Who is the author of Robin Hood? Robin Hood: did the “noble robber” really exist?

Sergey Lvov

He spent his life in the forest. Barons, bishops and abbots feared him. He was loved by peasants and artisans, widows and the poor. (From ancient chronicles.)

This is how they talk about his death. One day, a glorious archer felt that his hands did not have enough strength to pull the bowstring, and his legs were having difficulty walking along the usual forest path. And then he realized: old age was approaching...
He went to the monastery, whose abbess was known as a skilled healer, and asked to treat him. The nun pretended to be delighted by his arrival, cordially escorted the stranger to a distant cell, carefully laid him on the bed, and with a sharp knife opened a vein in his powerful arm (bloodletting was then considered a good remedy for many ailments). And, saying that she would return immediately, she left.
Time passed slowly. The blood flowed faster. But the nun still did not return. Night has come. Dawn came after the night, and then the shooter realized that he had become a victim of betrayal. Above the head of his bed was a window into the forest. But the bleeding man no longer had enough strength to reach the window. There was barely enough breath in my chest to last time blow a curved hunting horn. A faint, trembling sound of horns sounded across the forest. A faithful friend heard the calling signal. In alarm, he hurried to help.
Late! No one could have saved the shooter. So are the enemies who long years They did not know how to defeat Robin Gul either in a hot battle or in a stubborn duel, and they tormented him with black betrayal.
The ancient historian names the year and day when this happened: November 18, 1247.
Several centuries have passed. Wars began and ended. The shortest lasted several days, the longest - a hundred years. Devastating epidemics swept through the cities and villages of England. Uprisings broke out. Kings came and went on the throne. People were born and died, generations replaced generations.
However, a stormy series of events, as they liked to say in ancient books, could not erase the name of Robin Hood from the memory of the English.
One day, it was about two hundred and fifty years ago, a heavy carriage slowly drove into a small town near London. The carriage was elegant and luxurious: only the most important people of the kingdom traveled in such. Indeed, an important gentleman was sitting in the carriage: the Bishop of London himself! He came to the town to read a sermon to the townspeople. While the carriage was traveling from the city gates to the church square, the bishop managed to notice that the town seemed to have died out. The bishop was not surprised by this. This means that the rumor of his arrival preceded the carriage, and the townspeople hurried to the church: they do not often see and hear his Eminence. And he habitually imagined how he would get out of the carriage, how he would slowly ascend the steps of the temple through the respectfully parting crowd... But the church square was empty. There was a heavy lock on the church doors.
The bishop stood for a long time in the empty square, turning purple with anger and trying to maintain a dignified appearance befitting his rank and solemn vestments, which was not at all easy in front of a locked door.
Finally, a passer-by, hurrying not to go to church, said to the bishop as he walked:
“Sir, you are waiting in vain, we are celebrating Robin Hood’s day today, the whole city is in the forest, and there will be no one in the church.”
There are different stories about what happens next. Some say that the bishop got into the carriage and returned to London, uttering in his mind words that bishops do not usually utter. Others claim that he went to the city meadow, where the townspeople, dressed in green caftans, depicted scenes from the life of Robin Hood, and joined the spectators.
What kind of life was this? Why is the memory of her preserved for centuries? Why could an entire city remember Robin Hood for many hours in a row and think only about him?
What do you know about Robin Hood, except those pages of Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe", where he is depicted under the name of the brave yeoman, free peasant Loxley?
Robin Hood has two biographies. One is very short. Scientists have collected it bit by bit in ancient chronicles. From this biography you can learn that Robin Hood was ruined by rich enemies and fled from them to Sherwood Forest, a dense and dense bowl that stretched for many tens of miles. Runaways like him joined him. He united them under his command into a formidable detachment of “forest brothers” and soon became the real ruler of Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood and his archers, numbering more than a hundred, hunted forbidden royal game, feuded with rich monasteries, robbed passing Norman knights, helped the persecuted and the poor.
The authorities announced a reward for the capture of Robin Hood many times. But not a single peasant into whose hut he entered, not a single “forest brother” was seduced by these promises.
That's all, or almost all, that historians know about Robin Hood.
The second biography of Robin Hood is much more detailed. From it you can learn how he first encountered the royal foresters and how this meeting ended; how he met the fugitive monk - Brother Tuck - and Little John, who became his assistants, and how Robin Hood won archery competitions, how he was at enmity with the Sheriff of Nottingham, who oppressed the peasants, how he refused to serve King Richard the Lionheart.
