Robin Hood is famous English hero folk tales and ballads. The legends said that he, along with friends, robbed in Sherwood Forest, robbed the rich and gave money to the poor. Robin Hood was considered an unsurpassed archer, the authorities could not catch him in any way.
Ballads about this hero were composed as early as the 14th century. Based on them, many books about Robin Hood have already been written, many films have been shot. The hero appears either as an avenging nobleman, or as a cheerful reveler, or as a lover-hero.
In fact, there are few real facts about this character. It is all woven from myths. But some of them are still implausible. Even legendary hero have their own historical truth. We will debunk the main misconceptions about Robin Hood.
Robin Hood was a real person. It is worth recognizing that this character is fictional. The archetypal hero's career has evolved from numerous popular wishes and disappointments. common people of that era. Robin (or Robert) Hood (or Hod, or Hude) was a nickname awarded to petty criminals until the middle of the 13th century. It seems no coincidence that the name Robin is consonant with the word "robbing" (robbery). It's already contemporary writers formed the image of a noble robber, as real. There were people like Robin Hood. They flouted unpopular state forest laws. Those rules kept vast areas semi-wild, especially for the hunting of the king and his court. Such fugitives have always delighted the oppressed peasants. But there was no such specific person, which inspired contemporaries to create poems about themselves. No one was born with the name Robin Hood and did not live with him.
Robin Hood lived during the reign of Richard Lion Heart. Robin Hood is often called the enemy of the ambitious Prince John, who is trying to seize power during the absence of a prisoner in the course of crusade King Richard I the Lionheart (ruled 1189-1199). But for the first time, the names of these three characters in the same context began to be mentioned by writers of the Tudor era in the 16th century. There is a mention (albeit not entirely convincing) of Robin Hood, as one of the participants in the court during the reign of Edward II (1307-1327). Much more plausible seems to be the ballad that Robin Hood was a supporter of Simon de Montfort, who was killed at Evesham in 1265. It is safe to say that Robin the Landless became popular character folk mythology by the time William Langland wrote his Vision of Peter the Plowman in 1377. This historical document directly mentions the name of Robin Hood. It is not clear how this character was related to Ranulf de Blondville, Earl of Chester, whose name immediately follows the brigand's name. It is likely that they got into the phrase from different sources.
Robin Hood was a noble man who robbed the rich and gave money to the poor. This myth was invented by the Scottish historian John Major. He wrote in 1521 that Robin did not cause any harm to women, did not delay the goods of the poor, generously shared with them what he took from the rich. But earlier ballads covered the character's activities more skeptically. The longest, and probably old story about Robin Hood, it's "Robin Hood's Nice Little Adventure". Presumably it was written down in 1492-1510, but it is likely that much earlier, in the 1400s. There is a comment in this text that Robin did a lot of good for the poor. But at the same time, he helps a knight who is in financial difficulties with money. In this work, as in other early ballads, there is no mention of the money that was given to the peasants, the redistribution of wealth between social strata. On the contrary, in the stories there is a story about how a robber crippled an already defeated enemy and even killed a child. This makes us take a different look at the personality of the legendary character.
Robin Hood was an impoverished nobleman, the Earl of Huntington. And again there is no real basis for such a myth to emerge. Robin Hood is always a commoner in the first stories, communicating with people of his class. Where did such a legend come from? John Leland wrote in 1530 that Robin Hood was a noble robber. Most likely, it was about his actions, but the image has now been supplemented with the corresponding origin. And in 1569, the historian Richard Grafton claimed that in one old engraving he found evidence of the earl dignity of Robin Hood. This explained his chivalry and masculinity. This idea was subsequently popularized by Anthony Munday in his plays The Fall of Robert, Earl of Huntington and The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington, both written in 1598. In this work, Count Robert, impoverished due to the intrigues of his uncle, began to fight for the truth in the guise of a robber, saving his bride Marian from the harassment of Prince John. And in 1632 Martin Parker's The True Tale of Robin Hood appeared. It states unequivocally that the notorious outlaw, Earl Robert of Huntington, colloquially known as Robin Hood, died in 1198. But the real Earl of Huntington during this period was David of Scotland, who died in 1219. After the death of his son John in 1237, this noble branch was interrupted. Only a century later, the title was bestowed on William de Clinton.
Robin married Maid Marian. Maid Marian has become an important part of the Robin Hood legend. However, few people know that she was originally the heroine of a separate series of ballads. Robin and the other thieves from the earliest stories had neither wives nor families. The image of a woman appears only in Robin Hood's devotion to the Virgin Mary. Perhaps the narrators considered such worship inappropriate in the years after the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. It is likely that Marian therefore appeared in the legends of Robin Hood around this time to provide an alternative female focus. And once there positive characters, a man and a woman, they must certainly get married.
Maid Marian was of noble blood. The identity of this girl raises many questions. Some historians are inclined to think that it was a beauty guarded by Prince John. And she met Robin Hood only after falling into his ambush in the forest. However, there is another opinion. Some scholars believe that for the first time Marian appears not even in the English epic, but in French. That was the name of the shepherdess, the girlfriend of the shepherd Robin. Only two hundred years later, the girl moved into the legend of the brave robber. And initially Marian was not highly moral, such a reputation appeared much later, under the influence of the chaste morality of the Victorian era.
