Perhaps no one will argue with the statement that the most famous robber in the world is Robin Hood. In our minds, this hero is purely positive, he is an ardent supporter of the poor and deceived, always ready to restore justice. With the help of his dexterity, cunning, and resourcefulness, he avoided death many times, although many of the rich Englishmen wanted to catch him and send him to the gallows. This article looks at who wrote Robin Hood and why writers often make the outlaw and his friends the main characters in their stories. Let's try to find the right answers to these questions together.

Robin Hood. Book. Author

Those who write about Robin Hood are legion, because the image of this hero attracts people with terrible force, just as adventures attract adventurers. Why do these writers make him the hero of their novels? The answer, apparently, can be given as follows: Robin Hood is an established, very popular character, his traits and character are known to everyone, which means that the writer’s work is simplified and he does not need to bother himself with drawing the image. This greatly simplifies the process of creating a work. It is also not necessary to really rack your brains when coming up with enemies and friends of the main character. The first are the rich, the second are the poor.

Did he exist

If you ask the question of who wrote “Robin Hood,” you must first understand what kind of hero he was, whether he really existed. English historians have long been dealing with the problem of identifying Robin Hood. They pick up documents, study folklore, court records of those distant times. So far, work in this direction has not yielded results, and the man from whom the image of Robin Hood was based at the moment still not discovered. Today, scientists already agree that Hood is still a literary figure, although he has absorbed the features of many real people - from criminals to righteous people. By the way, Robin Hood is a rather vague and versatile image, although the main definitions and behavioral motives of the hero almost always remained the same (nobility and helping the disadvantaged, the fight against dishonest rich people, and so on), commoners and writers still changed it in accordance with the era, in which they lived. Robin Hood of the 20th century has little in common with Robin Hood of the 19th century, much less the 18th or 17th century.

Original source

If you ask an Englishman who wrote Robin Hood, he will most likely answer that it was Howard Pyle. The writer published the book “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood” in 1883. When working on the work, he took as a basis the legends and ballads about this noble robber and his team of associates. which is designated as the abode of bandits in all his stories of Robin Hood, in Pyle's mind it is a charming and bright place. Here Robin and his friends feel at ease and liberated, which is why the reader feels the same way when opening the book and plunging into the world of this famous hero. Pyle's book is not easy to read, as it is written in a somewhat archaic manner, but it is the basis for the creation of new works and films about Robin Hood.

Robin Hood is a book whose author is always less famous than his hero. For example, Roger Lancelyn Green, who published the book “The Adventures of Robin Hood” in 1956. This brainchild is an improved version of Pyle's work; a love line already appears here along with the heroine Marion - the chosen one of our brave hero.

Good is not the first

In general, it is difficult for writers not to be tempted to create their own story about the outlaws of Sherwood Forest. And it is not at all necessary that the main character should be Robin; he is often pushed into the background, and other, albeit familiar, faces are chosen ahead. Michael Cadnam, for example, cannot be counted among those authors who wrote “Robin Hood,” since he made his hero the “thunderstorm of the rich,” and his faithful assistant was Little John in the book “Forbidden Forest.” In another work, the same writer again left Good out of work, proposing to look at the world through the eyes of Geoffrey, the sheriff who opposes him. So this author can be included in the list of selected, extraordinary writers - those who wrote the book "Robin Hood and the Sheriff", in which the latter plays the main role, and the former plays a supporting character. Apparently, the writer decided that the readers' attitude towards Robin would change if they looked at him from the side of his main opponent, the antipode. Representatives of the fair sex act no less impressively towards Robin, who can also rightfully be included in the list of those who wrote “Robin Hood”. The author of The Forestwife series, Teresa Tomlinson, for example, brings Marion to the fore. If you look at Robin Hood from the point of view of this writer, you come to the understanding that he was formed as a hero only thanks to positive influence to your beloved.

Hood and the world of fantasy

Some of those who wrote Robin Hood allow themselves to throw the hero back in time. Here in Park Godwin's book "Sherwood" Robin fights the sheriff in the era of William the Red. There are also those who are interested not in Robin himself, but in his descendants. Writer Nancy Springer introduces readers to a brave girl - his daughter (in the book “Rowan Hood”).

And the science fiction genre could not do without the participation of Robin Hood. In the book “The Sherwood Game,” written by Esther Friesner, programmer Karl Fischner somehow managed to turn the game into reality, and his virtual Robin Hood suddenly comes to life.

Jane Yolen, who created the “Sherwood” series, consisting of nine books, worked very fruitfully on the image of the hero. In one of her stories, the author sent the spirit of Robin Hood into the web of the Internet, where he, with the dexterity of a spider, began to lay his hands on the world's riches.

Is Robin Hood noble?

The earliest Robin Hood was not seen transferring stolen money specifically to the poor. This hero took wealth from the wicked, but gave it not to the poor, but to those who were near and dear to him. The first legends about Robin Hood say that he almost always acted quite simply when robbing: he invited the traveler to a meal, for which he demanded payment in return. And the one who accepted the offer to have dinner or dinner had to lay out everything that was in his pockets. However, one should not condemn Goode - after all, he later corrected himself and transformed into a real hero, selfless, noble, giving all of himself to help the poor. This is why we love him, and therefore we are always happy to see him on television or read the new adventures of Robin Hood - a robber with the heart of a knight. It doesn't matter who wrote the book. Robin Hood will always be remembered, but what about the authors of works about him?

“He hadn’t yet shaved his beard, but he was already a shooter...”

Once upon a time, in good old England, in the green Sherwood Forest, there lived a noble robber named Robin Hood... This, or something like this, begins each of the stories about Robin Hood. And every year these stories become more and more numerous, they are invented and told by everyone who is not too lazy. The English bards with their simple ballads were replaced first by novelists led by Walter Scott and Alexandre Dumas, and then, with the development of technology, by screenwriters of films, television series and cartoons. And what is characteristic: each of these storytellers invariably came up with their own Robin Hood, who cannot be confused with the others. As a result of such collective creativity, the legend of Robin acquired new details and became incredibly complex and confusing, even contradictory.

Historians could not help but be interested in the personality of Robin Hood. With the words “now we will definitely find out who this Robin Hood was,” they put forward several mutually exclusive versions about the true Robin. The Sherwood Bandit has finally become a character about whom everyone can think whatever they want. And then there are the creators computer games made their contribution. Moreover, they thought not so much about following the letter of the legend (in one version or another), but about game balance, fun and other things that had nothing to do with Robin Hood himself. As a result, several more new Robins were born.

Now the legend of Robin Hood is a legend without a hero. That is, everyone, of course, knows who Robin Hood is, but everyone has at least a little bit of their own Robin. This, perhaps, is what makes his image so attractive, because the absence of a clear canon opens up enormous possibilities for the imagination. The legend of Robin is never boring because it changes all the time.

But behind the beautiful legend, most likely, there was quite real person. Researchers have not yet come to a final conclusion about whether the legendary robber actually existed. But there is a lot of indirect evidence confirming that there is a fair amount of truth in the legend of Robin Hood.

Place and time of action

This is what the legendary Bishop's Oak looks like now.

All versions of the legend agree on one thing: the gang Robin Hood acted in Sherwood forest, located on the county border Nottinghamshire And Yorkshire. Yorkshiremen, by the way, still consider Robin Hood their fellow countryman and are offended by the residents Nottingham who appropriated the great robber to themselves.

The name Sherwood comes from "shire wood", which means "county forest". In the Middle Ages, Sherwood Forest covered an area of ​​about 25 square miles and was a nature reserve in which only the king could hunt. Of course local residents They didn’t give a damn about prohibitions and regularly supplemented their meager diet with fresh venison from Sherwood. The authorities, in turn, brutally punished the caught poachers.

Through Sherwood and its neighboring Barnsdale passed through the forest Great Northern Route, laid by the Romans and connecting the capital of northern England York with the southern counties. This was one of the most important roads in the country, and traffic along it was always very busy. It is not surprising that the road was literally swarming with robbers. In general, highway robbery was one of the calling cards of England in the Middle Ages; the authorities were able to finally deal with it only by the beginning of the 19th century.

Sherwood Forest still exists today. It is a small nature reserve, measuring just 4 square kilometres, in the northern part of the sprawling city of Nottingham. Every summer it hosts the Robin Hood Festival. The main attraction of modern Sherwood is an ancient oak tree, around which the bishop caught by Robin is believed to have danced a jig. That's what the oak is called - Episcopal.

Monument to Robin Hood in Nottingham.

This is interesting: The Bishop Oak may be up to a thousand years old. Its branches are so large and heavy that even in the 19th century. I had to install special supports for them. A project is currently underway to grow Bishop Oak clones in major cities around the world.

To what time can the events described in the legend be attributed? There is no clear answer to this question. The first written mention of the legend of Robin dates back to the end of the 14th century. Thus, there was no way he could live beyond that time.