Where is all this and more about Robin Hood recorded? Not in historical works, but in folk songs - ballads, as literary historians call them.
They were composed throughout England over many centuries. The author of these songs was the people, and the performers were traveling singers. Songs about Robin Hood were overgrown with various details, several small songs merged into one or one large one broke up into several small ones... The singers who sang these ballads, if they knew how to write, wrote down the words of the song and, for a fee, gave them to those who wished to copy them. And when the first printing houses appeared in England, songs about Robin Hood began to be printed. At first these were separate sheets with prints of songs. They were eagerly bought up by residents of cities and villages, who celebrated Robin Hood Day once a year in the summer.
It was in these songs that the second biography of Robin Hood gradually took shape. In it he is the way the people imagined him. If the ancient Latin chronicle claims that Robin Hood was a nobleman, then the folk song decisively calls him the son of a peasant. The ordinary people of England began to consider the legendary biography of Robin Hood as his real biography. For many decades and even centuries, everything that was told about Robin Hood in songs was believed by the British as an immutable historical fact.
There is interesting evidence for this. One of the oldest ballads tells how Robin Hood, as a fifteen-year-old youth, went to the city of Nottingham for an archery competition. Halfway there, the royal foresters stopped him and began to mock him. “Will this boy, who can barely bend his own bow, dare to appear in front of the king in a competition!” - they exclaimed. Robin Hood made a bet with them that he would hit the target within a hundred feet, and won the bet. But the royal foresters not only did not pay him for his winnings, but also threatened to beat him if he dared to show up at the competition.
Then Robin Hood, as the ballad enthusiastically reports, shot all the mockers with his bow. The people did not like the royal foresters, who did not allow the poor man to collect brushwood in the forest, much less hunt forest game or fish in forest streams and rivers. Not liking the royal foresters, folk singers sang this ballad with delight.
And so in April 1796, that is, five centuries after Robin Hood lived, a message appeared in one of the English magazines. Here it is: “When workmen were digging in a garden in Coxlane, near Nottingham, a few days ago, they came across six human skeletons, which lay close to each other, in a neat row. It is believed that this is part of the fifteen forest rangers who were killed by Robin Hood."
One can imagine how the magazine publisher asked the author of the note: “Are you sure that these are the same skeletons?” And the author answered, as journalists of all times answer: “Well, let’s write in the word “supposed” for caution.” But neither the author nor the publisher thought of doubting that Robin Hood really fought with the royal foresters on the road to the glorious city of Nottingham : after all, this is what is sung about in ballads!
Why Robin Hood became a favorite hero folk songs? To answer this question, we may have to remind you of what you learned in history lessons: in 1066, England was captured by the Normans led by William the Conqueror. They took away land, houses and property from the indigenous population of England - the Saxons - and imposed their laws on them with fire and sword. An ancient historian names Robin Hood as one of those who were robbed of their land.
Enmity between the old and new rulers continued two centuries later. Do you remember what place the enmity between Saxon and Norman nobles occupies in Walter Scott's book "Ivanhoe"? However, the Saxon nobles soon made peace with the conquerors. But the songs about Robin Hood were not forgotten. They were sung by the detachments of peasants who rebelled under the leadership of Watt Tyler. The people felt in their hearts: the struggle of Robin Hood, glorified in songs, is not only the struggle of the Saxons against the Normans, but in general the struggle of the people against the oppressors.
I'm leafing through an old book that contains ballads about Robin Hood one after another. Here is a ballad about how Robin Hood fought with his other worst enemy- the knight Guy Guysbourne and how, having defeated him and dressed in his attire - and you need to know that Guy Guysbourne always wore a tanned horse skin over his armor - he again outwitted the Sheriff of Nottingham. Here is the ballad "Robin Hood and the Bishop", which tells how Robin Hood took out his anger against the church on the bishop. Here is a ballad about how Robin Hood saved the three sons of a poor widow - and in each of these ballads he is always the same: brave in battle, faithful in friendship, a joker, a merry fellow, a mocker, an ageless folk hero.
I told you about Robin Hood, as he was portrayed in folk ballads, and now you yourself can see how Walter Scott changed this image when he brought him to Ivanhoe.
In Walter Scott, Yeoman Loxley, the name under which Robin God is written in the novel, becomes Richard's faithful assistant. Robin Hood, as his people praised him, refused to serve King Richard the Lionheart.
People remember Robin Hood exactly as he was sung in ancient folk songs. And this is the immortality of Robin Hood.

