Every gentleman knows that if sherwood forest is crossed without a strong armed guard, she is in danger of coming out poorer than she came in. And it is that, in the thickness of those trees, lives and stalks a dangerous band of outlaws led by the rogue Robin Hood, the one who steals from the rich to give it to the poor and drives the Sheriff of Nottingham crazy. Is the song familiar to anyone? It is understandable considering that Robin Hood is one of the most well-known, widespread and reinterpreted popular characters in history. A timeless bandit.
Many of those who know their history will end up falling into the big question that always arises with these characters: did Robin Hood really exist? Despite the many attempts to find a real historical equivalent, everything seems to indicate that Robin Hood is a fictional character who has made a name for himself and defined himself over the centuries and through different sources.
What came first, the outlaw or the legend?
Yes, there is evidence of outlaws and thieves who acted in the north of England and who are usually identified with the legendary man of the woods, as is the case of Robert Hod (a supposed bandit from York who is mentioned in a document from 1225). It is believed that the name of Robin Hood may derive from this subject or from the term robehod, which was applied to criminals at the time, although it could also be the other way around and indicate that the legend of Robin Hood was known from before what is believed and that the term comes from the name. Although the most popular ballads and stories of Robin Hood extend throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries (Robin Hood and the monk or Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne) the first literary references to this character date back to the fourteenth century, a very significant for the political and social moment that was lived in England.
The bandit Robert Hood and the struggle against power
The early days of the Late Middle Ages in England (and in many other parts of Europe) challenged the feudal system due to the abusive claims of the nobility and the poor conditions to which they subjected the peasants of the glebe. The authorities, both civil and ecclesiastical, sustained their economy and lifestyle on the work of serfs in a situation of quasi-slavery who were subjected to taxes. Laws such as those limiting hunting in the forests of northern England, which were owned by the nobility, were highly unpopular and eventually led to peasant uprisings such as the one led by Wat Tyler in 1381.
In this situation appears Robin Hood, a man skilled with a sword and bow who lives free in the forest and hunts whatever he wants, who not only is not subjected to the unjust laws of the powerful but confronts them and kills without regard to Share your wealth with those most in need. Robin Hood and his “joyful comrades” (merry men) embodied the dreams of any peasant who felt tired of his lords and yearned for a new, freer and fairer life; becoming a true anti-system erected as a champion of the popular classes and the oppressed. With this image it is understandable the success and diffusion that this character had among the English people since he was the voice of social discontent. In this first version of the outlaw, more given to violence, we already find characters like Little John or Will Scarlet at his side.
New times, same heroes
The figure of Robin Hood withstood the passage of time and gave rise to numerous texts, ballads and plays (including one by William Shakespeare) in the 16th century and, although it maintained its essence, it changed and softened certain aspects. Gun violence lost some weight in the story, Robin’s loyalty to King Richard I or his lost status as a nobleman was established, and characters like Friar Tuck and Lady Marian appeared, characters who offered a more humane look at the outlaw and who They served to reduce that rancor against the nobility and the clergy of its first versions. They would be joined by the Sheriff of Nottingham, his main enemy, and the troubadour Alan-a-Dale.
This more jovial image was also influenced by the fact that the character of Robin Hood became part of the celebrations at the beginning of May (May Day), in which athletic events such as archery competitions were carried out and people dressed up as the outlaw of Sherwood. The introduction of the character of Robin Hood in Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe (1820) marked a new rebirth for the character, as well as the origin of many of the modern studies that sought to determine whether or not Robin Hood really existed.
Since then, the bandit who steals from the rich to give to the poor has remained a cultural icon and one of the most popular characters in fiction. The iMDB film website collects 79 films, series or appearances of Robin Hood on the screen, but especially remembered are those played by Douglas Fairbanks (1922), Erroll Flynn (1938), Richard Todd (1952), Sean Connery (1976), Kevin Costner (1991) or Cary Elwes (1993). Nor can we forget the cunning and likeable version of Disney (1973), the cameo he makes in Shrek (2001) or the obvious influence he had on the DC Comics character Green Arrow.