ENGELSK-TEMA: HEROES-ROBIN HOOD

Robin Hood - Facts/Trivia

Interesting information about the Legend of Robin Hood- a famous
character of the Medieval era of the Middle Ages

 Was Robin Hood a real person? No. Robin Hood is a fictional figure who may have been loosely based on a real person or persons.

• Legendary Country of Origin / Nationality: English
• Also Known as: Robin of Sherwood, Robin of Loxley
• Lifetime: The Life of Robin Hood was set in the era when King Richard the Lionheart went to the crusades leaving his brother John as Regent
• The theme of Robin Hood is the Normans conquest of the indigenous English population
• The Legend of Robin Hood bears many similarities to the English hero Hereward the Wake who led a rebellion against William the Conqueror and the Normans
• Hereward the Wake was seen as an English hero and as a symbol of resistance to oppression. It is therefore not surprising that some of the legends about Hereward the Wake were later incorporated into the legend of Robin Hood
• Summary of the story and legend of Robin Hood:
• Robin Hood was a member of the Saxon nobility called Robin of Loxley
• He fought at the crusades
• On his return to England his lands had been taken by the Normans
• Prince John, who ruled in the absence of Richard the Lionheart, was imposing high taxes on the English population
• England was ruled by the Norman Conquerors
• The main enemy of Robin Hood was the Sheriff of Nottingham
• The Sheriff of Nottingham had the charge of a Norman heiress called Maid Marian
• Robin Hood objected to the high taxes and was declared an outlaw
• Robin Hood the legend of Sherwood - He hides from the Normans as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest wearing clothes of Lincoln green
• Many other oppressed Englishmen joined his band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest
• The 'Merry Men' led by Robin Hood consist of a variety of colorful characters including Friar Tuck, Much the Miller's son, Alan a Dale and Little John
• Their motto is "To rob the rich to pay the poor"
• Robin Hood falls in love with Maid Marian and shows her how badly the Normans treat the Saxon English
• The legend of Robin Hood describes his adventures. His capture by the Sheriff of Nottingham and his escape
• Robin Hood and Maid Marian are married in Sherwood Forest by Friar Tuck
• Robin Hood accosts some knights returning from the crusade. He releases the knights when they tell him they are supporters of King Richard the Lionheart
• One of the knights is King Richard the Lionheart in disguise
• Robin Hood and the outlaws are pardoned by King Richard
• King Richard the Lionheart exiles Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham and rights the wrongs of his fellow Normans

Historical setting/Background:

The medieval Normans were Norsemen who originally settled in northern coastal France. William of Normandy became king of England on winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066. A leader in the Saxon uprisings that followed was Hereward, said to have made his base on the Isle of Ely, surrounded by treacherous marshes. Saxon resentment of the Norman aristocracy was behind the legend of Robin Hood, a Saxon outlaw said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. (Many Robin Hood tales are set during the reigns of Richard the Lionheart and/or King John)

Robin -The Hooded Man 
Is a legendary person whom people have told stories about for many years. Robin Hood is one who still remains popular. His story has been featured in books, plays, movies and cartoons as well.The Robin Hood legends may have grown up about some actual victim of the harsh forest laws of old England. Robin Hood is said to have lived from 1160 to 1247. Some accounts state that he was created earl of Huntingdon.
Robin Hood probably was a mythical character, first introduced into England in connection with the May-Day celebrations. The earliest record of a “Robin” associated with such festivities is in the rustic plays given at Whitsuntide in France in the 13th century. The hero was called Robin des Bois (Robin of the Woods). An old English spelling of “wood” was whode, which could easily have become hode, or hood. At any rate, in the 15th century and later the May-Day celebrations in England were called “Robin Hood's Festivals.” Garlands of flowers, a Maypole, morris dances, archery contests, and bonfires were features of the celebrations. Robin Hood was king of May, and Maid Marian was his queen.
Robin Hood appears in two of Sir Walter Scott's novels—Ivanhoe and The Talisman. A popular modern version of the legends is Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. 
There have been several motion pictures based upon Robin Hood's legendary life.