Robin Hood was buried in Yorkshire, in the monastery of Kirklees. His grave is still there today. According to the legends, Robin Hood went to Kirklis Monastery for treatment. The hero realized that his hand was weakened, and the arrows began to fly past the target more and more often. The nuns were famous for their bloodletting skills. In those days it was considered the best medicine. But the abbess, whether by accident or on purpose, released too much blood to Robin Hood. Dying, he fired the last arrow, bequeathing to bury himself in the place of its fall. But Tudor writer Richard Grafton had a different version. He believed that the abbess buried Robin Hood on the side of the road. The book indicates that the hero rests where he robbed those passing by. On his grave, the abbess of the monastery set a large stone. The names of Robin Hood and several other people were inscribed on it. Perhaps a certain William Goldborough and Thomas were accomplices of the robber. And this was done so that travelers, seeing the grave of the famous robber, could safely move on without fear of robbery. In 1665, local historian Nathaniel Johnson sketched this grave. It appears in the form of a plate, decorated with a six-pointed Lorraine cross. It is often found on English tombstones of the 13th-14th centuries. The inscriptions were already barely legible. Robin Hood could indeed be buried with other people, but if the monument was erected immediately after his death, it is strange that no one mentioned this until 1540. The monastery itself passed into the possession of the Armitage family in the 16th century, after the church reform. In the 18th century, Sir Samuel Armitage decided to excavate the earth to a depth of a meter under the stone. The main fear was that the grave had already been visited by robbers. However, it turned out that there was nothing to be afraid of - there were no bodies of robbers under the stone. It seems that the stone was brought here from another place, where the legendary Robin Hood is buried. Now the tombstone is regularly attacked by souvenir hunters, seeking to chip away a piece from it. And many believe that parts of the stone help get rid of toothache. Armitage subsequently enclosed the stone in a small brick fence surrounded by iron railings. Their remnants are still visible today.
Some of Robin Hood's friends can be compared to celebrities of the era. Little John, Will Scarlett and Much the Miller's son accompany Robin Hood in the early ballads. Later, other heroes appeared in the company - the monk Tuk, Alan from the Valley, etc. The most famous of them is Little John. There are almost as many references to him in documents as there are about Robin Hood himself. Little John was said to be elusive, just like his friend. It is known that the grave of this robber is located in the county of Derbyshire in the cemetery in Hathersedge, which is not without interest. Its stones and railings are modern, but part of the early memorial has the weathered initials "L" and "I" (looking like "J") still visible. James Shuttleworth, who owned the estate, excavated the site in 1784. They found a very large femur 73 centimeters long. It turned out that someone 2.4 meters high was buried in the grave! Soon, strange misfortunes began to happen to the owners of the estate. Then the watchman reburied the bone in an unknown place. Two settlements, at Little Haggas Croft in Loxley, Yorkshire and the village of Hathersedge in Peak County, Derbyshire, claim to be the birthplace of Robin Hood and the place where Little John spent his last years. An alternative approach to the story of Robin Hood is based on an attempt to establish in historical context his opponents. However, the ballads directly name only the Sheriff of Nottingham, Abbot of St Mary and York. Other characters are mentioned only by title. Not named specific names, which could be tied to specific dates in history. Such a lack accurate information disappointing, but we must always remember that we are dealing with folk epic and not with documents that state the facts.
Robin Hood was an excellent archer. The ability to accurately shoot a bow distinguished Robin Hood. In some productions, he even won competitions, hitting not even an apple, but an arrowhead. In fact, at the time of the appearance of the legends of Robin Hood, classic English longbows were just beginning to appear, they were very rare. Historical documents indicate that the robbers mastered this weapon in the middle of the XIII century. Then the competition began. If we believe that Robin Hood lived in late XII century, then he could not have a bow.
Monk Took was an accomplice of Robin Hood. This monk is considered one of the heroes of the Sherwood Fox. Written evidence says that Brother Tuk was indeed a robber. But he acted 200 miles from Sherwood Forest, moreover, 100 years after the estimated lifetime of Robin Hood. And this priest was not at all harmless and cheerful - he ruthlessly ruined and burned the hearths of his enemies. In subsequent legends, the names of famous robbers began to be mentioned together, they became accomplices.
Robin Hood operated in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. This statement is usually not objectionable. However, the mention of Sherwood did not appear in ballads immediately, at the earliest - in the middle of the 15th century. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with that, it's just earlier fact just eluded the narrator. But in a collection of ballads about Robin Hood, published in 1489, his activities are associated with a completely different county, with Yorkshire. It is not located in the center of England, but in the north. It is worth mentioning that the Yorkshire Great North Road, on which, according to this version, Robin Hood operated, really had a bad reputation because of the numerous robberies of travelers.
Robin Hood is the real name of the robber. The correct word is Robin Hood. In English spelling, the surname is spelled Hood, not Good. The literal correct translation of the hero's name is Robin the Hood, not Robin the Good. There are doubts about the name of the robber. The phrase "Rob in Hood" literally means "robber in the hood." It is not clear whether the name Robin came from this phrase, or whether the word itself comes from the name of the robber.
Companions of Robin Hood wore green clothes. The green clothes of the robbers are often mentioned in legends. One of the earliest stories tells how the king specially dressed his people in green, ordering them to walk around Nottingham and pretend to be forest brothers. However, the townspeople not only did not welcome the "robbers", but drove them away in anger. This, by the way, eloquently speaks of how people "loved" Robin Hood. If he really fought for justice and was popular, then why did the people in green hurriedly run away from the townspeople? So the legend of the green clothes of the robbers found its life.
