Robin Hood: Journey to the Screen

Over the past several weeks I have been taking a look at one of my favorite legends – Robin Hood – and today I will be bringing this series to a close. So far we have looked at the possibility that he was a real man, how his legend has changed over time, and the place he has found in contemporary literature. Today we are going to travel with him to the screen.

Journey to the Screen

The story and legend of Robin Hood is full of action, love, heroism, morality, and, in some instances, tragedy. It is no wonder then that he is a frequent figure of the silver screen. For many people, all they know of this legendary outlaw comes from what they have learned from these films. For others, like me, one of the many films served as merely an introduction to what would turn into a wonderful love affair. Whatever category you may fall into, I doubt there is anyone who hasn’t seen at least one incarnation of the legend brought to film.

My introduction to Robin Hood came at an early age through the Disney animated classic. I absolutely loved this movie as a child. Who am I kidding – I still love this movie. It is full of fun songs (sing-a-long in the comments?), tons of laughs, some rather tense moments, and some iconic moments from the legend. When I was a little girl I would put a blanket over my head and pretend I was Maid Marian, usually acting out her scenes along with the movie. While not the most authentic telling of the story, this movie was a perfect introduction and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Two of the most well known Robin Hood films are the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn and the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner. I love both of these movies. Neither one of them is a perfect representation of the legend, but they are both great films that tell a moving and entertaining story that captures the heart of what Robin Hood is about. One of my favorite Robin Hood films is actually a parody of these two more serious films. I am of course talking about the 1993 Mel Brooks film Robin Hood: Men in Tights starring Cary Elwes. This movie never fails to make me laugh no matter what age I am when viewing it.

My absolute, hands down favorite film version of Robin Hood, however, is not a big screen movie, but a television series. I am referring to the BBC series that ran from 2006-2009 and starred Jonas Armstrong as Robin. I had always loved the story of Robin Hood, but it was not until I experienced this series that that love turned to a passion that rivaled my passion for the Arthurian legend. The show pulled from the more modern take on the legend that places Robin as the Earl of Huntingdon who is outlawed when he takes a stand against the corruption that has overtaken England upon his return from the crusades.

Accompanied by his ever faithful sidekick Much, Robin takes to the forest of Sherwood where he eventually joins with Little John, Will Scarlett, and Allan a Dale among others. One of my favorite things about this show are the relationships between the characters, good and bad. From the friendships between Robin and his men, to the interactions between Robin and the Sheriff or Robin and Guy of Gisborne, to the incredible chemistry between Robin and Marian, this show is firmly based in its characters and their stories. The show is full of lighthearted humor as well as very powerful dramatic moments (The season 2 finale and season 3 series finale left me sobbing for hours after they had finished. I am not exaggerating.) This is one of those series that I want to watch over and over, and thanks to a certain Christmas gift I can.

There are many, many more Robin Hood films than the ones that I have mentioned, including the more recent version starring Russell Crowe, but these are the ones that had the biggest impact on me and my love for the legend. I look forward to whatever incarnations come out in the future and hope that some of them wow me as much as these have. The story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men is one that will always hold sway over my heart and call to me when I need an escape.

What are your favorite Robin Hood films? Do any of the ones I listed make your list? Are there any you love that I failed to mention? Let me know in the comments.

Robin Hood: A Story Transcribed

Today it is time for another installment in my series looking at Robin Hood. We have already looked at the possibility that the legend was inspired by a real person as well as the way the legend has evolved over the years, which has brought us to the half-way point of my series. These last two posts are going to look at the more modern incarnations of the legend beginning with those in written form. Let’s get to it.

A Story Transcribed

The past two centuries have seen the story of Robin Hood written and rewritten many times. Sometimes he gets a tale all his own and other times he is a background character in someone else’s story. He makes an appearance to young Wart in T.H. White’s Once and Future King and the characterization given to him by Walter Scott in Ivanhoe is often attributed as the basis for our current interpretation of his character. It is always fun to see our favorite outlaw make an unexpected appearance in another’s book, but it is even more fun to read a book that is his story to tell.

One of the most classic books of Robin Hood is Howard Pyle’s The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Pyle took many of the traditional stories and adventures of the famous outlaw and compiled them into cohesive narrative that is meant for children. This is one of the books that I actually own, though I haven’t exactly read all the way through it. Pyle uses a style of writing that I find very tedious to read for long periods of time, but it is great to pick up when I need a quick fix.

As can be inferred from the title, this story of Robin and his Merry Men focuses on their heroic adventures as they seek to resist corrupt authority and help those who are less fortunate. Pyle’s book came at a time when the image of Robin as a hero who steals from the rich to give to the poor was growing in popularity and it helped solidify that image into the modern canon.