Robin Hood is mentioned in folk ballads archery competition, which began to be carried out in England only in the 13th century. In addition, in one of the ballads there is a king named Edward. Three kings of this name reigned in England from 1272 to 1377. So, if we rely on the text of the ballads, Robin Hood lived at the end of the 13th - beginning of the 14th centuries.

However, evidence has survived that dates the activities of Robin Hood to an earlier period. In 1261, a certain William Smith was outlawed. In the text of the corresponding decree, Smith was named Robinhood. That is, even then the name Robin Hood was a household name. Historians of the XV-XVI centuries. claimed that Robin lived either in the 13th century, or even earlier, at the end of the 12th century, during the time of the king Richard I the Lionheart. WITH light hand Walter Scott's version, according to which Robin was a contemporary of Richard I and his younger brother John, became the most popular.

Hero Candidates

What's in my name?

It will die like a sad noise

Waves splashing onto the distant shore,

Like the sound of the night in a deep forest.

It's on the memorial sheet

Will leave a dead trail like

Tombstone inscription pattern

In an unknown language.

A. Pushkin

You can tell a lot about Robin Hood: he robbed the rich, helped the poor, mocked the priests and the sheriff, shot with a bow without missing... But there is only one clue that allows you to find the real Robin among many "outlaw"(outlawed robbers) who hunted in Sherwood Forest in the 12th - 14th centuries. This clue is his name.

"Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown". Robin Hood shoots money from people passing through Sherwood.

By the way, it leads to certain suspicions. It has long been noticed that the name Robin Hood (Robin the Hood) strongly resembles Robin Goodfellow(Robin the Good Guy, aka Puck). This was the name of the mischievous forest spirit from pagan legends, the leader of a gang of fairy-tale creatures. This is not the only circumstance that connects the legend of the Sherwood robber with pre-Christian tradition. For example, one of the ballads about Robin states that there are not twelve in a year (as in church calendar), and thirteen months. The holiday dedicated to Robin Hood, which was celebrated by English peasants for a long time, also had a clearly pagan character. So the legend of Robin Hood may well be a later version of a pagan legend, and one of the candidates for the legendary robbers is not a real person, but an ancient forest deity.

However, this version is not particularly popular; fortunately, in ancient documents there were plenty of references to robbers whose name was Robin or even Robin Hood. Among the many versions, three seem the most plausible.

According to the first of them, Robert Goad, aka Hood or Hod, was born in 1290 in Yorkshire. He was a servant of the Earl of Warren and lived with his wife Matilda in the village of Wakefield. In 1322 Robert entered the service of Sir Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. Soon the count led a revolt against the king Edward II, was defeated and executed, and all participants in the mutiny, including, possibly, Robert Goad, were declared outlaws.

No documents have survived indicating that the former servant of the Earl of Lancaster was engaged in robbery in Sherwood Forest. However, it is known that in 1323 Edward II visited Nottingham, and the following year a man named Robert Goad appeared among his servants, perhaps the same one who had recently participated in the rebellion. This fact goes very well with one of the ballads. It tells how King Edward visited the bandit camp at Sherwood, was warmly received by them, granted amnesty to Robin and his friends, and then accepted them into his service. This Robin Hood died in 1346.

Second candidate for Sherwood legend, Robin God of Witherby, nicknamed Brownie, lived at the beginning of the 13th century. In 1226, he fled from justice, and all his property, worth a total of 32 shillings and 6 pence, was seized by the sheriff of York. Soon this sheriff moved to the neighboring city of Nottingham. There he announced a reward for the "outlaw and villain" Robin of Witherby. As a result of “operational search activities,” Robin was caught and hanged.

However, the third version is the most popular. According to her, the true Robin Hood was someone Robert Fitz-Wuth, Earl of Huntington. He was born somewhere around 1160 and died on November 18, 1247. This Robin Hood could not see King Edward, but he speaks in his favor the only direct evidence. The point is that next to Kirklei Monastery in Yorkshire, which in all legends is called the place of death of the legendary robber, has been preserved Robin Hood's grave. A barely visible epitaph remains on the tombstone. Here is its text, recorded in 1702 by Thomas Gale: “Here, under this small stone, lies Robert, the true Earl of Huntington. There was no archer more skillful than him. And people called him Robin Hood. England will never see exiles like him and his people again.".

Robin Hood dies surrounded by his closest friends. The noble robber bequeathed to bury himself where the last arrow he fired would fall.

This is interesting: The current owner of the estate, on the territory of which Robert Fitz-Ut is buried, cannot stand the legend of the Sherwood robber and is constantly fighting with admirers of Robin Hood. Every time someone tries to look at the Earl of Huntington's grave, the owner of the estate calls the police. Local kids call him nothing less than “Sheriff of Nottingham” and regularly shoot at his house with homemade bows.

However, there are great doubts that under this stone really lies the same Robin Hood. Now the text of the epitaph can no longer be read in full, and Thomas Gale could well have made a mistake when he rewrote it. Author of two books about Robin Hood Richard Rutherford-Moore, although he believes in the authenticity of the robber’s grave, claims that he was reburied, and his old grave was located in a completely different place.

Robert Fitz-Ut was deprived of his inheritance, and in 1219 his younger brother John became the next Earl of Huntington. Perhaps this was a consequence of Count Robert's dissolute character. The modern Earls of Huntington claim to be related to Robin Hood, although in reality they have nothing to do with Robert Fitz-Wuth. The line of Yorkshire Huntingtons died out long ago, and since then the title has changed hands several times.

It is also possible that all three were the prototypes of Robin Hood from folk ballads, and different plots of the legends go back to the activities of different robbers.

Attention is a myth: Robin Hood is often called Robin of Loxley or simply Loxley. Three villages with this name lay claim to being the birthplace of the legendary robber. However, none of the possible prototypes of Robin Hood had anything to do with any of these villages.

Merry fellows from the green forest

Let there be no stake and no yard,

But they don't pay taxes to the king

Knife and ax workers -

Romantics with high road.

Yu. Entin, “Romantics from the High Road”

Robin's first meeting with Little John almost ended in self-harm.

“Don’t have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends,” says the Russian folk proverb. Robin Hood, according to legend, had well over a hundred friends. His gang alone included 140 outlawed yeomen. These people were called Merry Men, which is usually translated into Russian as "funny guys" or "funny men". But the word merry also has another meaning: “a follower and ally of a person declared outlaw.”

“Merry guys” usually act in stories about Robin as a kind of extras, but some of them are not only named, but also have the same coloring as the leader.

Little John was right hand Robin Hood. He is mentioned already in the earliest ballads, where he is portrayed as a very intelligent and talented person. Later ballads say that John was a real giant, and received the nickname Baby from his friends as a joke. He joined the gang of “merry guys” after defeating Robin Hood in a stick fight. Later, Little John saved Robin more than once and was the only person present at his death. John was a rather cruel man: he once personally killed the monk who betrayed Robin to the sheriff. Another story tells how John entered the sheriff's service, calling himself Reynold Greenleaf (and setting up a trap for the sheriff).

As with Robin Hood, there is some evidence that suggests Little John actually existed. His grave can still be seen in the village of Heathersage in Derbyshire. When this burial was opened in 1784, the skeleton of a very tall man was indeed found in it. Because this grave belonged to the Naylor family, Little John is also sometimes called John Naylor.

Along with Little John, the earliest ballads also mention Will Scarlet, or Scatlock, And Mach, the miller's son.

Little John's grave.

Will Scarlet is one of the youngest members of Robin Hood's gang. He was quick-tempered, hot-tempered, and loved to show off in beautiful clothes. He received the nickname Scarlet (i.e. “dressed in red”) because he often wore clothes made of red silk. Will fought with swords better than all the other “fun guys.” One of the ballads states that real name Scarlet Gamwell and that he was Robin Hood's nephew. Robin accepted Will into his squad after he killed a man and fled from justice in the forest. Scarlet is believed to have been buried in the churchyard at Blidworth, near Nottingham.

Much, the miller's son, is usually depicted as almost a boy, although in early ballads this name is borne by an adult and experienced person. Forest robbers saved him from hanging, to which he was sentenced for poaching. In most stories, Much turns out to be something like a “son of the regiment” with “cheerful guys”. Sometimes he is called not Mach, but Mage.

Will Stutley appears in two later ballads. He is sometimes confused with Will Scarlet. When Little John joined the "merry fellows", it was Stutley who acted as his " godfather" and named him "Baby." One day, Stutley spied on the sheriff and was caught by the guards. But the “funny guys” did not abandon their friend in trouble and rescued him from the sheriff’s dungeons.

Monk Tuk was a kind of chaplain in a detachment of forest robbers. However, he became famous not for his piety, but for his drunkenness, gluttony and ability to fight with sticks. He was expelled from the monastery for disobedience and lack of respect for his superiors. Tuck is usually portrayed as a bald and fat jovial fellow, although sometimes he demonstrates remarkable physical strength.