Most people love Robin Hood. And that's a good thing. Just as commoners are allowed to hunt harmful wolves, anyone can hunt Robin Hood. The sheriff would pay for Robin's capture just as surely as he would pay for a wolf's head. Robin and his band are often called wolfsheads by their enemies.

Robin Hood is an outlaw. That means he lives outside the protection of the law. But Robin is a law unto himself. He's the self-styled king of the greenwood -- either Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire or Barnsdale in Yorkshire.

Robin is no common criminal. As the famous saying goes, he robs from the rich and gives to the poor. The poor have little to fear from Robin Hood. His enemies are the rich and corrupt, especially the Sheriff of Nottingham and the bad apples in the Church.

Robin defends the underdog against oppression.

Sometimes he fights for the Saxons. The Saxons are better known as the English, and for a time they lived under the cruel domination of the Normans, the French-speaking descendants of Vikings. In many modern stories, Robin fights for an England where Norman and Saxon can live together in peace.

Although Robin is an outlaw, a thief and a rebel, he is usually a strong supporter of the rightful king, especially when that king is Richard the Lionheart. 

Robin will fight Richard's corrupt brother, the usurper Prince (and later King) John Lackland.

In many stories, Robin is devoted to the Virgin Mary. But in some versions, he is the "son" of the pagan forest god Herne the Hunter. And others say he's one of the "Fair Folk" or the "Little People", the magical inhabitants of Britain.

But surely Robin's strongest allegiance is to his band of Merry Men -- Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, Much the Miller's Son, Alan a Dale and above all Maid Marian, his true love. 

Robin Hood is a champion archer. Once, he snuck into a Nottingham archery tournament. The prize for winning the contest was an arrow with a silver shaft and golden head and feathers. It was a tough contest. Some people say Robin's leading opponent shot an arrow into centre of the target. It seemed impossible to beat that shot.  But bold Robin Hood took aim and shot an arrow with such uncanny precision that it split his opponent's arrow in two. Thus, Robin won the tournament and the gold and silver arrow. Some tales say Robin can split a mere branch from over 300 yards away.

But who was Robin Hood before he became an outlaw?

In the earliest tales, Robin Hood's name is Robin Hood. But many stories say he was born in AD 1160 in the village of Locksley or Loxley, which is sometimes in Yorkshire (as it is in the real world) and other times in Nottinghamshire. So, Robin is often called Robin of Locksley. 

The earliest stories say he is a yeoman, a member of the rising middle class. In the medieval ballads, no explanation is given for why he is an outlaw.

Many movies end King Richard pardoning Robin Hood. But in the ballad version of this tale, Robin grows bored with service to the king (called King Edward in an early ballad) and heads back to the forest to live as an outlaw for another 22 years.

In the ballads, Robin Hood and Marian do not have children. But there are a few modern books, comic books and movies with tales of Robin's daughter or son. (In the 2001 TV movie Princess of Thieves, Robin's daughter is named Gwyn.)

Some stories say that Robin managed to shoot one last arrow and the dying outlaw told Little John to bury him where it landed. And near Kirklees is a grave that was said to belong to Robin Hood.  (Taken from: http://www.boldoutlaw.com/robbeg/robbeg2.html#top)






LINKS:
1066-Battle of Hastings : http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/bt.html

1066-Battle of MiddleEarth (Short movie) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnC6l6_TaMA&spfreload=10

Who were they - the Anglo-Saxons & the Normans? : http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/anglo_saxons/

Almost everything about Robin Hood: http://www.boldoutlaw.com/robbeg/robbeg2.html#top

Article on Robin Hood - Myth or Fact? : http://linguapress.com/intermediate/robin-hood.htm

Robin Hood Quiz: http://www.quizfactor.com/quiz/robin-hood/96

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4870000/newsid_4872500/4872532.stm

Robin Hood & the riddles of Sherwood Forest: http://www.crsi.pt/site_1314/teatro_avalon/RobinHood_SG.pdf