Robin Hood

Maid Marion and the Merry Men

Over time many ballads and tales emerged about the character of Robin Hood but none of them give a single, unified description of the man at the centre of the stories, nor what he actually did.

Some of these ballads link Robin to the historical figure of Robert Hood of Wakefield, who - as Robyn Hod - may have ended up working for Edward II after the Lancastrian revolt of 1322. Other tales say Robin Hood was actually Robin of Loxley, a nobleman from Yorkshire who was robbed of his land. The 1991 film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, relies heavily on this as well as Robin’s relationship with Maid Marion and his Merry Men.

These characters came from the ballads written in the 15th Century. Along with Little John, we are introduced to Will Scarlet, Much the Miller’s Son, Friar Tuck and Maid Marion. During this time Robin Hood became associated with May Day celebrations and it is from these festivities that we are told for the first time of how Robin Hood stole from the rich to give to the poor.

The 16th Century saw the point when the legend of Robin Hood was actually given a historical setting - the 1190s, when King Richard the Lionheart was away fighting in the crusades - and moved away from a tale of a band of men to a more chivalrous and romantic adventure, defending honour and one’s country, no doubt reflecting the mood of the times.

In the last two hundred years or so the tales have developed further, including the pitiful character of Prince John, who ruled over England while Richard was absent, and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. The Victorian era even made Robin a national figure, a Saxon leading his fellow men against the Norman invaders. This idea was used as the plot of the celebrated 1938 Errol Flynn film The Adventures of Robin Hood.