The Sheriff of Nottingham was a notorious villain. It is known from legends, novels and films that Robin Hood's main enemy is the Sheriff of Nottingham. This servant of the law led the foresters, guards, was friends with the church and the nobility. The unscrupulous sheriff had unlimited sweetness in these places. That's just with Robin Hood, he could not do anything - on the side of that was ingenuity, accuracy and ordinary people. It should be understood that in medieval England, the sheriff was an official who fought criminals. This position appeared in the X-XI centuries. Under the Normans, the country was divided into districts, each of which had its own sheriff. Interestingly, they did not always coincide with the counties. So the Sheriff of Nottingham also looked after the neighboring county of Derbyshire. In the tales of Robin Hood main enemy- Sheriff, never called by name. Among the prototypes are the names of William de Brewer, Roger de Lacy and William de Vendenal. The Sheriff of Nottingham existed, but it is not clear who he was during the Robin Hood years. In the early tales, the sheriff was simply an enemy of the "forest lads" by the nature of his service, fighting all the robbers. But later this character was overgrown with details, becoming a real one. villain. He oppresses the poor, appropriates foreign lands, introduces new taxes, and generally abuses his position. And in some stories, the sheriff even harasses Lady Marian and, with the help of intrigues, tries to become the king of England. True, the ballads make fun of the sheriff. He is exposed as a cowardly fool who is trying to do the job of capturing Robin Hood by proxy.
Sir Guy of Gisborne was a real noble character and an enemy of Robin Hood. Sir Guy of Gisborne's behavior is quite different from that of the sheriff. The knight in the legends appears as a brave and courageous warrior, well wielding a sword and a bow. One of the legends tells how Guy of Gisborne volunteered to end Robin Hood for a reward, but in the end he himself fell at the hands of a noble robber. Not in all stories this knight appears as a noble character. In some places he is called a cruel bloodthirsty killer, easily transgressing the law in order to achieve his goals. In some ballads, Guy of Gisborne harasses the maiden Marian, and in some places he even acts as her fiancé. Unusual and appearance hero - he wears not an ordinary cloak, but a horse's skin. But such a character did not exist at all. It is believed that Sir Guy of Gisborne was once the hero of a separate legend, which later merged with the story of Robin Hood.
Robin Hood was a hero-lover. Among the friends of the brave robber, only one female name is called - the maiden Marian. And the professor English Literature Cardiff University Stephen Knight generally put forward an original idea. He thinks that Robin Hood and his friends were a bunch of gays! In confirmation of this bold idea, the scientist cites very unambiguous parts of the ballads. And in the original stories about Robin Hood's girlfriend, nothing was said at all, but the names of close friends - Little John or Will Scarlett - were unnaturally often mentioned. And this point of view is shared by Cambridge professor Barry Dobson. He interprets the relationship between Robin Hood and Little John as very ambiguous. Fighters for the rights of sexual minorities immediately picked up this theory. There are even voices in favor of the story of an unconventional sexual orientation Robin Hood was certainly told to children at school. In any case, with the reputation of the hero-lover, the robber is far from ambiguous.
Sergey Lvov
He spent his life in the forest. Barons, bishops and abbots feared him. He was loved by peasants and artisans, widows and the poor. (From old chronicles.)
This is what is said about his death. One day, a glorious archer felt: there was not enough strength in his hands to pull the bowstring, and it was difficult for his legs to follow the usual forest path. And then he realized: old age approached ...
He went to the monastery, the abbess of which was known as a skilled healer, and asked to be treated. The nun pretended to be delighted with his arrival, kindly escorted the stranger to a distant cell, carefully laid him on the bed, and with a sharp knife opened a vein on a powerful arm (bloodletting was then considered a good remedy for many ailments). And, saying that she would return immediately, she left.
Time passed slowly. The blood flowed faster. But the nun did not return. Night has come. Dawn followed the night, and then the shooter realized that he had become a victim of betrayal. Above the head of his bed was a window into the forest. But the bleeding man already lacked the strength to reach the window. There was barely enough breath in his chest to blast his curved hunting horn for the last time. Weak, trembling sound, horns sounded over the forest. A faithful friend heard the call signal. Anxious, he rushed to help.
Late! No one could have saved the shooter. So the enemies that long years they did not know how to defeat Robin Gul either in a hot battle or in a stubborn duel, they exhausted him with black betrayal.
An ancient historian names the year and day when this happened: November 18, 1247.
Several centuries have passed. Wars have begun and ended. The shortest lasted a few days, the longest - a hundred years. Devastating epidemics swept through the cities and villages of England. Revolts broke out. Kings changed on the throne. People were born and died, generations succeeded generations.
However, a turbulent series of events, as they liked to say in old books, could not erase the name of Robin Hood from the memory of the British.
One day, it was about two hundred and fifty years ago, a heavy carriage drove slowly into a small town near London. The carriage was smart, magnificent: only the most important people of the kingdom rode around in such. Indeed, an important gentleman was sitting in the carriage: the Bishop of London himself! He came to the town to read a sermon to the townspeople. While the carriage was driving from the city gates to the church square, the bishop managed to notice that the town seemed to have died out. The bishop was not surprised by this. This means that the rumor of his arrival preceded the carriage, and the townspeople hurried to the church: they do not often see and hear his Eminence. And he habitually imagined how he would get out of the carriage, how he would slowly climb the steps of the church through the respectfully parting crowd... But the church square was empty. There was a heavy padlock on the church doors. 