Another trend that has cropped up in more recent times is to take a deeper look into the character of Maid Marian, often with the author focusing on her more than Robin. The first book I ever read that did this was Maid Marian by Elsa Watson. This was one of those books I stumbled upon at the library and decided to take a chance on. While it was certainly nothing groundbreaking, it was enjoyable and stayed true to many of the classic elements of the Robin Hood legend. The story was told from the perspective of Marian, who was not simply a passive damsel in distress. Even though she went to Robin for help, she was still a woman of action.

Robin McKinley took this idea of a strong Marian further in her book, The Outlaws of Sherwood. Once again McKinley took a much loved and well known story and flipped it on its head. In her version of Robin Hood he is actually the worst archer of the group and Marian proves to be an invaluable asset to him and his men. She is the ones who procures a longbow for him when he must flee to the forest, she provides the green cloth for their camouflaged clothing, she saves the lives of Robin and his men through her quick thinking and negotiation, and it is she, not Robin, who shoots to win the golden arrow.

My favorite version of the Robin Hood story that I have read to date is also the one that makes some of the most severe changes. In Stephen Lawhead’s King Raven Trilogy, Robin is not an outlaw living in the Sherwood Forest fighting against the evil Prince John who is trying to usurp his brother’s throne. Instead, Bran ap Brychan is a Welsh Prince who is forced to live in the Greenwood when Norman invaders steal his land and home. Even with the very different time and location, though, the heart of the story is true to the modern day legend we have grown to love and there are many familiar faces that crop up throughout.

There are many more books out there that tell the story of our heroic outlaw than I could ever read, but I will never stop trying. There is just something about Robin Hood that speaks to me – strikes a chord within me – and I will never tire of visiting him within the pages of a book.

What books about Robin Hood have you read? Which are your favorites? Least favorites? Let me know in the comments.

Robin Hood: The Evolution of a Legend

I suppose most of you are aware that today is Tuesday not Monday. Oops. The only excuse I have for not getting this post out on time is that these past few days have been one of those times where life just got in the way. I was going to get this post written and up yesterday when I got home from work – late, but still Monday – until I realized that I was so tired my brain was not functioning properly. So I made the decision to wait until I could write something decent and trust that you would forgive me for being a day late. You forgive me, right? *puts on irresistible “I’m sorry” face* Aw, thanks! You guys are the best! *hugs* Now that we got that out of the way, here is my post:

Two weeks ago I began a new series, this time looking at the legendary figure of Robin Hood. In that first post we explored whether or not the famous outlaw was based on a real person and, if so, who could he have been. This week we are going to look at the way his story has evolved over time to become the legend that we all know and love.

The Evolution of a Legend

Like any good myth or legend, the tale of Robin Hood has morphed over the centuries with each retelling. The Robin that we are familiar with today is not the Robin who was originally passed down through grand oral tradition. In the earliest ballads – such as “Robin Hood and the Monk”, “Robin Hood and the Potter”, “Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne”, and most notably “A Gest of Robin Hood” – there are very few similarities to the actual person of Robin Hood that we now know and love.

Robin was originally described as a yeoman. While there is some uncertainty as to what exactly this term meant for Robin since it was a word used for several different types of men, it is clear that he was not the noble he later becomes. This early version of Robin was also a lot more violent; it was nothing for him to kill those who got in his way or behead his enemies. He would even pick fights with his friends, which at this time included the familiar names of Little John, Will Scarlet, and Much the Miller’s Son.

Another interesting difference between this early Robin Hood and the one of today is that he was not the head of a great uprising and he did not steal from the rich to give to the poor. He mostly stole money from those he saw as corrupting the church. Robin was a devout Catholic in these early ballads and tended to target bishops, abbots, sheriffs, and other figures that he saw as corrupt. And while there are instances of Robin helping out the poor and being generous to those he comes across, overthrowing social order was in no way his original goal.

By the 15th Century, Robin Hood had become an integral part of the May Day celebrations, often being labeled as the King and being heavily featured in plays and processions. It is through these May Games that the characters of Friar Tuck and Maid Marian are believed to have been introduced. Tuck appears in a play called “Robin Hood and the Friar”, but Marian has a more interesting introduction to the legend. The character of Marian was orginially from a French pastoral play called Jeu de Robin et Marion, but this Robin was not Robin Hood. When her character became a part of the May Games where Robin Hood already had such a presence the two characters were gradually melded into the same story.