Robin crosses the river, sitting on Friar Tuck's back.

Tuka is usually called friar, that is, a member of a mendicant monastic order. Such orders appeared in England after the death of Richard the Lionheart. So, if Robin Hood lived during Richard's time, there could not have been a Friar in his squad.

The prototype of Monk Thuc is usually called a certain Robert Stafford, who lived at the beginning of the 15th century. This Sussex monk was indeed known as Tuck. He was the leader of a gang of forest bandits operating 200 miles from Sherwood, and later stories about his adventures became part of the legend of Robin Hood. According to another version, Monk Tuk is collective image, who combined the features of several monks who lived in Sherwood Forest.

Alan-a-Dale was a traveling minstrel. His beloved was to be given in marriage to an old knight. But the “cheerful guys” disrupted this wedding, after which one of the forest robbers, either Little John or Friar Tuck, disguised himself as a bishop and married Alan to his beloved. Alan-a-Dale appeared quite late in the Robin legend, but became a very popular character. It was Alan-a-Dale who inspired the authors of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons to create the Bard class. The village of Dale Abbey, halfway between Nottingham and Derby, lays claim to being Alan's birthplace.

Arthur Bland, like Little John, joined the gang after defeating Robin Hood in a duel. He is sometimes called Little John's cousin.

This young man in red is the wandering minstrel Alan-a-Dale.

ABOUT David from Doncaster very little is known. This “brave young man” persistently advised Robin Hood not to go to the archery competition organized by the sheriff. David felt it was a trap, and in the end he was right.

The “cheerful guys” had many friends and protectors. For example, in some versions of the legend, the king himself ends up on their side. The poor people adored Robin because he protected them from the arbitrariness of the authorities and helped them in difficult times. Knight Richard Lee once saved the “cheerful guys” from the sheriff, hiding them in his castle. Shortly before this, Robin helped Sir Richard pay off his debt to the abbot and regain his lands.

A special place in the stories about Robin Hood is occupied by his beloved, Maid Marian. Her character varies greatly from story to story. Sometimes she is portrayed as a commoner, sometimes as a noble lady, even a princess. In one version of the legend, Robin and Marian, after a long separation, do not recognize each other and begin to fight with swords.

In fact none of the Robin Hood ballads contain a character named Marian. They also say nothing about whether Robin had a lover. However, a character named Marian has no less long history than Robin Hood himself.

Initially, Maid Marian was one of the central figures at the traditional May games. Sometimes she was also called May Queen. Since these games have always been closely associated with the forest and archery, they soon began to be called Happy Robin Hood. And Marian turned into the bride of the Sherwood robber. According to another version, the name Marian came into legend from a French pastoral play. Robin and Marian first connected in the 16th century. and since then they have walked hand in hand across the pages of books and cinema screens.

Task Force from Nottingham

Our role is honorable and enviable.

The king cannot live without guards.

When we walk, the earth trembles all around.

We are always close, next to the king.

Yu. Entin, “Royal Guard”

Since the good guys in the legends of Robin Hood are all robbers, poachers and their accomplices, the guardians of law and order inevitably find themselves in the role of villains.

Most main enemy Robin Hood - Sheriff of Nottingham. He commands all sorts of guards and foresters, and is supported by the church and the feudal nobility. He has the law and chests full of gold on his side. But he can’t do anything about the brave Robin, who has not only the ability to shoot accurately with a bow, but also an extraordinary mind and the support of the broad masses...

"Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". The final showdown between Robin and the sheriff.

Sheriff in medieval England he was an official responsible for fighting crime, in fact, the head of the criminal police. This position appeared before the Norman conquest of 1066. However, it was only under the Normans that England was divided into districts, each of which had its own sheriff. These districts did not always coincide with counties. For example, the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire also had jurisdiction over the neighboring county of Derbyshire.

The sheriff is the protagonist of all the ballads about Robin Hood, but in none of them is he named. Its possible prototypes usually include William de Wendenal, Roger de Lacy And William de Bruer. In any case, there is no doubt about the reality of the existence of the Nottingham Sheriff.

In the early ballads, the sheriff was the enemy of the "merry fellows" simply because he was the sheriff and was obliged to fight bandits and poachers. However, in later legends he turns into an inveterate scoundrel. He mercilessly oppresses the poor, illegally seizes other people's lands, imposes exorbitant taxes, and generally abuses his official position in every possible way. In some stories, he also harasses Lady Marian and tries to take the throne of England.

This is interesting: Several years ago, Nottingham City Council decided to remove Robin Hood from the city coat of arms. The only one who voted against this decision was Derek Cresswell, who at that time held the post of Sheriff of Nottingham. Mr. Cresswell, explaining his position, said that rumors of his feud with Robin Hood were greatly exaggerated.

In most stories, the sheriff is not particularly brave. He usually sits in his castle and thinks over new plans to capture Robin Hood. His subordinates usually do all the dirty work for him.

Another enemy of Robin behaves completely differently - Sir Guy Gisborne. This is a skilled and brave warrior, excellent at sword fighting and good archery. One of the ballads tells how Gisborne went into the forest to kill Robin and receive a reward from the sheriff for this. As a result, Sir Guy himself fell at the hands of Robin Hood. Gisborne is usually called a noble knight, although in some stories he turns out to be a cruel and bloodthirsty killer, an outlaw. Sometimes he also becomes the suitor or even the groom of Maid Marian. His appearance Quite unusual - instead of a cloak, he wears horse skin. Gisborne is a fictional character. Perhaps he was once the hero of a separate legend, which later merged with the legend of Robin.

Forest bandits greet King Richard the Lionheart.

Prince John, the future King John the Landless, fell into the legend of Robin Hood through the efforts of Walter Scott. In the novel Ivanhoe, Robin Hood helps King Richard, who returned to England after the crusade and captivity, to regain his throne, usurped by his younger brother John. Later, this plot was repeated many times (with minor variations) in numerous books, films and computer games.

John indeed took the throne of England during his brother’s absence and was in no hurry to ransom Richard from captivity. He even sent a letter to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, who was holding Richard captive, in which he asked to keep the legitimate English king away from England. Some historians argue that John tried to protect his country from the not very wise reign of Richard. However, he himself did not shine with talents at all. His own reign, which began after Richard's death in 1199, was one complete disaster. John miserably lost the war with France and was forced to cede Normandy to her. Having quarreled with the Pope, he brought excommunication on England. As a result, he brought his country to complete ruin and forced his subjects to take up arms. The rebels gained the upper hand and forced John to sign the famous Magna Carta which underlies modern English democracy.

As for the simple henchmen of the sheriff and other enemies of Robin Hood, they are for the most part nameless. Sometimes, however, in the text of ballads there are names of individual guards and foresters, inserted there, presumably, for greater persuasiveness.

Dark Side Robin Hood

I'm the terrible Robin Bad.

I hurt people.

I hate poor people

Widows, orphans and old people.

O. Arch, "Robin Bad"

IN lately In England, several attempts were made to debunk the beautiful legend of Robin Hood.

Nottingham City Council, which had long been very concerned that their dynamic city was associated throughout the world exclusively with the highwayman, contributed to this endeavor. In 1988, the city made an official announcement declaring Marian, Friar Took, Alan-a-Dale and Will Scarlet fictional characters. Little John was recognized as a historical figure, but from a noble robber he turned into an evil grumbler and a bloodthirsty killer. Robin Hood received less from the current authorities of Nottingham than his associates, but the integrity of his reputation was also subject to great doubt.

The “Jolly Fellows” treat themselves to ale after a successful operation to rob the rich of excess cash.

A book by a Cambridge University professor caused a lot of noise James Holt"Legends of Robin Hood. Between truth and error." Holt writes about Robin: “He was completely different from the way he was portrayed in folk songs, tales, and later in books and films. There is absolutely no evidence that he robbed the rich to give money to the poor. The legend acquired these fabrications two hundred years or more after his death. And during his lifetime he was known as a notorious looter, a sadistic killer, who abused defenseless victims and a molester. In a word, if he lived now, Robin Hood would not have avoided life imprisonment in prison...” The historian did not spare the monk Tuka, who, in his words, “was very far from harmless gaiety, since he plundered and burned the houses of his enemies... robbed passers-by to the last, and, unable to tame his greed, caught up with those who had already been robbed and brutally killed them... personally raped women and children, and then chopped them with axes like cattle...".