For a long time the bishop stood in the empty square, turning purple with anger and trying to maintain a dignified appearance befitting his rank and solemn robes, which was not at all easy before the locked door.
Finally, a passer-by, hurrying by no means to the church, threw out to the bishop on the way:
- Sir, you are waiting in vain, we are celebrating Robin Hood today, the whole city is in the forest, and there will be no one in the church.
What happens next is told in different ways. Some say that the bishop got into the carriage and returned to London, uttering in his mind such words as bishops usually do not utter. Others claim that he went to the city meadow, where the townspeople, dressed in green caftans, depicted scenes from the life of Robin Hood, and joined the audience.
What was this life? Why is her memory preserved for centuries? Why could a whole city remember Robin Hood for many hours in a row and think only about him?
What do you know about Robin Hood, except for those pages of Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe", where he is bred under the name of the brave yeoman, the free peasant Loxley? 
Robin Hood has two biographies. One is very short. Scientists have collected it bit by bit in ancient chronicles. From this biography, we can learn that Robin Hood was ruined by wealthy enemies and fled from them into Sherwood Forest, a deaf and thick bowl that stretched for many tens of miles. He was joined by fugitives like him. He united them under his command into a formidable detachment of "forest brothers" and soon became the real ruler of Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood and his shooters, numbering more than a hundred, hunted forbidden royal game, feuded with rich monasteries, robbed passing Norman knights, and helped the persecuted and the poor.
For the capture of Robin Hood, the authorities announced a reward many times. But not a single peasant, whose hut he entered, not a single one of the "forest brothers" was tempted by these promises.
Here is everything or almost everything that is known to historians about Robin Hood.
The second biography of Robin Hood is much more detailed. From it you can find out how he first encountered the royal foresters and how this meeting ended; how he met a fugitive monk - Brother Took - and Little John, who became his assistants, and how Robin Hood won archery competitions, how he was at enmity with the sheriff of Nottingham, who oppressed the peasants, how he refused to serve King Richard the Lionheart.
Where is all this and much more about Robin Hood recorded? Not in historical writings, and in folk songs- ballads, as literary historians call them.
They were composed throughout England for many centuries. The author of these songs was the people, and the performers were wandering singers. The songs about Robin Hood were overgrown with various details, several small songs merged into one, or one big one fell apart into several small ones ... The singers who sang these ballads, if they knew how to write, wrote down the words of the song and gave them to those who wished to write them off for a fee. And when the first printing houses appeared in England, songs about Robin Hood began to be printed. At first, these were separate sheets with prints of songs. They were eagerly bought up by residents of cities and villages, who once a year, in the summer, celebrated Robin Hood Day.
It was in these songs that the second biography of Robin Hood gradually developed. In him, he is what the people imagined him to be. If the old Latin chronicle claims that Robin Hood was a nobleman, then the folk song decisively calls him the son of a peasant. Simple people In England, the legendary biography of Robin Hood began to be considered his real biography. For many decades and even centuries, everything that was told about Robin Hood in songs was believed by the British as an indisputable historical fact.
There is interesting evidence for this. One of the oldest ballads tells how Robin Hood, at the age of fifteen, went to the city of Nottingham to compete in archery. Halfway through, he was stopped by the royal foresters and began to mock him. "Does this boy, who can barely bend his own bow, dare to appear before the king in a contest!" they exclaimed. Robin Hood made a bet with them that he would hit the target a hundred feet, and he won the bet. But the royal foresters not only did not pay him the winnings, but threatened that they would beat him if he dared to appear at the competitions.
Then Robin Hood, as the ballad reports with delight, shot all the scoffers with his bow. The people did not like the royal foresters, who did not allow the poor to either collect brushwood in the forest, let alone hunt forest game or fish in forest streams and rivers. Not loving the royal foresters, folk singers sang this ballad with delight.
And in April 1796, that is, five centuries after Robin Hood lived, a message appeared in one of the English magazines. Here it is: "While a few days ago, workers were digging in a garden in the town of Coxlein, near Nottingham, they came across six human skeletons that lay close to each other, neatly side by side. It is believed that this is part of the fifteen foresters whom he killed in his time for Robin Hood.
One can imagine how the publisher of the magazine asked the author of the note: "Are you sure that these are the same skeletons?". And the author replied, as journalists of all times answer: "Well, let's put in for caution the word" suggest ". But it never occurred to either the author or the publisher to doubt that Robin Hood really fought with the royal foresters on the way to the glorious city of Nottingham : after all, this is sung in ballads!
Why Robin Hood is my favorite character folk songs? To answer this question, you will probably have to remind you of what you learned in history lessons: in 1066, England was captured by the Normans, led by William the Conqueror. From the indigenous population of England - the Saxons - they took away land, houses and property, imposed their laws on them with fire and sword. An ancient historian calls Robin Hood one of those who were deprived of the land. 
The enmity between the old and new rulers persisted two centuries later. Do you remember what place the feud between the Saxon and Norman nobles occupies in Walter Scott's book "Ivanhoe"? However, the Saxon nobles soon reconciled with the conquerors. But the songs about Robin Hood were not forgotten. They were sung in detachments of peasants who rebelled under the leadership of Watt Tyler. The people felt in their hearts: the struggle of Robin Hood, glorified in songs, is not only the struggle of the Saxons against the Normans, but in general the struggle of the people against the oppressors.
