BCM - British Mythology: The Legend of Robin Hood Lesson
British Mythology
The Legend of Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a character of legend, although it is quite possible that there is a historical figure at the root of these legends. If there were a historical Robin Hood, he would have lived in medieval England, perhaps in the late 12th or the 13th century. Songs and stories continued to be told about Robin Hood throughout the Middle Ages and early modern periods of English history. The long life of these legends makes it impossible to reconstruct an actual biography from the episodes contained in the popular legends. There are still some folklorists who would not even insist that there ever was an historical Robin Hood. Yet while the life of Robin Hood may be purely a legend, it is a legend located in a very real geography: Sherwood Forest is a real place, just north of Nottingham, which is a real town, about a hundred miles to the north of London.
Because the Robin Hood character is first attested in popular ballads, there is no "definitive" account of Robin Hood, no "original" story. It seems clear that many of the elements of the story that are popular today were comparatively late additions to the story. One of the oldest elements of the story is that Robin Hood was an "outlaw", a criminal who had no choice but to live in the wilds of the forest. Some of the crimes that Robin commits are robbery, poaching on the king's deer, and even murder. Yet he also displays great loyalty to the members of his outlaw band, risking his life to rescue them from the hands of the Sheriff. Robin is also famous for being a "trickster," and he loves disguises.
Reading Assignment: Robin Hood
Click here to read Robin Hood to Nottingham Links to an external site.
Click here to read Robin Hood and Little John Links to an external site.
Click here to read Bullfinch and Robin Hood Links to an external site.
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