In the many ballads of old England, he was a hero, that the poor and oppressed in England sung of. He fought against the evil Prince John, and his tax collectors. Taxes they were forced to pay, until they had nothing more to give.
But is it fact or Legend?
The ballads say that King Richard Plantagenet was a good King. Giving him a noble title of Richard The Lion Hearted. Yet he was away more years from England then on her beloved soil. He became obsessed with fighting his Holy wars, and less concerned with helping his own people. Heavy taxes were laid throughout England. To support his battles in the crusades, and later to pay for a heavy ransom when he was captured by Leopold V, duke of Austria. He was fatally wounded by an arrow in an insignificant skirmish away from England, in 1199.
The Ballads depict Prince (later King) John Lackland of being a bad king. Yet as the King of England, on the south bank of the Thames on the plains of Runneymede. On June 15th, 1215. When the nobility rose up against him, he signed the Magna Carter.
The basis of all Democracy, that is still upholded today!
During a campaign, he died in battle, at Newark; in Nottinghamshire on October 19, 1216
So was there really a Robin Hood??
Robin Hood ballads
are usually found between the years of 1100 and the 1400s.
Sherwood Forest is claimed to have been his
home. The early stories sing of him being a highway robber, staying one
step ahead of the Evil Sheriff of Notingham.
The more romantic tales to appear later. Portray
him as a man wrongfully having his noble title taken away from him. His
father brutally murdered while away at the crusades.
Many Ballads were written and sung of the
outlaw, Robin Hood. They depicted a man of great courage and generosity.
He was said to have an unrivaled skill in archery. To the point of being
mystical. He never turned away from a battle. He stole from his enemies,
the nobleman.
Yet he aided the poor, and protected the women
and children.
Robin has had many names throughout the years.
Robyn Hode
The Hooded Man
The Sherwood Outlaw
Robin, From a spirit
of the Forest known as Puck or Robin Goodfellow,
(Puck from the play a Midsummers
Night Dream by William Shakespeare)
Robert of Locksley
Wolfshead
Robert Fitzsooth The Earle of Huntington
The Earl of Locksley
The Trickster
Robins Merry Men
Robin's noble
cause was said to be joined by men as stout of heart as he.
John Little, Little John.
Was a giant of
a man. Said to be over Seven feet tall. He was depicted to be a feared
and violent man. In the most famous ballad, they sing of him meeting Robin
Hood on a bridge. Robin fought against the giant man, and won that battle,
winning the devotion of John Little. Robin came to depend on him as his
Lieutenant for his battle against the Prince. Little John soon came to
be Robin's closest friend.
Friar Tuck
A holy man, that
gave up his life at the monastery. To help Robin in his noble fight. The
most memorable story of Tuck is his first encounter with Robin. Robin soon
found that the Good Friar proved to be good with his fighting skills, as
well as his devotion to god.
Will Scarlet, William Scatlocke,
William Stutely, William Scathelock
He has also been
confused with Alan A. Dale. Some ballads depict him being a dandy, dressed
in bright Scarlet red clothing. Yet others say he was a rouge and a thief.
I think the latter can be said for most of Robin's men. They needed a skill that thieves possessed, to stay one step ahead of the Princes guards.
The Lady Marion, Maid Marian
Robin Hood.
How did Robin die?
The Ballads say
that he took refuge at the Kirkless monastery, thinking he was safe. Unaware
that the Prioress, whom some say was his sister. Was poisoning him, or
as some of the ballads sing, he was being bled to death.
When he knew he was dying. As he lay on his
death bed, he asked Little John to fetch his bow and arrow. Letting out
a shot, it flew out the window. Where it landed, he was to be buried.
The Hardest evidence of whether Robin Hood lived. Are the three graves found in England.
Robin Hood |
Little John |
Will Scarlet |
This
is a sign posted in front of a church. Was this made, for the tourists?
Or were Robin and Marian truly married here?
I myself believe that Robin Hood existed. He was an ordinary man, that fought for what he believed in. Throughout the ages, many men found themselves in this situation. This was such a man, that the people, in thanks. Made him a Legend, that will live on in the centuries to come. Robin Hood has become known as a man that aided the poor. Fought against the rich, and banded a group of men to fight for his cause. He was an extraordinary man, who would have humbly denied being anything special. He was just fighting for something he deeply believed in.
Robin Hood
will always be mine, as well as many generations to come-
Hero.