I leaf through an old book that contains one after the other ballads about Robin Hood. Here is a ballad about how Robin Hood fought with another of his worst enemy—by the knight Guy Guysbourne, and how, by defeating him and disguising himself in his attire — and you should know that Guy Guysbourne always wore dressed horseskin over his armor — he again outwitted the Sheriff of Nottingham. Here is the ballad "Robin Hood and the Bishop", which tells how Robin Hood took out his anger against the church on the bishop. Here is a ballad about how Robin Hood saved the three sons of a poor widow - and in each of these ballads he is always the same: brave in battle, loyal in friendship, a joker, a merry fellow, a mocker, a folk hero who does not grow old.
I have told you about Robin Hood, how he was portrayed in folk ballads, and now you can see for yourself how Walter Scott changed this image when he brought him to Ivanhoe.
Walter Scott's yeoman Loxley, the name under which Robin God is bred in the novel, becomes Richard's faithful assistant. Robin Hood, as his people sang, refused to serve King Richard the Lionheart.
The people remember Robin Hood exactly as he is sung in old folk songs. And this is the immortality of Robin Hood.
Drawings by P. Bunin.
Robin Hood owes his name not at all English word"good", that is, "good", as Russian readers usually think. The most common opinion is that he got his nickname from "hood", that is, a hood or other headdress. Robin Hood - Hooded Robin.
Character of English folklore, a skilled archer and warrior from Sherwood Forest (Sherwood Forest), who robs the rich and distributes his booty to the poor. Curiously, this trait was not part of the original ballad character and only appeared in the 19th century. It is not known whether the legend of the noble robber had real prototype or only served as the basis for it medieval ballads and legends, but over the centuries, Robin Hood has become one of the most popular elements English culture, and the story about him feels great in the age of film and television.
Robin Hood owes his name not to the English word "good", that is, "good", as Russian readers usually think. The most common opinion is that he got his nickname from "hood", that is, a hood or other headdress. Robin Hood - Hooded Robin. Attempts to connect this name with a really existing person have led nowhere, in particular because Robert (Robert) has been one of the most popular names in England over the past ten centuries, and Robin is perhaps the most popular diminutive version of it. . It is not surprising that there were many people named Robert or Robin Hood in medieval records, and some of them were indeed criminals - but not so famous and significant as to contribute to the birth of a legend.
Robin Hood accompanies the squad faithful companions, together they live in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire (Nottinghamshire), where, in the main, the action of the first ballads about Robin and modern films and television takes place. In the most early sources he was a yeoman who had gone into the woods, a free peasant, but later he was often portrayed as an exiled aristocrat, unjustly deprived of his possessions due to the machinations of an unscrupulous sheriff. The wood archer is often referred to as Robin of Loxley - believed to have been born in this village near Sheffield - but this version dates from the late 16th century, while there are earlier versions of his birthplace, such as the village of Skelow in South Yorkshire (Skellow, South Yorkshire), which has been associated with the name of Robin Hood since 1422.
The first reference to poems about Robin Hood dates back to the end of the 14th century, but the ballads themselves were recorded only in the 15th and 16th centuries, and already in them Robin Hood has all his main features - he comes from commoners, worships the Virgin, enjoys increased attention in women, he is a skilled archer, hates churchmen and feuds with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Little John (Little John), Will Scarlet (Will Scarlet) and Much the Miller's Son have already appeared in Robin's squad, but there is still no mention of the Maid Marian (Maid Marian) and the cheerful monk brother Tuka (Friar Tuck) - they will appear a little later. In popular culture, Robin Hood is considered a contemporary and supporter of King Richard the Lionheart (Richard the Lionheart), that is, he lives in England (England) of the 12th century.
It is interesting that the first ballads give readers a few details to determine the time of the action, such as King Edward, for example, but the ballads cannot of course be considered a reliable historical source in such matters. Moreover, there were several kings with that name - King Edward I came to the throne in 1272, and Edward III died in 1377. From the 16th century, Robin Hood "becomes" a nobleman, usually considered the Earl of Huntingdon (Earl of Huntingdon), and this version is still very popular.
In any case, Robin Hood is a model for any noble robber. He collects tribute from rich merchants, knights or high-ranking churchmen who were not lucky enough to meet him in Sherwood Forest, offering them to dine on succulent venison, obtained, of course, by poaching. True, the payment for such a dinner is usually the purse of the "guest". There are exceptions to the rule - in one of the ballads, Robin Hood invites a knight to dinner, intending to rob him to the skin, but after learning that the knight is about to lose his land, which the greedy abbot has his eye on, he gives him enough money to pay debt to the abbot.
Robin Hood is young, tall, handsome and very clever, despite his simple origin. He and his men are usually dressed in green, which helps them to hide in dense forest thickets. He has a sharp tongue, loves to joke, and can be short-tempered and quick to kill. It is very interesting that in the ballads Robin keeps his people in strict obedience, and, recognizing his supremacy, they kneel before him as before their lord - in medieval tales there is not even a hint of modern ideals of equality and brotherhood. Historians argue that the legend of Robin Hood was cultivated mainly among the gentry, the petty nobility, and it would be a mistake to see him as the embodiment of a peasant uprising. He does not so much rebel against the social standards of the Middle Ages as he embodies them - generous, moderately pious and courtly, despising greedy, pampered and impolite enemies. Although there are more than a hundred people in his detachment of "merry men" ("Merry Men"), only four or five of them are regularly described in ballads, the most closest friends and associates of Robin.