However, a professor of English literature from Cardiff University outdid everyone Stephen Knight. This pundit bluntly stated that both Robin Hood and his “Merry Men” were in fact... gay. To prove his point, Knight refers to passages from ballads that seem ambiguous to him. He also points out that the original ballads say nothing about Robin's lover, but all too often mention his close friends like Little John or Will Scarlet. Knight's point of view is shared by a professor at Cambridge University Barry Dobson, who believes that "the relationship between Robin Hood and Little John was very controversial." This opinion is also shared by all kinds of fighters for the rights of sexual minorities. One of them, someone Peter Tatchell, demands that the version of the Sherwood robber's unconventional sexual orientation be taught in school.

The desire to deprive Robin Hood of his romantic aura and turn him into a banal robber and murderer is so great that there are already calls to demolish the statue of the noble robber in Nottingham and erect a monument in honor of the Sheriff of Nottingham in its place.

However, for a huge number of people around the world, Robin Hood remains a favorite hero and role model. After all, the Sherwood robber personifies such positive qualities, such as the desire for justice, devotion to friends and the desire to help those in trouble.

Robin Hood in fiction

Hair stuck to our sweaty foreheads,

And it sucked sweetly in the pit of my stomach from the phrases,

And the smell of struggle turned our heads,

Flying towards us from yellowed pages.

V. Vysotsky, “Ballad of Struggle.”

"Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". Robin, Marian, Little John, Stutley, Scarlet and Took with trophies in the background.

Many people have addressed the theme of the adventures of Robin Hood English writers, for example, poets Robert Keats And Alfred Tennyson. Tennyson wrote the play “The Foresters, or Robin Hood and Maid Marian.” In 1819 the famous novel was published Walter Scott"Ivanhoe." In this novel, Robin Hood is the leader of a detachment of Saxons fighting against the Norman knights who oppress them. It can be said that modern look Robin Hood owes his appearance to Walter Scott. He did not ignore the noble robber and Alexandre Dumas, who wrote the adventure novels "Robin Hood - King of Robbers" and "Robin Hood in Exile."

During the Victorian era, the legend of Robin Hood was adapted for children. In 1883, a collection considered to be a classic was published Howard Pyle"The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood." It collected and literary processed all the stories about Robin Hood that existed at that time, with the exception of those that mentioned Marian (after all, the collection was intended mainly for children, and the requirements of Victorian morality were extremely strict). Pyle idealized medieval England. In Sherwood Forest from his book there is never winter, and there is no end to the fun. Pyle's Robin Hood appears as a kind of ideal philanthropist and altruist. Pyle's collection was revised in 1956. Roger Green. His book differs from Pyle's work only in that Lady Marian is present in it.

"Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". A mountain of corpses in the central square of Nottingham.

The twentieth century gave the world a huge number of new, sometimes completely original stories about Robin. Terence White made Robin the hero of his book The Sword in the Stone, which tells the story of the childhood of King Arthur. Michael Cadnam wrote two novels based on the legends of Robin Hood: “The Forbidden Forest” and “In the Dark Wood.” Main character the first book is Little John, and the second is none other than the Sheriff of Nottingham himself. In the novel Teresa Tomlinson Lady Marian comes to the fore, turning uncouth highwaymen into legendary fighters for justice. In the novel Gary Blackwood"The Lion and the Unicorn" tells the story of how the treacherous Alan-a-Dale takes Robin's lover away from him. In the duology Godwin Park"Sherwood" takes place during the time of King William the Red, and in the trilogy Stephen Lawhead- in Wales. In the novel Robina McKinley"Outlaw of Sherwood" Robin Hood does not know how to shoot a bow at all, but he more than compensates for this deficiency due to his intelligence. From the pen Jennifer Roberson a love-adventure duology about Robin and Marienne was released. In the book Clayton Emery The story is told from the perspective of the animals and fairy-tale creatures that inhabit Sherwood Forest. Among the huge number of books for children, one can highlight the cycle Nancy Springer, dedicated to the adventures of Robin Hood's young daughter. American writer Esther Friesner made Robin the hero of the science fiction novel Sherwood's Game. In this book, talented programmer Carl Sherwood creates a virtual world for a game about Robin Hood. Suddenly, this world escapes the control of its creator, and Robin Hood and other characters in the game begin to live an independent life. In the story Adam Stemple the action also takes place in virtual reality: the spirit of Robin Hood, who has taken possession of the computer, is engaged in the redistribution of the world's wealth through the Internet.

"Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown". Sherwood Forest from a bird's eye view.

Russian writers did not stand aside either. The ballads about Robin were translated into Russian Nikolay Gumilyov And Marina Tsvetaeva. Moreover, Tsvetaeva’s translation came out very freely. Robin Hood, according to the poetess, did not live in the vicinity of Nottingham, but somewhere in Scotland. Mikhail Gershenzon made a classic Russian-language retelling of the legends of Robin. If in Soviet times Robin Hood was the hero of mainly children's books, but recently domestic science fiction writers have taken him seriously. In "The Sword and the Rainbow" Elena Khaetskaya Robin Hood is a minor but very colorful character. Anna Ovchinnikova offered a very unusual version of the adventures of the Sherwood Outlaws. The main character of her book “Robin Hood's Friend and Lieutenant” is our contemporary and compatriot Ivan Menshov, who moved through time and space and became Little John. Robin's gang, according to Ovchinnikova, numbered only ten people, Monk Tuk was a vagrant, and one of negative characters books bears the surname Huntington.

Many writers, although they did not write directly about Robin Hood, put some of his traits into their characters. For example, the forest robber John Vengeance for All from Black Arrow is very reminiscent of Robin Hood. Robert Louis Stevenson.

The Screen Life of Robin Hood

A character like Robin Hood simply could not help but end up on the silver screen. The legend about him has everything you need to create a spectacular film, doomed to box office success: medieval romance, beautiful forest landscapes, a love story, the struggle between good and evil, humor, brawls using all types of bladed weapons...

This movie poster features Errol Flynn as Robin Hood.

The first film about Robin was made back in 1908. However, the first truly successful film adaptation of the legend was made only fourteen years later. In the 1922 film, the role of Robin Hood was played by Douglas Fairbanks, one of the main stars of the silent film era. And in 1938 the film was released "The Adventures of Robin Hood", starring the inimitable Errol Flynn. This picture had a huge influence not only on all subsequent Hollywood films about the Sherwood robber, but also on all films of the same genre.

The classic legend, according to which Robin was killed by an insidious nun, received a completely unexpected interpretation in the film "Robin and Marian"(1976). Old and gray Robin Hood (Sean Connery) returns to Sherwood Forest after a very long absence. And he discovers that his beloved Marian (Audrey Hepburn) has long gone to the monastery and even managed to become abbess. Marian, forced to choose between her monastic vows and her love for Robin, ends up killing her lover and then committing suicide.

In 1991, Sean Connery again starred in the film about Robin Hood. But this time he plays not Robin, but King Richard. The role of Robin Locksley in the Hollywood blockbuster "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" went to Kevin Costner. The filmmakers said a new word in “Robinhood studies” by introducing a black Saracen into the Robin Hood gang.

In 1993, a brilliant comedy appeared "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" parodying films with Eroll Flynn and Kevin Costner.

Soviet filmmakers went their own way. If in Western films the Robin Hoods are all knights and nobles, then our Soviet Robin Hood is a bearded peasant played by Boris Khmelnitsky. Films by Sergei Tarasov "Robin Hood's Arrows"(1975) and "The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe"(1983) were remembered by many thanks to the wonderful songs of Vladimir Vysotsky.

Of course, there was a place for Robin in cartoons. Who hasn't played the role of Robin Hood or his friends! And Bugs Bunny the rabbit, and Daffy the duck, and even the Pink Panther...

"Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown". Whack-Whack-Whack! Take away what's ready...

In 1967, during the period of enormous popularity of science fiction films and TV series, a multi-part cartoon was shot "Rocket Robin Hood". The action of this series takes place in 3000. Robin and his gang of “fun astronauts” live on the Sherwood asteroid and fight against the evil sheriff... In general, everything is the same as in the 13th century, only the surroundings have changed.

Finally, in 1973, the Walt Disney Company took up the matter. In their cartoon, all the characters are humanoid animals. Robin and Marian became foxes, Little John, naturally, became a bear, the sheriff became a wolf, Took became a badger, and Alan-a-Dale became a rooster. The cartoon couldn't do without Robin either. "Shrek" He is, however, an episodic hero and, moreover, not very positive.

Robin Hood has appeared on television more than once. The most famous of the Robin television series was called "Robin of Sherwood" and ran on British television from 1984 to 1986. Unlike the vast majority of books and films about Robin, this series was made in the fantasy genre. The main villain in Robin of Sherwood is the powerful sorcerer Baron de Balham. And the main ones goodies two at once: after the death of the peasant Robin Loxley, his work is continued by Count Robert Huntington. By the way, both really wear hoods, and not green caps with a feather. The music for the series was written by the famous Irish band Clannad.

The creators of the science fiction series also paid tribute to the legend of Robin Hood "Star Trek: The Next Generation". In one of the episodes, the crew of the starship Enterprise has to temporarily transform into the characters of the legend and feel like real forest robbers.

