Robin Hoodie?

Robin Hood. Was he the hero of the common man, robbing from the rich to give to the poor... or should we think of him as some latter day ‘hoodie’, in search of adventure with a thrill seeking gang of green clad tearaways??

Now I do not want to cast doubt on the existence of this 14th Century outlaw.  I spent most of my early childhood with a homemade bow, arrow and quarterstaff, acting out Robin’s daring battles and taking frequent delight in causing injury to my brother – who adopted the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham every time.  I would never, for one moment, doubt his existence! No, today I would like to ponder on the morals of his forest existence and question the romantic image of this hero of legend and cinema screen.

Let me set the scene – Robin was forced to take refuge in Sherwood Forest after his father, the Earl of Huntingdon fell out with King John. It was here, as we all know, under the folds of the Major Oak where he spent his days fashioning little green hats out of felt and sharpening his arrows…what a retirement!

Over the course of his banishment, he fought many battles with the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchman, Sir Guy of Gisbourne. Eventually, he was restored to his rightful position in society by King Richard the Lionheart on his return from the Crusades.

Back in medieval times, there was no one keeping Wikipedia up to date with the chronicles of our hero. History sometimes had to rely on folksongs and there were many ballads that catalogued his deeds of daring-do. It is these that give us pointers that he wasn’t quite the clean living character as portrayed by Errol Flynn! And let’s face it – we all suspected this really. What thuggish outlaw could possible manage to live in the forest in a bright green suit and  manage to keep it so clean!

The ballads point to a figure for whom the hunt and adventure were all. His generosity to the poor and downtrodden peasants was merely a  front - a happy end product as the Green Gang smashed and grabbed their way throughout Nottinghamshire and beyond!

Take Will Scarlet  - there are some fascinating facts about him! Take his name for instance - 'Will Scarlet'  - quite an odd name don’t you think? In the earliest texts, he is called 'Scathelock' or 'Scathlock', which means 'lock smasher'. Quite clearly, he was a breaking-and-entering merchant? Another adventure lover, he certainly wasn’t going to be content with robbing a few abbots and fashioning felt hats!

Then there is Little John. We all know Little John as the giant who joins the Merry Men after fighting Robin on a bridge. But in the early stories, there is no fight and John plays a much more central role. It is actually Little John who starts the whole feud with the Sheriff of Nottingham. This could possibly be because Little John’s brother was given his land and then became Sheriff himself. Could this have been the basis of the feud between the men of the greenwood and the wicked sheriff? Could the role of Robin and John be that of gang leader and chief henchman perhaps!Then there is Friar Tuck. A less charitable abbot you could not wish to meet if we look at the ballad tales. He seems to have joined Robin’s band in the hope of a permanent free meal – I couldn’t imagine him giving his last crust to some starving peasant!

Finally, Maid Marian. She is a late addition in the Robin Hood stories and it has been suggested that Marian was introduced into the storybooks for a bit of romantic interest – you know how a bit of ‘love interest’ sells books and just like the publishers of today, the balled writers wanted to peddle their songs to the townsfolk as they toured the villagers.

So, I sit before you today to sadly shatter your illusions of the hero of Sherwood Forest…Robin Hood, hero or hoodie? Released from the confines of his role as dutiful son, he enjoyed his time as rule-breaker, tree climber and adventure seeker…but we love him just the same!!!

by Hannah Rogers

To top