With the violence and less than honorable actions of the early Robin Hood it is unsurprising that he was not always looked upon favorably by all. As people sought to improve his reputation changes began to creep into the story. This is when he began to be known as a friend to the poor and as someone who spoke up for social injustice. By the 16th Century, Robin had been turned into a noble and found his permanent home in Sherwood during the time of Richard the Lionheart.

During the 17th and 18th centuries many new ballads were written about the outlaw and his Merry Men. Origin stories for the characters were created and a new character found his way into the canon: Alan a Dale. During this period the old stories were also modified and became more campy with Robin almost always being bested by the tradesman he is fighting and then asking that man to join his band of Merry Men.

It is always fascinating to look at the ways legends have changed over time. In the case of Robin Hood some of those changes have been quite drastic. The basic elements – his outlaw status and archery skills – were always there, but his character and moral code, parts of him which we now take for granted as basic canon, were not. I am sure as time goes on and there continues to be change in social and political practices, the story of Robin Hood will continue to change as well. He is a character that stands for justice against corruption, and as that ideal changes with the times, so to will its hero.

What parts of the Robin Hood legend were you familiar with? Did you know of his less than noble beginnings? What are your favorite pieces of the legend? Least favorite? Let me know in the comments.

For further reading, visit this website.

Robin Hood: The Man Beneath the Hood

As I mentioned before, my series looking at some of the characters from Harry Potter has concluded and today I am going to be starting a new series. I had an idea for what I wanted this next series to be about, but recent events have caused me to change my mind. In light of the fabulous recurve bow I received for Christmas and my newfound archery skills, I have decided to do a series on the most famous archer there is: Robin Hood.

The Man Beneath the Hood

I doubt there is anyone who has not heard the name Robin Hood and some version of his story. Over the centuries his story has morphed and grown with each retelling. Today, most of us know him as a noble turned outlaw who lived in the Sherwood forest where he and his merry men would steal from the rich to give to poor. But how much of the legend is true? Did Robin Hood really exist and if so who was he?

Historians and scholars have been seeking the answers to these questions for years and none have been able to come up with any definitive answers. One of the earliest written records of a candidate for the famous outlaw comes from the year 1225. In an assize from York there is an entry for a Robert Hod, fugitive who had chattels worth 32 shillings and 6 pence. This same entry is included later with the addition of the nickname “Hobbehod”. Other than the name and the fact that he was an outlaw, there is nothing to connect Robert to the Robin Hood of legend.

Most of the other records of men with names that could be considered a variation of Robin Hood have something else that seems to disqualify them. Many of them were not actual outlaws and others appeared at a time too late to be considered serious candidates. There is evidence that the name Robin Hood was symbolic of outlaws as early as 1261 when an outlaw by the name of William son of Robert le Fevere is referred to in an official document as William Robehod. There are even some who believe that the name was never anything more than a symbol that various outlaws wore as a mantle. If he was a real man, though, the account of William Robehod seems to support the idea that he was around during the time of King Richard and Prince John or an even earlier time in history.

I am certainly no historical scholar, but it seems to me that if Robin Hood was based on a real person it was probably a compilation of multiple people. Thankfully, the people who are actual historical scholars agree with me. Score one for me.

There was a man named Hereward the Wake who was an outlaw in the time of William the Conqueror and fought against the Normans. Two centuries later Eustace the Monk left the monastery and became an outlaw. He began his career in the forest, but later moved to the Channel where he led a fleet of pirates. Around the same time as Eustace one of the more interesting candidates came on the scene.

Fulk fitz Warrin was a baron from Shropshire who had been a childhood playmate of Prince John. Beginning in the year 1200 he spent three years living as an outlaw in the forest after which time he was pardoned. It seems, though, that Fulk enjoyed the life of rebellion. In the year 1215 he left the king’s peace and joined the rebellion of barons who supported the Magna Carta.

On the surface, these three men may seem to have very little to do with Robin Hood, but there are many parallels between some of the things they are reported to have done and the stories of Robin Hood. Things like adopting the same disguises as Robin, such as a potter, and rewarding those waylaid for displays of honesty can be attributed to these men. It is also speculated that the idea of the displaced noble could have stemmed from Fulk.

There are many other names throughout the centuries that have been claimed by some to be connected to legendary outlaw. Whether or not any of them are the actual inspiration for the legend is not yet known, but it is fascinating to look through the possible candidates. And who knows, maybe one day the crucial piece of evidence will be found that definitively ties one of these men, or someone we don’t even know about yet, to the outlaw of Sherwood forest.

What are your thoughts on the search for the real Robin Hood? Do you believe he was a real person or a compilation of people? Or do you think that he was never anything more than a symbol with no historical counterpart? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.