Robin Hood in computer games

You can become Good, neighbor,

Or maybe I will be it,

That's why for hundreds of years

No death to Robin Hood!

Evgeniy Agranovich, “Brave Robin Hood”

"Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown". The Sheriff of Nottingham listens to the complaint of a merchant who was robbed by the "jolly fellows."

Computer games have opened up new opportunities for fans of the Robin Hood legend. If, when reading a book or watching a film, a person passively perceives ready-made information, then in a computer game he can actively influence the development of the plot. In other words, computer games allow the player to feel for some time in the shoes of a Sherwood outlaw.

The first Robin video game came out in 1985. It was an action movie called "Super Robin Hood". The same year the game appeared "Robin of the Wood". IN classic game "Defender of the Crown"(1986) Robin is one of the player's allies in the fight to unite civil war-torn England. However, you cannot play directly as Robin in this game.

In the wake of the popularity of the film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", several games were released at once. "The Adventures of Robin Hood"- role-playing game with action elements. The player controls the brave Robin, who performs all sorts of heroic deeds, thereby increasing his popularity among the local population. On a quest "Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood" a lot depends on the size of Robin's gang and how well the player commands it. The plot of the game is non-linear. The matter could end in either a gallows or a wedding.

"Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". Drummers made in Sherwood Forest.

In strategy "Age of Empires II" There are such heroes as Robin Hood, Took and the Sheriff of Nottingham. It also contains the Sherwood Forest and Heroes of Sherwood cards. In many role-playing games you can find characters that closely resemble Robin, although they go by a different name. IN "Medieval II: Total War" Robin is gone. But by playing as England and building a foresters guild, you can gain access to a fighter called the Sherwood Archer. You can play as Robin, although not right away, in the game Shrek SuperSlam.

In 2003, a remake of the game "Defender of the Crown" was made. IN new game, called "Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown", the player no longer controls one of the English barons, but Robin Hood himself. And he will have to fight against the Sheriff of Nottingham.

As in the original game, the action takes place on a map divided into several counties. Only this is not a map of England, but of the immediate surroundings of Nottingham or some other city. As a result, the “counties” have names that are quite strange for counties: Forest, Paths, Bridge, Mills, Tract. The player has many options. He can command armies in battle, storm castles, fight in tournaments, raid the sheriff's treasury and shoot enemies passing through Sherwood Forest with a bow. But it all looks quite monotonous and gets boring very quickly. It's much more fun to rescue beautiful ladies from captivity. By the end of the game, Robin has collected a whole collection of noble maidens. And where is Lady Marian looking? During a break between fights, you can chat with one of the “funny guys” or read stories about Robin’s exploits.

"Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". Robin Hood and Little John came to visit Prince John.

Game "Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood"(2002) from Spellbound Studios was released in a series of tactical games, which also includes Desperados and Chicago 1930. The player controls the actions of Robin Hood and other “merry guys”. In order to win the game, you need to successfully complete several missions, the complexity of which is constantly increasing. In addition to the missions that are required to be completed, there are several missions that you can skip by bribing the enemy army or choosing another task.

From one to five characters are sent to each task. This could be Robin himself or his friends. Robin starts out alone, but is gradually joined by Will Stutley, Scarlet, Took, Little John and Lady Marian. In addition to these characters, whose death means the end of the game, there are many ordinary gang members who can be used as cannon fodder or free labor. A forest robber who has not gone on a mission can produce all sorts of useful things or improve his combat skills. Each character has unique skills. For example, Robin and John can knock out an enemy without killing him, Scarlet shoots accurately with a slingshot, Stutly pretends to be a beggar, and Took ties up prisoners and can solder guards.

"Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown". Robin Hood and Will Scarlet.

The plot of the game is quite simple: you need to put an end to the evil machinations of the sheriff and Prince John. There are two types of tasks: in the forest and in the city. Both here and there you can plunder the loot with all your might, replenishing your treasury. The amount of money, however, does not in any way affect the success of the game. The fact is that the gang is growing due to volunteers coming to Sherwood after each mission. Their number directly depends on the percentage spared enemies. So being too bloodthirsty in this game is not recommended. If you regularly complete missions without a single corpse, then at the end of the game there will be a crowd roaming Sherwood that far exceeds your manpower needs.

The undoubted success of the game developers is fencing with the mouse. All fights are very intense and exciting. True, sometimes it is more difficult to win a one-on-one battle than to cope with a squad of a dozen guards. The enemy behaves quite adequately: archers do not bother and shoot from cover, men-at-arms use shields to protect themselves from arrows, and mounted knights prefer to attack with acceleration. If the guards find themselves in the minority, they scatter in different directions and raise the alarm.

Not all game situations, however, look realistic. But that’s why it’s a game, to differ from reality.

The legend of Robin Hood was, without a doubt, excellent material for creating computer games. But its potential has not yet been fully realized. Let's hope that in the future we will see many new wonderful games about the noble robber from Sherwood Forest.

For almost 700 years there has been a legend telling about a noble robber. He robbed the rich, and distributed the goods taken from them to the poor. This man led a gang of “knife and ax workers” numbering more than a hundred people. Desperate people lived in Sherwood Forest (Nottinghamshire) and caused a lot of trouble to dishonest, greedy and greedy citizens.

Robin Hood was the name of the legendary hero who cared about the welfare of ordinary people and honest people. So many ballads of praise have been written about him that you involuntarily begin to believe in the reality of this person. But did the noble robber really live or are the legends about him a beautiful myth that has nothing to do with real life?

In the second half of the 15th century, an unknown author wrote 4 ballads dedicated to the brave leader of forest robbers. In the first ballad the story is about how Robin helps a poor knight ruined by a greedy abbot. The poor fellow is lent a large sum of money, and the noble leader of the robbers' faithful squire, Little Joe, is given to help. He was a huge fellow, endowed with immeasurable strength. Naturally, the knight takes revenge on the greedy abbot, and good triumphs.

Second ballad is dedicated to the conflict between the sheriff of Nottingham and noble robber. The “highway romantics” organized a deer hunt in the sheriff’s lands, and then, with the help of cunning, invited the most formidable law enforcement officer to the feast.

Third ballad tells about Robin's meeting with King Edward. He secretly comes to Nottingham to conduct an incognito investigation into violations of the law by local authorities. The defender of the poor and the threat of the rich enters the service of the king and swears allegiance to him.

Fourth ballad the saddest. It tells about the death of a noble robber. He again begins to engage in dangerous work, but catches a cold and goes to Kirkley Abbey to undergo treatment. However, the insidious abbess treats him with leeches. They suck blood, the noble robber weakens day by day and, in the end, dies.

This, in brief, is the essence of the legends about courageous man, who faithfully served the common people. A great many such ballads were written. Robin is presented as a proud and independent person who opposes the rich who oppress the people. At the same time, the noble robber was loyal to the king and revered the church. Next to him all the time was a cheerful and kind monk named Tak.

As for the origin of the glorious hero, some consider him a free peasant, others believe that he was a minor nobleman. The wife's name was Marian, however, she might not have been a wife, but simply a fighting friend.

Experts studied the census registers of England in the period from 1228 to 1230. In these lists, a man named Robin Hood was found, who was wanted for crimes. This time is notable for popular unrest. They were led by a certain Robert Thwing. Under his leadership, the rebels plundered monasteries, and the confiscated grain was distributed to poor peasants.

Some historians are inclined to believe that the legendary robber was Robert Fitzug. He was born around 1170 and died approximately in 1246. This man was the Earl of Huntington, who had lost all his wealth. In fact, he was a rebellious aristocrat, but for some reason he did not oppose the king, but only opposed the nobles.

This is how Robin Hood is portrayed in Hollywood

Who sat on the royal throne during the activities of the noble robber? If you rely on ballads and legends, you can find the names of several crowned heads. In particular, this is Henry III (1207-1272). During his reign in 1261, an outbreak civil war. The rebels were led by Count Simon de Montfort (1208-1265).

At first, the rebels were victorious with the establishment of the dictatorship of the rebel count, but then Henry III managed to regain power in 1265. However, some of the rebels did not bow their heads to the king. The nobles went into the forests and became robbers. Among them was our glorious hero. The king took everything from him, but could not take away his noble heart. Some researchers believe that that courageous nobleman from the 13th century became the hero of ballads and legends.

Robin Hood is also associated with Earl Thomas Plantagenet of Lancaster (1278-1322). He opposed King Edward II (1284-1327) and led the baronial opposition. The reason for the hostility was that the count was not appointed chief adviser at court. In 1322 a rebellion broke out. He was brutally suppressed, and Lancaster himself was beheaded.

The king pardoned some of the rebels. One of them was a man with a legendary name. He was taken into service at court and given the rank of valet. During the year this gentleman's salary was carefully paid. Then the newly appointed valet disappeared, and what happened to him next is unknown. It is quite possible that for a number of reasons he became a noble robber.

