Robin Hood, Outlaw and Myth
Did the Famous Outlaw Ever Live or was he a Figure of Folklore
Robin Hood is one of the great figures of British folklore . Did such a man ever live, the most famous outlaw of medieval England. Or was he a myth of a pagan past
Who was Robin Hood? Did such a man ever live or was he pure myth? The first reference we have to “Robyn Hode” is in the secondversion of The Vision of Piers Plowman, written in 1377. The ballad Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode and his Meiny (band) was being spoken or sung during the fifteenth century.
A myth is born
The Sloane manuscripts of the British Museum contain an anonymous account of Robin’s Life. According to this narrative he was born at “Lockesley” in Nottinghamshire or Yorkshire around the year 1160. Unfortunately no such place can be traced in either county although a Loxley does exist in Staffordshire.
Several regions of England lay claim to Robin, the most well known being Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. Nevertheless several early tales speak of our man as “Robin of Barnsdale”, placing him and his followers in the woods around Pontefract in Yorkshire, Robin Hood’s Bay – in the same county – was where the outlaw sought refuge when he was hard pressed.. The rival claims of both Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire as the home of Robin Hood may infer that the outlaw roamed both counties.
The Man
Attempting to place Robin in real history throws up a number of candidates. One story claims he was a supporter of Simon de Montfort, the rebel lord who fought against Henry III in the Barons’ War of the 1260s. Another tradition asserts he was a native of Wakefield who took part in Thomas of Lancaster’s Rebellion against Edward II in 1322. However the strongest contender may be a “Robert Hood” who appears in a legal document of 1226 and is named a “fugitive”. Outlawry was rife at this time and perhaps “Robert Hood” inspired the later legends, unfortunately we know nothing else about him.
There is a tradition that Robin was pardoned by the King of England. The king in question is uncertain – Richard the Lionheart is a favourite although at least one mediaeval narrative speaks of “Edward.” Historically speaking Edward II may be the monarch behind by the story because we do know he was in the Midlands and North Country during 1323.
The romance of Robin Hood and Maid Marian is legend in itself, although some of the accounts do not mention her and she may have been introduced to provide romantic interest.
Merry men
Of the other outlaws, Little John was Robin’s right-hand and the first of his companions to be mentioned in the tales. Little John traditionally came from Hathersage in Derbyshire, what was believed to be his grave was opened in 1784, inside were the bones of a very large man. However such a skeleton may have just as easily been that of a local farmer as a notorious outlaw. Friar Tuck and Robin Hood traditionally met at Fountain Dale in Sherwood, where the friar tricked the outlaw and dropped him into the river. Robin forgave him and Tuck went on to become one of the doughtiest of the band.
Hero and legend
Robin may have been several, real outlaws rolled into one.. He was the brave hero of popular imagination. Or was he a memory of fairy belief or a pagan god? “Robin” was a common name for fairies and the Lincoln Green of the outlaws was also the colour of these creatures. Perhaps he was a representation of an old forest god: “Herne the Hunter” or the “Green Man”. A guardian spirit of ancient memory shaped into a folk-hero.
Robin Hood may have never lived yet this hardly matters – like British heroes before & since he has captured the popular imagination & inspired us down the generations.
