Who is Robin Hood; Was he really a living person?

Robin Hood is probably one of the best-known characters in British culture. Today, he is often portrayed as an outlaw dressed in Lincoln green, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Hood is now described as more than just an ordinary character, a skilled fighter, especially with arrows. The legend of Robin Hood dates back to the middle ages and flourishes to the present day. As the stories change, so does Robin Hood's character.

Robin Stories

The first appearance of Robin Hood can be observed in Willian Langland's poem The Vision of Piers Plowman in 1337. In this poem, one of the characters, preacher Sloth, says, "I cannot recite the prayers that Jesus taught me like a priest, but I can tell the stories of Robin Hood and Randolf, Earl of Rochester." This shows us that Robin Hood stories circulate like songs and are perhaps among the most famous stories in contemporary taverns. It also indicates that Robin Hood was a folk hero, although he was probably not known to members of the wealthy class. In addition, it was also pointed out that the popularity of the outlaw legends like Robin Hood among the people was an indication of the ruthlessness of the rulers of the time and that they did not provide good governance to the people.

Examples in Ancient Literature

Yet the main texts about Robin Hood date back to the 15th century. For example, one of these texts, The Lyttle Geste of Robyn Hode, is thought to have been composed in the 1400s and was written in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Contrary to popular belief that Robin Hood stole from the rich to give to the poor, this story does not mention any money that Robin Hood gives back to those in need.

Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depicted as being of noble birth, and in modern retellings he is sometimes depicted as having fought in the Crusades before returning to England to find his lands taken by the Sheriff. In the oldest known versions, he is instead a member of the yeoman class. Traditionally depicted dressed in Lincoln green, he is said to have robbed from the rich and given to the poor.

The legendary outlaw figure gained popularity in the 19th century, although the stories and heroic deeds of Robin Hood continued to be told in later centuries. Writers such as Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Love Peacock, and Pierce Egan have mentioned Robin Hood in their work. For example; While Egan's series of Robin Hood stories was published in 1840 under the titles Robin Hood and Little John or The Delightful Men of Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood is one of the characters in Scott's famous work Ivanhoe. The increasing interest in Robin Hood during this period peaked in Howard Pyle's work towards the end of the century.

A Folk Hero Is Born

By the time Pyle's novel The Joyous Adventures of Robin Hood, published in 1883, Robin Hood had already become the true noble hero we are familiar with today. Moreover, in order to increase their positive characteristics, their enemies were turned into infamous characters. Pyle's story of Robin Hood's struggle against the injustices of the rulers was especially popular among the youth. Although we think the classic Robin Hood character emerged at the end of the 19th century, the development of this folk hero has not stopped. More advanced figures of Robin Hood can be seen in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Legend Continues

Robin Hood has been and continues to be a hugely popular character on television and in movies. Walt Disney's 1973 movie Robin Hood is an example of a modern media adaptation of Robin Hood. In this animated film, the heroes of the folktale are depicted as human-like animals with related characteristics. For example, King Richard and his brother Prince John are depicted as the lion seen as the king of the animal empire, while Robin Hood is shown as the fox known for his cunning. Another example is Robin Hood's appearance in the famous British science fiction series Doctor Who. In The Sherwood Robot episode, the doctor and his friend travel to 1190 England, where they encounter Robin Hood, although the doctor denies that he is a real person throughout the episode.