If we consider Edward II as the main royal figure, then we can assume that the “romantic and unmercenary from the high road” did good deeds in the period from 1320 to 1330. However famous writer and historian Walter Scott (1771-1832) portrayed the image of a noble robber in his novel Richard the Lionheart. This English king lived from 1157 to 1199. And this indicates more early dates the existence of Robin Hood, or rather at the end of the 12th century.

Nowadays, many researchers believe that a bright and mysterious personality is a composite image. That is, there was no specific person, but only a popular dream of a just and honest hero-robber. This is a purely folk creation, born among ordinary people. Since the image was unusually interesting and romantic, it became popular among poets and novelists. Creative people have turned it into a symbol of the eternal struggle between good and evil. That is why it remains not only popular, but also relevant for several centuries..

Robin Hood is a famous English hero of folk tales and ballads. The legends said that he and his friends robbed Sherwood Forest, robbed the rich and gave money to the poor. Robin Hood was considered an unsurpassed archer, and the authorities could not catch him.

Ballads about this hero were composed back in the 14th century. Based on them, many books have already been written about Robin Hood, and many films have been made. The hero appears either as a nobleman-avenger, or as a cheerful reveler, or as a hero-lover.

In fact, there are few real facts about this character. It is entirely woven from myths. But some of them are still implausible. Even the legendary hero has his own historical truth. We will debunk the main misconceptions about Robin Hood.

Robin Hood was a real person. It is worth recognizing that this character is fictional. The career of the archetypal hero was formed from numerous popular wishes and disappointments of the common people of that era. Robin (or Robert) Hood (or Hod or Hude) was a nickname given to petty criminals until the mid-13th century. It seems no coincidence that the name Robin is consonant with the word "robbing" (robbery). It was already modern writers who formed the image of the noble robber as real. There were people like Robin Hood. They flouted unpopular government laws regarding forests. Those rules kept vast areas semi-wild, especially for hunting by the king and his court. Such fugitives have always fascinated the oppressed peasants. But there was no such specific person who inspired his contemporaries to create poems about himself. No one was born with the name Robin Hood or lived with it.

Robin Hood lived during the reign of Richard the Lionheart. Robin Hood is often called the enemy of the ambitious Prince John, who is trying to seize power during the absence of King Richard I the Lionheart (reigned 1189-1199), who was captured during the Crusade. But for the first time, the names of these three characters in the same context began to be mentioned by writers of the Tudor era in the 16th century. There is a mention (albeit not entirely convincing) of Robin Hood as one of the participants in the court during the reign of Edward II (1307-1327). The ballad that Robin Hood was a supporter of Simon de Montfort, who was killed at Evesham in 1265, seems much more plausible. It is safe to say that Robin Lackland had become a popular character in folk mythology by the time William Langland wrote his Vision of Peter the Ploughman in 1377. This historical document directly mentions the name of Robin Hood. It is unclear how this character was related to Ranulf de Blondville, Earl of Chester, whose name immediately follows the mention of the robber's name. It is likely that they came into the phrase from different sources.

Robin Hood was a noble man who robbed the rich and gave money to the poor. This myth was invented by Scottish historian John Major. He wrote in 1521 that Robin did not cause any harm to women, did not withhold goods from the poor, and generously shared with them what he took from the rich. But earlier ballads covered the character’s activities more skeptically. The longest, and probably the oldest, Robin Hood story is Robin Hood's Little Glorious Adventure. It is believed to have been recorded between 1492 and 1510, but it is likely that it was written down much earlier, in the 1400s. In this text there is a comment that Robin did a lot of good for the poor. But at the same time, he helps a knight who is experiencing financial difficulties with money. In this work, as in other early ballads, there is no mention of the money that was given to the peasants, or of the redistribution of goods between social strata. On the contrary, the stories contain a story about how a robber crippled an already defeated enemy and even killed a child. This makes you look at the personality of the legendary character differently.

Robin Hood was an impoverished nobleman, the Earl of Huntington. Again, there is no real basis for such a myth. Robin Hood, already in the first stories, is always a commoner, communicating with people of his class. Where did such a legend even come from? John Leland wrote in 1530 that Robin Hood was a noble robber. Most likely, it was about his actions, but the image was now supplemented by a corresponding origin. And in 1569, the historian Richard Grafton claimed that in an old engraving he found evidence of Robin Hood's earldom. This explained his chivalry and masculinity. This idea was later popularized by Anthony Munday in his plays The Fall of Robert, Earl of Huntington and The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington, written in 1598. In this work, Count Robert, impoverished due to the machinations of his uncle, began to fight for the truth in the guise of a robber, saving his bride Marian from the harassment of Prince John. And in 1632 Martin Parker's "The True Tale of Robin Hood" appeared. It clearly states that the famous outlaw, Earl Robert of Huntington, popularly called Robin Hood, died in 1198. But the real Earl of Huntington during this period was David of Scotland, who died in 1219. After the death of his son John in 1237, this noble branch was interrupted. Only a century later the title was granted to William de Clinton.

Robin married Maid Marian. Maid Marian became an important part of the Robin Hood legend. However, few people know that she was originally the heroine of a separate series of ballads. Robin and other robbers from the earliest legends had neither wives nor families. The image of a woman appears only in Robin Hood's devotion to the Virgin Mary. Perhaps the storytellers considered such veneration inappropriate in the years following the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. It is likely that Marian appeared in the Robin Hood legends around this time to provide an alternative female focus. And since there is positive characters, a man and a woman, then they must definitely get married.

Maid Marian was of noble blood. The identity of this girl raises many questions. Some historians are inclined to think that she was a beauty under the care of Prince John. And she met Robin Hood only after being ambushed by him in the forest. However, there is another opinion. Some scholars believe that for the first time Marian appears not even in the English epic, but in the French one. That was the name of the shepherdess, the friend of the shepherd Robin. Only two hundred years later the girl moved into the legend of the brave robber. And Marian was not initially highly moral; she acquired such a reputation much later, under the influence of the chaste morality of the Victorian era.

Robin Hood was buried in Yorkshire, at Kirklees Monastery. His grave remains there to this day. According to legend, Robin Hood went to Kirklees Monastery for treatment. The hero realized that his hand had weakened, and the arrows were beginning to fly past the target more and more often. The nuns were famous for their bloodletting skills. In those days it was considered the best medicine. But the abbess, whether accidentally or intentionally, let Robin Hood have too much blood. Dying, he fired the last arrow, bequeathing to bury himself in the place where it fell. But Tudor writer Richard Grafton had a different version. He believed that the prioress buried Robin Hood on the side of the road. The book states that the hero rests where he robbed those passing by. The abbess of the monastery placed a large stone on his grave. The names of Robin Hood and several other people were inscribed on it. Perhaps a certain William Goldborough and Thomas were the robber's accomplices. And this was done so that travelers, seeing the grave of the famous robber, could safely travel further without fear of robbery. In 1665, local historian Nathaniel Johnson sketched the grave. It appears in the form of a slab decorated with a six-pointed Lorraine cross. It is often found on English tombstones of the 13th-14th centuries. The inscriptions were barely legible even then. Robin Hood may indeed have been buried with other people, but if the monument was erected immediately after his death, then it is strange that no one mentioned this before 1540. The monastery itself came into the possession of the Armitage family in the 16th century, after church reform. In the 18th century, Sir Samuel Armitage decided to excavate the ground to a depth of a meter under the stone. The main fear was that robbers had already visited the grave. However, it turned out that there was nothing to be afraid of - there were no bodies of the robbers under the stone. It seems that the stone was moved here from another place where the legendary Robin Hood was buried. Now the tombstone is regularly attacked by souvenir hunters trying to break off a piece from it. And many believe that parts of the stone help get rid of toothache. Armitage subsequently encased the stone in a small brick fence surrounded by iron railings. Their remains are still visible today.

Some of Robin Hood's friends can be compared to celebrities of the era. Little John, Will Scarlett and Much the Miller's son accompany Robin Hood in the early ballads. Later, other heroes appeared in the company - Monk Tuk, Alan from the Valley, etc. The most famous of them is Little John. There are almost as many references to him in documents as there are to Robin Hood himself. It was said that Little John was elusive, like his friend. It is known that the grave of this robber is located in the county of Derbyshire in the cemetery in Hathersedge, which is not without interest. The stones and railings are modern, but part of the early memorial has the weathered initials "L" and "I" (which looks like a "J") still visible. James Shuttleworth, who owned the estate, conducted excavations here in 1784. They found a very large femur, 73 centimeters long. It turned out that someone 2.4 meters high was buried in the grave! Soon, strange misfortunes began to happen to the owners of the estate. Then the watchman reburied the bone in an unknown place. Two settlements, Little Haggas Croft in Loxley, Yorkshire and the village of Hathersedge in Peak County, Derbyshire, claim the right to be called the birthplace of Robin Hood and the place where Little John spent his last years. An alternative approach to the story of Robin Hood is an attempt to place his opponents into historical context. However, the ballads directly name only the Sheriff of Nottingham, the Abbot of St. Mary's and York. Other characters are mentioned only by title. No specific names are given that could be linked to specific dates in history. This lack of accurate information is disappointing, but we must always remember that we are dealing with folk epics and not documents stating facts.