At the latest by the beginning of the 15th century, Robin Hood became associated with the May holidays, and around the same time, Robin Hood's romantic attachment to the maiden Marian (or Marion), who eventually becomes his life mate, appeared in the sources. Marian is also portrayed either as a commoner, or as an heiress of a noble family, and in contemporary culture it is believed that, eventually, Robin and Marian marry and leave the forest, returning to a rich and civilized life.
Victorian era created her own Robin Hood - it was during this period that he became a philanthropist who robs the rich to give to the poor - and the 20th century brought its own changes: from book to book, from film to film, Robin Hood turned from a cheerful robber into national hero of epic proportions, who not only cares for the weak, but also bravely defends the English throne from unworthy and corrupt lords.
The historical prototype of Robin Hood
For 600 years now, scientists have been puzzling over where the world-famous hero of ballads, the leader of the forest robbers Robin Hood, came from, or rather, who he was copied from, and whether he really existed. At least the four most common versions equally prove the existence of Robin, but only argue about the prototypes. So, for example, Robert Goad (aka Good or Hod), born in 1290, lived during the reign of the English King Edward II. In 1322, Robert became a servant of the Earl of Lancaster. The count raised a rebellion against the king and was executed, his possessions were transferred to the state treasury, and the participants in the uprising were outlawed. And then Robert hid in Sherwood Forest, organizing a criminal group with a mission to extort money from the rich - nobles and royal saints. Also in one historical document it is said that this same Robert from March 24 to November 22, 1324 worked as a porter at the court of Edward II - so he had a chance to repent, receive forgiveness and enter the royal service. But by the time this could be done, Robert Goad was already seriously ill, and in 1346 he died in the Kirkley monastery from blood loss.
Another legend, somewhat similar in chronology of events, says that Robert Goad lived in Witherby and fled from the king's justice - this fact is stated in a court document dated 1226, found in the London Public Archives. The document also states that the Sheriff of York took possession of the property of the escaped "Robin Hood", but did not transfer the money to the treasury, and a year later put him on the wanted list, calling him "a criminal and villain of our land." A little later, the robber was found and executed.
In another common version of the mysterious Robin Hood, it is emphasized that he was from the class of yeomen (free artisan) from the village of Loxley, obsessed with a thirst for justice and prone to various outstanding games. A bunch of alternative versions, which says that Robin was allegedly the eldest son of the Earl of Huntington, refutes the fact that bards would rather compose ballads and sing not the earl's son, but a peasant who is socially close to them and helps the poor.
And, finally, according to the fourth modern version, it is believed that Robin Hood lived during the time of Richard I, John I and Henry III, i.e. at the end of the XII - the middle of the XIII centuries. Since the hero was outside the law for a long time and became very famous for his exploits, soon every fifth robber began to be called "Robin Hood". The cases of all Robin Hoods were summed up, from which ballads and legends were formed.
Most historical sources are divided into two directions, in which it is possible to establish at least the era of Robin Hood. Some believe that Robin appeared under King Edward II or Edward III (1307-1377), others tend to believe that he was a contemporary of Richard the Lionheart (1189-1199). One thing remains clear: Robin Hood is a collective image, tailored from ballads and legends of different times and different generations.
Hero of medieval England
Not far from the city of Nottingham was Sherwood Forest. The Great Northern Road laid by the Romans passed through it - one of major roads Northern England. In the 11th century, after the conquest of England by the Normans, the new rulers severely oppressed the Anglo-Saxons and treated them with undisguised contempt. Suffice it to say that the kings of the Norman and Angevin dynasties ruling the country did not know a word from the language of the native inhabitants of England.
The Anglo-Saxons, of course, rebelled - many of them went into the forests, creating gangs there for self-defense. Robin Hood became the leader of one of these gangs. His gang consisted of hundreds of valiant free shooters - fighters for the idea. Some have become as immortal figures in folklore as Robin Hood himself. For example, the deputy chieftain, a healthy thug nicknamed Little John, whom Robin defeated in the famous stick fight at the river ford. And also the obese monk Tuk is a big fan of drinking, eating and fighting. And other very colorful characters - such as Will Stutley-Scarlett, the minstrel Alan-o-Dale, Robin Hood's beloved Marion. They all wore green cloaks and were excellent archers, "good guys" who fought for economic justice by taking money from monks and landowners and giving it to the needy.
To live in the forest, you need to eat something, which means hunting. In medieval England, such activity was considered criminal along with robbery, to the point that a poacher who shot a deer condemned himself to public hanging. Smaller game was punished in proportion to its size - for example, for a rabbit, they could simply chop off their hand. All game living in the forest belonged only to the king, no one had the right to hunt there without permission. The king's lands were guarded by specially appointed foresters, calling the robbers "arrogant mob", and tried to catch poachers at any opportunity.
