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.

A Nerd Fantasy Becomes a Reality

My long time love affair with all things fantasy and historical has resulted in me having a strange fascination with archery. From Robin Hood to the elves in Lord of the Rings to battles fought in ancient times, archery has become romanticized in my mind. It was natural, then, for it to play a significant role in my own writing. Armed with the excuse that it was research for my novel I began to learn everything I could about archery. I researched the different types of bows, the parts of arrows, which peoples in history utilized each kind, how far each bow could shoot, the proper technique for shooting – I learned it all. And my fingers began to itch for my very own bow.

Somehow I was blessed with an amazing husband who pays attention to the strange things that his nerdy wife wants and, even more impressive, encourages the pursuit of those strange desires. So what does he do? He gets me my very own recurve bow for Christmas!

After I opened it he told me that all of our friends thought he was crazy when he told them what he had gotten me. No one believed that I really wanted it – they thought it was really a gift he wanted for himself. It hasn’t taken long for everyone to realize how wrong their assumptions were. Of course, when everyone finds out why I wanted a bow they laugh and look at me as though I have grown a second head. I guess people still don’t realize what a true and utter nerd I am.

I have now been out a few times to shoot and I love it even more than I could have imagined. My husband set up a shooting range for us (he has since gotten a compound bow) in a fenced off wooded area on his parent’s property. It’s incredible. I feel like I am in Sherwood forest or Lothlorien when I am out there.

I haven’t gotten to shoot nearly as often as I would like, but enough that I have learned the importance of proper technique, such as keeping the arm holding the bow slightly bent.

After about an hour of shooting I was already getting a blister on one of my fingers and had popped myself on the arm with the bow string, so we went to buy me some protection. I got a nice arm guard and a special glove that would protect the three fingers I use to shoot. With my new protection I was ready to go. Apparently I was also tired. I started locking my arm with the result of popping myself on the inner edge of my elbow – an area not protected – four times. It hurt. Badly.

The next time I went out I made sure to always keep my arm slightly bent and I made it through nearly two hours of shooting without once popping myself. Yay me! And, even better, I was already improving. I still can’t hit the specific spot I’m aiming for, but at least I am starting to hit the target nearly every time – even if it is only from ten yards. Hey, I’ll take it. I gotta start somewhere, right?

Needless to say, I have a new obsession hobby. I can not wait until the next time I can get out there and pretend that I am Maid Marian or Arwen. Now all I need is a sword and shield.

Have you ever tried archery? Do you have any strange things that you are interested in (or normal things for strange reasons)? Let me know in the comments.

There was a bee. I swear!

I’m getting better