Robin Hood was an excellent archer. Robin Hood was distinguished by the ability to shoot accurately from a bow. In some productions, he even won competitions, hitting not even an apple, but an arrowhead. In fact, at the time of the legend of Robin Hood, classic English longbows were just beginning to appear; they were very rare. Historical documents indicate that robbers mastered this weapon in the middle of the 13th century. Then they started holding competitions. If we believe that Robin Hood lived at the end of the 12th century, then he could not have had a bow.

Friar Took was Robin Hood's accomplice. This monk is considered one of the heroes of the Sherwood Fox. Written evidence says that Brother Tuck was indeed a robber. But he acted 200 miles from Sherwood Forest, moreover, 100 years after the estimated time of Robin Hood’s life. And this priest was not at all harmless and cheerful - he mercilessly plundered and burned the hearths of his enemies. In subsequent legends, the names of the famous robbers began to be mentioned together, they became accomplices.

Robin Hood operated in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. This statement usually does not raise objections. However, mention of Sherwood did not appear in ballads immediately, at the earliest - in the middle of the 15th century. It seems that there is nothing wrong with this, it’s just that before the fact simply eluded the narrator. But in the collection of ballads about Robin Hood, published in 1489, his activities are associated with a completely different county, with Yorkshire. It is not in the center of England, but in the north. It is worth mentioning that the Yorkshire Great North Road, on which, according to this version, Robin Hood acted, really had a bad reputation due to numerous robberies of travelers.

Robin Hood is the real name of the robber. Correctly said - Robin Hood. In English spelling, the surname is written as Hood, not Good. The literal correct translation of the hero's name is Robin the Hood, not Robin the Good. There are also doubts about the name of the robber. The phrase "Rob in Hood" literally means "robber in a hood." It is not clear whether the name Robin came from this phrase, or whether the word itself comes from the name of the robber.

Robin Hood's companions wore green clothes. The robbers' green clothes are often mentioned in legends. One of the early tales tells how the king specially dressed his people in green, ordering them to walk around Nottingham and pretend to be forest brothers. However, the townspeople not only did not welcome the “robbers,” but drove them out in anger. This, by the way, speaks eloquently about how people “loved” Robin Hood. If he really fought for justice and was popular, then why did the people in green hastily run away from the townspeople? This is how the legend of the green robes of robbers came to life.

The Sheriff of Nottingham was a notorious villain. From legends, novels and films it is known that the main enemy of Robin Hood is the Sheriff of Nottingham. This servant of the law led the foresters, guards, and was friends with the church and the nobility. The unscrupulous sheriff had unlimited power in these parts. But he couldn’t do anything about Robin Hood - he had ingenuity, accuracy and the common people on his side. It is worth understanding that in medieval England, a sheriff was an official who fought criminals. This position appeared in X-XI centuries. Under the Normans, the country was divided into districts, each of which had its own sheriff. Interestingly, they did not always coincide with the counties. So the Sheriff of Nottingham also looked after the neighboring county of Derbyshire. In the tales of Robin Hood, his main enemy, the sheriff, is never called by name. Among the prototypes, the names of William de Bruer, Roger de Lacy and William de Wendenal are mentioned. The Sheriff of Nottingham existed, but it is unclear who he was during the years of Robin Hood. In early legends, the sheriff was simply an enemy of the “forest lads” due to the nature of his service, fighting all robbers. But later this character acquired details, becoming a real negative hero. He oppresses the poor, appropriates other people's lands, introduces new taxes and generally abuses his position. And in some stories, the sheriff even harasses Lady Marian and, through intrigue, tries to become the king of England. True, the ballads make fun of the sheriff. He is portrayed as a cowardly fool who is trying to do the job of capturing Robin Hood with the wrong hands.

Sir Guy of Gisborne was a real-life noble character and enemy of Robin Hood. Sir Guy of Gisborne's behavior is completely different from that of the sheriff. The knight in legends appears as a brave and courageous warrior, skilled with a sword and bow. One of the legends tells how Guy of Gisborne volunteered to kill Robin Hood for a reward, but in the end he himself fell at the hands of a noble robber. Not in all stories this knight appears as a noble character. In some places he is called a cruel, bloodthirsty killer who easily breaks the law to achieve his goals. In some ballads, Guy of Gisborne harasses Maid Marian, and in some places he even appears as her groom. The hero’s appearance is also unusual - he wears not an ordinary cloak, but the skin of a horse. But such a historical character did not exist at all. It is believed that Sir Guy of Gisborne was once the hero of a separate legend, which later merged with the story of Robin Hood.

Robin Hood was a heroic lover. Among the brave robber's friends, only one female name is named - Maid Marian. And Stephen Knight, a professor of English literature at Cardiff University, actually put forward an original idea. He believes that Robin Hood and his friends were a bunch of gays! In confirmation of this bold thought, the scientist cites very unambiguous parts of the ballads. And in the original stories nothing was said at all about Robin Hood’s girlfriend, but the names of close friends - Little John or Will Scarlett - were unnaturally often mentioned. And this point of view is shared by Cambridge professor Barry Dobson. He interprets the relationship between Robin Hood and Little John as very ambiguous. Fighters for the rights of sexual minorities immediately picked up this theory. There are even voices calling for the story of Robin Hood to be told to children in school. In any case, the robber’s reputation as a hero-lover is far from ambiguous.

The troops of King Richard of England are on the verge of setting off on another Crusade. But in order for the kingdom to remain secure, it is necessary to leave a replacement on the throne so that the appointed person manages affairs and protects the people from all sorts of problems from enemies. King Richard leaves a young prince named John on the throne. But he approaches government orders in a very unique way, literally only after feeling the power.

Being a very harsh tyrant, instead of protecting the people of England, he only begins to bring troubles and disappointments to civilians. King Richard is already in France at this point, but thanks to Lady Marian he still learns about the harsh reality. She writes a letter for her lover, who is the Duke of Huntingdon. It is he who accompanies King Richard on his military campaign. Even though Huntingdon has been very busy, he still returns to his native land to make things right. But at home, he, along with all those who arrived, is the enemy of the new king. The story of the legendary Robin Hood begins with this.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Legends that have survived to this day say that once upon a time the brave King of England, Richard, went on a Crusade to distant lands. His people remembered him as a good ruler. But leaving his kingdom, he was replaced by Prince Jonathan, who easily seized the throne. Unlike Richard, John was a real test for ordinary people, because he was driven only by greed and the desire for easy money. That is why he began collecting money from the ordinary population of the kingdom. One of the ruined people was Señor Robin of Locksley.

He fled to Sherwood Forest. It was there that he proclaimed himself Robin Hood, and also gathered a whole group of volunteers. The task of this company was to declare war on all the people of the new king. First they had to defeat Guy of Gisborne, as well as the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham. But even on the love front, Robin Hood will have a hard time winning the affections of the beautiful Marianne.

The Robber and the Queen (1946)

The legendary hero Robin Hood called all his brave fighters to Sherwood Forest. He had to comb all the expanses of this wonderful place to bring everyone together. The leader of the resistance explains to the free shooters that England and its freedom are once again in great danger.

An insidious tyrant wants to gain the throne immediately after the sudden death of King John. This time, William of Wembrud, better known as Lord Regen, claims the throne. It was he who once created the royal council. His tasks included the goal of abolishing the ill-fated Liberty Charter, once invented by Robin Hood and his faithful assistants. Robert, the young son of Robin Hood, now leads the forest brotherhood of archers to give the enemy a proper rebuff.

Robin Hood's Revenge (1950)

1214 Great England During this period I experienced a lot of negative things. The ruler's brother, the new king John the First, ascended the throne. Direct relative of Richard, the good ruler. John has one favorite hobby - jousting. And this time Baldrick, who is the absolute champion, and the Earl of Huntington - Robin, the offspring of the legendary Robin Hood from Sherwood Forest, are fighting.

John wishes the quick death of the son of the one who once managed to avoid royal taxes. But having persuaded Baldrick to commit a crime, he still does not know what awaits him. Robin inherited his father's courage, so he copes with his enemy. The king is very angry, so he sends his troops to Huntington to collect all the debts from the past few years.

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)

The good-natured King Richard sets off again on a dangerous Crusade. To ensure that the kingdom is not left without a leader, he sends his brother to the throne. Now Prince John is the rightful king of these lands. But unlike his good brother Richard, John immediately establishes very harsh laws.