One day, the Bishop decided to take a walk around Sherwood and stumbled upon Robin's gang in the forest, where they were carelessly roasting venison. The bishop did not immediately realize that before him were the famous robbers whom the sheriff had been looking for for so long, and ordered his guards to seize the poachers. Fans of fun from the heart, Robin and his friends, began to act out of themselves as simple lackeys, begging for mercy. When Robin got tired of the game, he gave a sign, and the rest of the gang rushed to their aid. The bishop was taken hostage and forced to dance a jig around a large oak tree. Since then, this oak has been called "Bishop's", and many ballads talk about the royal foresters as the eternal enemies of Robin Hood.
However, the foresters did not have the power that the Sheriff of Nottingham had, because. in medieval England, the sheriff was a very significant figure, akin to the governor. Appointed personally by the king, the sheriff exercised all military, police, administrative and judicial power in the county. He also collected taxes, some of which he arbitrarily took for himself. The king, of course, did not know about this, but the peasants and the aristocracy perceived him as their natural enemy. Not to mention the criminals from the Robin Hood squad, who mocked the official as best they could.
Once, the sheriff ordered the three sons of an old widow to be hanged because they shot a deer in the royal forest. This incident gave Robin another reason to have fun. Dressed in the clothes of a simple artisan, he hurried to Nottingham - to the square where the poachers were to be executed. Literally a second before the execution, Robin blew his horn, to the call of which all his friends immediately jumped, repelling the prisoners.
The sheriff could not do anything with the "damned robber." Once he even complained to the king, blaming his impotence. The king gave him wise advice - to resort to trickery, for which the sheriff came up with an "insidious" event. He announced an archery contest in which the winner receives an arrow of solid gold. Oddly enough, Robin bought into the simple trick and was about to leave for Nottingham when Little John advised him to change his green cloak for a multi-colored one. The sheriff did not recognize Robin, who arrived in such an outfit, allowing the robber to safely win the competition and hide in the forest along with a golden bow.
Very often in the ballads it is told how Robin and the gang shook the money out of fat abbots and monks. This was done for a reason, because the church was then the largest landowner and tore three skins from the peasants.
And yet, why is it said that Robin was nice guy? He did not harbor a fierce hatred for the nobles and even helped them if they were in trouble. For example, one knight had to mortgage his estate to the local abbot, and when the time came to pay the debt, he went to the abbey to ask for a respite. Meeting on the road through Sherwood with Robin, who was about to rob him, the knight told sad story about your situation. Robin Hood, mistaking him for a noble man, gave him money to pay off the debt, and the rest of the gang showered him with gifts on top.
Even in ballads there was the concept of a boomerang - good from fate for the good done to someone. One day, on a forest road, Robin Hood met the king, who, according to legend, "was returning incognito from the Crusade." Either in a fight with the king, or in a conversation with him, Robin managed to charm the monarch so much that he, having drunk enough from the gang, forgave them all their sins and accepted them into his service.
The Love and Death of Robin Hood
In every story there should be a place for love, even if it is a legend about a robber and a scoundrel. Initially, the slogan of Robin Hood and his associates was not "rob and kill everyone", but only evil and wealthy citizens who made capital through theft. This did not concern women - they were in no way abused or humiliated by the gang. Once, during the next "raid", Robin met Marion - a noble and immaculate girl - and immediately fell in love with her. For a long time posing as a count, Robin Hood sought her location. Their feelings were mutual, but soon the hero had to return to Sherwood to his friends. Saddened by separation, Marion changed into a man's dress and went to look for her lover. By chance, the couple met on a forest road, where Robin mistook her for a rich traveler in the dark and decided to rob her. Marion also did not recognize her betrothed in the robber and began to famously defend herself. Robin Hood was pleasantly surprised by such an active attack and offered to make peace. Soon the misunderstanding was cleared up, and they lived happily in the forest.
The exploits of Robin Hood and his robbers continued to shock the kingdom for some time, but after a few years, as the ballads say, the energetic and cheerful hero felt unwell. He was no longer able to fight, his hands were weakened. Since at that time there was no medicine yet, he decided to seek help from the Kirklei Monastery, whose inhabitants were famous for the art of “opening blood”. In the Middle Ages, this was considered almost the only and the best remedy from any serious illness.
The nuns, either from malicious intent and conspiracy, or from ordinary indiscretion, released so much blood from Robin's veins that he was barely alive. Finally realizing that he was finished, Robin blew his horn, and Little John rushed after him. With the help of a faithful friend, the heroes return to the forest, Robin Hood pulls the string for the last time and shoots a golden arrow, bequeathing to bury himself where it falls. So, according to legend, with dignity and humility, Robin passed away into another world.
After the completion of the story of Robin Hood in England, there was a May holiday in his honor for a long time, when the peasants went to the forest to collect fresh green branches. This custom testifies that in the popular mind Robin Hood united with the pagan forest deity.
Since childhood, Robin Hood has been and remains a hero for many (eng. Robin Hood (and not “good” - “good”; “hood” - “hood”, it makes sense to “hide (cover with a hood)”, “robin” can be translated as "robin") - the noble leader of the forest robbers from medieval English folk ballads, according to them, Robin Hood acted with his gang in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham - robbed the rich, giving the spoils to the poor.
The legend of the noble robber has been living for more than six centuries, and the identity of the prototype of these ballads and legends has not been established.
In the 1377 edition of William Langland's Plowman Pierce, there is a reference to "poems about Robin Hood". Langland's contemporary Geoffrey Chaucer, in Troilus and Crisade, mentions "a hazel thicket where the merry Robin walked." Moreover, in The Tale of Gamelin, which was included by Chaucer in " The Canterbury Tales”, a robber hero is also depicted.
