itself? Was he no more than a romanticized criminal and vicious thug? Was he a man at all – or maybe nothing more than a character, an invention created from ancient time honored fireside verse?
The Legend of Robin Hood - Sifting Fact and Fiction
Firstly, the name Robin Hood and variations of it were not uncommon to any of the epochs suggested as those of the legendary thief. References have been made from as early as the 12th century with names such as 'Robinhood', 'Robehod', ‘Robyn Hode’ or 'Hobbehod' drifting up through the timeline, enticing many a researcher along the way. But the tie that binds these ancient chronicles with Robin Hood’s legend remains elusive. It becomes very difficult therefore to manifest the existence of Robin Hood as any one man, especially one who cavorts within the accepted time frame with the historical characters that he has now become so synonymous.
The Merry Men of Sherwood
Names that have become mainstay to the story need to find footage in official historical record for them to ever find factual credibility:
Little John, Will Scarlet and Much the Miller’s son all appear in the collective rhymes and ballads of the day but there is scant evidence to associate them or Robin Hood to such a tangible figure as King Richard the Lionheart, for example. It seems that Maid Marian and Friar Tuck were not added to the narrative until later; perhaps it was that as the tales were told and retold the obligatory characters of love interest and trusting sidekick were duly called into action.
Even Robin’s famous hunting and hiding domain, Sherwood Forest, comes under scrutiny for authenticity. Sherwood is, indeed, mentioned in the early verses but so is Barnsdale Forest (Fifty miles to the north), each has competed fiercely for literary favour over the years. The intriguing recent discovery of a 14th century Latin notation breathes a little extra credence to those siding with team Sherwood:
Around this time, according to popular opinion, a certain outlaw named Robin Hood, with his accomplices, infested Sherwood and other law-abiding areas of England with continuous robberies.
The Robin Hood of Verse and Song
Many of the elements that we now traditionally accept as the ‘real’ Robin Hood story come to us via ballad and verse. But it also seems that his character has been in many ways cherry picked from these ancient songs. For example, in this form he is more often than not portrayed as a thuggish rogue than the heroic man of the people that the very mention of his name now trademarks.
The medieval ballad ‘Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne’ contains a sequence in which Robin beheads Guy and then proceeds to disfigure and berate the corpse. Here we see a Robin that has yet to be burdened with a collective public conscience spiced with merry disposition and trusty feathered cap.
His character wanders with much ambiguity throughout these early verses. It isn’t until the defining plays of the 15th century Anthony Munday that a more recognizable Robin appears. Here we are introduced to a character devotedly loyal to his king, a Robin of aristocracy. He becomes Robert Earl of Huntington and in turn Robin of Locksley, as again his appeal evolves to accommodate the needs of those who increasingly see him as an icon; a merry bandit who shuns personal gain and tyranny for a higher moral code.
Robin Hood becomes Popular Culture
Save for perhaps his reinvention within modern film it would be Howard Pyle's 1883 book The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire that would flesh out and put an enduring face to the character of Robin. Finally with sturdy long bow at his shoulder and charity brimming within his stout heart, the Robin Hood of literary legend had become real. He was now empowered with the capability to develop depth of character, to love and to suffer, to triumph for and uplift the defenceless – it may have been seven hundred years in the making but here was born a true precursor to the crime fighting comic book superheroes to come.
Related articles:
The Robin Hood Project, University of Rochester
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