Now all residents, including the absolute poor, must pay a large tax. But most people don't have any money at all. Fortunately, there are heroes who are ready to resist the new order. Robin Fitsus, the brave son of a huntsman in the kingdom, secretly gathers archers and brave fighters in Sherwood Forest. Calling himself Robin Hood, he goes to help all people in need.

Ivanhoe (1952)

Wilfred is a legendary knight of Saxony. In 1190, he secretly returned from the Third Crusade. While in England, he needs to collect gold in order to try to ransom the captive king. Richard - the Lionheart is in captivity of the enemy - the Austrian troops. Ivanhoe suddenly learns about the affairs of brother Richard.

John, who came to power due to this situation, makes many wrong decisions. He wants to overthrow the previous government. But to avoid this, Ivanhoe takes part in a knightly battle. If he wins, then there will be enough money to return England to its former king.

The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954)

On the threshold of 1194, the English kingdom was going through difficult times. King Richard was captured while on the Third Crusade. All this time, his brother, Prince John, ruled the state. But now that Richard the Lionheart has returned to his palace, John is secretly organizing a plot. He doesn't want to lose the power to which he is so accustomed. Even despite his blood relationship with Richard, he organizes the murder of the real king. But Richard's faithful henchmen find out about this and, while gaining time, try to ask for help from the brave forest warrior - Robin Hood, who saved the situation more than once.

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)

There are many legends about the legendary fighter for justice of the people of England - the brave and courageous Robin Hood. being a noble robber, he often saved ordinary people from tyranny and injustice. As the leader of the resistance against the new orders of the greedy king, he went ahead and always achieved his goals.

So this time he faces the arrogant sheriff of Nottingham. Robin Hood will not give the corrupt policeman the opportunity to seize the family mansion from the heirs of the famous Lord Borty, a hero who bravely died in the fighting of the Third Crusade under the leadership of King Richard the First, better known as the Lionheart.

The Legend of Robin Hood (1970)

In order to return their king, England had to collect a serious ransom. Thanks to his henchmen, this was still possible to bring to life. King Richard was held captive after a clash with Austrian forces. But the brother of King Lionheart, John, the young prince, who inherited the throne at this difficult moment for England, wants to take the entire collected ransom for himself.

Having felt the taste of power, the prince does not want to give it back, but wants to manage the whole era himself. But these plans are not destined to come true when a legendary gang of forest robbers, led by the legendary Robin Rood himself, the king of Sherwood Forest, enters the path of confrontation.

Robin Hood's Arrows (1975)

Medieval English folk tales were full of ballads about the legendary forest robber - Robin Hood. It was he who rushed to help those in need and always punished those guilty of injustice. Acting together with his gang, he could face any enemies. For Robin Hood and the forest archers, it did not matter who was in front of them - a priest or a feudal lord. If this person brought only troubles and problems for peaceful townspeople, then the gang severely punished the culprit. When they encountered arbitrariness against ordinary people, you can be sure that the villain will be punished.

Robin and Marian (1976)

King Richard died suddenly. Now Robin Hood and his best friend little John have returned from the Crusades. Upon arrival in England, in the local Sherwood, Robin immediately runs into his long-time lover Marian. But old enemies have not left these places either, for example, the corrupt local sheriff. On this basis, former enmity arises again. But for Robin, who is no longer so young, he has one desire - to live peacefully with his beloved in the forests. However, the new king gives the order to destroy all forest rebels.

The Artist from Sherwood Forest (1980)

Soviet television performance.

Robin Hood is back on the warpath. But this time not only old heroes await him, but also completely new faces. The sheriff's daughter, with whom Robin had fought for so long, entered his heart. Maria has incredible beauty. Even though the forest archer has a beautiful lover, Marian, he could not resist Maria's charm. Being between two fires, Robin will have to face the next outbursts of injustice. But thanks to his loyal friends, he will again fight back against those who decide to commit injustice.

Ivanhoe (1982)

Ivanhoe is an Englishman, a legendary knight who, due to the tricks of his enemies, loses his name. He is deprived of everything, even his inheritance and possessions. He no longer has the opportunity to be with his beloved. The only thing he has is his honor, which he will never give up. Now the enemies will have to pay for all the suffering. Now, wielding his sword, and also enlisting the support of his loyal friends in the person of the robber Robin Hood, together with the mighty Black Knight, he will give a proper rebuff to all the villains who caused him such pain. Their enemy Briand De Boisguilbert, along with his henchmen, does not yet know what awaits him.

The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe (1982)

One of the most legendary stories about the adventures of the valiant knight Ivanhoe. A brave warrior returns from a long Crusade. Now he wants to return his good name, merits, inheritance, and also achieve the favor of his beautiful beloved. Ivanhoe appears in royal England precisely at the moment when a real war for the throne is unfolding. Prince John, having sensed power, does not want to return it to the hands of his brother, King Richard the Lionheart.

Robin Hood (1991)

Not all soldiers managed to return from the bloody Crusade to Austria. Robin is trying to avoid death while imprisoned by traitors, so he uses the help of prisoners. One of them is a Muslim student, but religious enemies have already united in order to get out of a difficult situation. The English throne has already been seized. An impostor has sat on the throne, pursuing only selfish goals. Fellow believers remained loyal to the new king, who decided to use power only for his own personal good.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Few returned from the Crusade. Robin of Loxley, in order to avoid death in captivity among the infidels, had to use the help of one of the Muslim prisoners: religious enemies were united by a common misfortune. But the biggest threats await the hero from his fellow believers: the English throne has been captured by an impostor! Only a green forest, only friends who have lost everything and are ready for anything, only faith in their own rightness will help Robin survive the unequal struggle. And his enemies will be forced to shudder from the ominous whistle of well-aimed arrows flying from nowhere.

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

The film is a parody of Robin Hood.

Robin Hood, along with a group of his friends - forest archers, tear off everything, even their tights, in order to once again confront the next villain. Prince John ascended to the throne of the kingdom completely illegally. He framed his own brother Richard, whom the townspeople loved so much. Now Robin needs to help King Lionheart regain power, and also pick up the key to the heart of his beloved, named Marian. But he still doesn’t even suspect that the keys need to be found for this beauty’s chastity belt.

Robin Hood's Daughter: Princess of Thieves (2001)

Robin Hood serves the British throne faithfully and nobly. He already had a daughter, who, fortunately or unfortunately, took after her father. Young Gwyn doesn't want to stay at home all the time. Before her father even noticed, she learned archery. Also unknown to his dad, Gwyn is very confident in the saddle and rides. Very soon the acquired skills will come in handy. Richard the Lionheart dies suddenly, and his brother, Prince John, comes to the throne. By his decree, Robin Hood should be hidden in prison, and the heir to the throne, Philip, should be killed. But Gwin, having learned about this, is already rushing to help his father.

Sherwood Forest (2009)

Robin Hood is a legendary fighter for justice. Thanks to his activities, many people were saved from injustice. The leader of an entire army of Sherwood Forest robbers understands that the number of his followers is only growing every day. Twenty years ago, it was in these forests that his father was killed. Now difficult times are coming when the treacherous Sheriff of Nottingham is on the trail of Robin Hood with the goal of destroying him and all his henchmen. For this difficult task, the sheriff uses a mysterious monster who takes the form of a girl at night.

Robin Hood (2010)

He is the one who was an ordinary archer in the army of the good King Richard. He is the legendary Robin Hood, who again went on the warpath in order to take revenge on the Norman invaders. After the death of his king Lionheart, Robin, together with like-minded people, intends to put an end to injustice in his native lands and put an end to the endless victims. He is ruled by the desire for revenge, justice, as well as the irresistible strength that is given to him by the faith in him of ordinary people who are faced with inhumane injustice at the hands of the new king who has ascended the throne.

Robin Hood: The Haunting of Sherwood (2012)

A legendary archer, king of thieves and forest hero named Robin Hood sells his soul. The witch was not honest with him, and he dies in another battle. Robin Hood's faithful friend Little John and his beloved Marian are saddened by such grief, but do not intend to put up with it. Having once again entered into a deal with dark forces, with the help of an enchanted potion they are trying to revive the dead warrior. But what returns to them is not exactly the Robin they knew, and as a result they get a living dead man.

Robin Hood: The Beginning (2018)

Robin Hood returns to once again humiliate villains and help those in need. There are many legends about this hero, the threat of injustice, but now we will talk about his origin. Why did he become a hero and what motivated him at the time of creating the most famous gang of forest robbers. What had to be lost in order to gain the strength to resist such strong enemies. Being an ordinary person, faced with the tyranny and arrogance of the new king, he had the fortitude that made it possible to give a significant resistance. His imitators swarmed Sherwood Forest, creating even more headaches for Prince John, who had come to the throne illegitimately.