Several real historical figures have been identified, which could serve as a prototype the legendary Robin. In the census registers for 1228 and 1230, the name of Robert Hood, nicknamed Brownie, is mentioned, about which it is said that he was a fugitive from justice. Around the same time, a popular movement arose under the leadership of Sir Robert Twing - the rebels raided the monasteries, and the looted grain was distributed to the poor. However, the name Robert Hood was quite common, so scientists are more inclined to believe that the prototype of Robin Hood was a certain Robert Fitzug, a contender for the title of Earl of Huntingdon, who was born around 1160 and died in 1247. In some reference books, these years even appear as the dates of the life of Robin Hood, although written sources of that time contain no mention of a rebellious aristocrat named Robert Fitzug.
Who was king in the days of Robin Hood? Dating historical events is further complicated by the fact that various options legends mention various English monarchs. One of the first historians to deal with this problem, Sir Walter Bower, believed that Robin Hood was a participant in the 1265 uprising against King Henry III, which was led by a royal relative, Simon de Montfort. After the defeat of Montfort, many of the rebels did not disarm and continued to live like the hero of the ballads Robin Hood. “At this time,” Bower wrote, “the famous robber Robin Hood ... began to use great influence among those who were disinherited and outlawed for their part in the uprising.” The main contradiction of Bower's hypothesis is that the longbow mentioned in the Robin Hood ballads had not yet been invented at the time of de Montfort's rebellion.
A 1322 document mentions a "Robin Hood stone" in Yorkshire. It follows from this that the ballads, and perhaps the owner of the legendary name himself, were already well known by this time. Those inclined to look for traces of a genuine Robin Hood in the 1320s usually suggest the role of the noble robber Robert Hood, a tenant from Wakefield who in 1322 participated in the rebellion led by the Earl of Lancaster. In support of the hypothesis, information is given that in the following year King Edward II visited Nottingham and took into his service as a valet a certain Robert Hood, who was paid a salary for the next 12 months.
If we take the mention of King Edward II as a starting point, then it turns out that the hero-robber performed his exploits in the first quarter of the 14th century. However, according to other versions, he appears on the historical stage as a brave warrior of King Richard I the Lionheart, whose reign fell on last decade XII century - it is this version in the artistic presentation of Walter Scott that is currently most popular. Since 1819, Walter Scott used the image of Robin Hood as the prototype for one of the characters in the novel "Ivanhoe", noble robber continues to be popular hero children's books, film and television.
In one of the most complete collections In the English ballads published by Francis Child in the 19th century, there are 40 works about Robin Hood, and in the 14th century, there were only four:
In the first novel Robin lends money and his trusty squire Little John to an impoverished knight in order to get revenge on the greedy abbot.
In the second- cunningly forces the hated sheriff from Nottingham to dine with him venison, which the robbers got in the patrimony of the law enforcement officer - Sherwood Forest.
In the third- Robin recognizes King Edward in disguise, who arrives incognito in Nottingham to investigate violations of the law by local rulers, and enters his service.
artist Daniel Content Published by Rand McNally & Co ~ 1928
artist Frank Godwin (1889 ~ 1959) Published by Garden City Publiching Co ~ 1932
In the fourth- the final part of the ballad, published in 1495, tells of Robin's return to robbery and the betrayal of the abbess of Kirkleyskogo abbey, who brings him to death by bloodletting when he comes to her monastery for treatment.
artist N. C. Wyeth Published by David McKay ~ 1917
In the early ballads, there is no mention of the maiden Marianne, Robin's lover. She first appears in the later versions of the legend, which arose at the end of the 15th century.
artist Frank Godwin (1889 ~ 1959) Published by Garden City Publiching Co ~ 1932:
artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923
The giant, nicknamed Little John, is already present in the band of robbers in the original versions of the legend,
artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923
artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923
And brother Tak (a wandering monk, a jolly fat man) appears in a much later version. Yes, and Robin himself from a yeoman (a free peasant) eventually reincarnated into a noble exile.
artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923
The association of Robin Hood with Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, is also known - a forest spirit in the folklore of the Frisians, Saxons and Scandinavians.
artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923
Now most researchers agree that Robin Hood is a "pure creature folk muse". And, according to M. Gorky, "... the poetic feeling of the people made a hero out of a simple, perhaps robber, a hero almost equal to a saint" (preface to the collection "The Ballads of Robin Hood", Pg. 1919, p. 12).
artist Frank Godwin (1889 ~ 1959) Published by Garden City Publiching Co ~ 1932
BALLAD OF ROBIN HOOD
(translated by I. Ivanovsky)
ABOUT brave guy there will be a speech
His name was Robin Hood.
No wonder the memory of a daredevil
The people are protected.
artist N. C. Wyeth Published by David McKay ~ 1917
He hasn't shaved his beard yet.
And there was a shooter
And the heaviest bearded man
Couldn't compete with him.
But his house was burned by enemies,
And Robin Hood is gone
With a gang of valiant shooters
Gone to Sherwood Forest.
artist N. C. Wyeth Published by David McKay ~ 1917
artist Frank Godwin (1889 ~ 1959) Published by Garden City Publiching Co ~ 1932
Anyone shot without a miss,
Jokingly wielded a sword;
Two to attack six
They didn't care.
artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923
There was a blacksmith, Little John -
Big man from big man,
Three healthy fellows
He carried it!