Drawings by P. Bunin.

Most famous character medieval epic - noble robber Robin Hood. What is the legend about? This article outlines summary. Robin Hood, in addition, is a personality who has aroused the interest of historians and inspired prose writers and poets for several centuries. The article also provides works of art, dedicated to the leader of the forest robbers.

Ballads of Robin Hood

A summary of the poetic work of Scottish folklorist Robert Burns can be summarized in a few sentences. The work of the eighteenth-century poet, which is based on a medieval legend, should be read in the original. Burns' legend is an example of poetic romanticism. The main role here is played not by the plot, but by literary language. Nevertheless, we will present a brief summary.

Robin Hood lived against fate. He was called a thief only because he did not let others steal. He was a robber, but he did not harm a single poor person. Little John once started a conversation with Robin about his duties in the gang. He, of course, ordered the inexperienced robber to rob the moneybags.

It's time for lunch. However, the gang leader was not used to eating at his own expense. Therefore, he ordered John to go off to fulfill his noble robber duty.

The young member of the gang did everything as his mentor taught. However, the victim of the robbery turned out to be an impoverished knight, who had once taken a large loan from the abbot. Robin Hood helped the poor man, providing him with armor and everything else necessary to fulfill his knightly duty. The first song tells this story. In the following chapters we're talking about about other glorious exploits of Robin.

The most popular is the version of the writer and historian Walter Scott. Based on medieval legend, the Scottish author created the novel Ivanhoe. The work is known all over the world. It has been filmed more than once. Therefore, it is more important to analyze the image of the famous robber in the interpretation of the Scottish author than to present a brief summary.

Robin Hood in the prose of Walter Scott

The novel depicts an era of conflict between the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons. According to Scott's version, Robin Hood lived in the second half of the twelfth century. According to critics, best chapters This adventure work is dedicated to the struggle of people's liberators against the arbitrariness of power. Robin Hood's squad performs glorious feats in the novel. People's liberators storm the castle of Front de Boeuf. And the servants of the Norman feudal lord are unable to resist its onslaught.

The image of Robin Hood in Scott's work symbolizes not only justice, but also freedom, strength, and independence.

Based on the legends about the just robber, he wrote two novels. The French prose writer significantly changed the canonical history. What can you learn by reading the summary?

"Robin Hood - King of Thieves", like other classic works, is gripping prose. The novel in question also has an unexpected ending. How is Robin Hood depicted in the work of the French writer?

In the book, Robin is surrounded, as expected, by loyal friends. Among them is John Malyutka. But French writer paid attention not only to the exploits of the fearless robber. Robin Hood in Dumas's novel can also be called lyrical hero. He flirts with women. But at the same time he remains faithful to his beloved.

In the novel about Robin Hood, the heroes are either positive or negative. This is due to the author's style and romantic stories born in medieval era. However, Dumas' version is an unfinished story. The continuation is set out in the book “Robin Hood in Exile.”

In Russian prose

Russian writers also dedicated works of art to the noble leader of the forest robbers. One of them is Mikhail Gershenzon (“Robin Hood”).

A summary of the story about the beloved hero of the English people in any version is a presentation of an ancient legend. Robin Hood is a character with fearlessness, nobility, and a keen sense of justice. The interpretation of this or that author differs in its system of images and interpretation of historical events. The image of the main character remains unchanged.

The story of Robin Hood was probably extremely close in spirit to Gershenzon. The writer died during the Great Patriotic War. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, he died on the battlefield “a completely Robin Hood death.”

Robin Hood is a hero whose story will always inspire writers and filmmakers. It doesn't matter how true the stories in the books about him are. The important thing is that the hero's image represents an example of honor, courage and self-sacrifice.

Most of us know the legend of the noble robber Robin Hood. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor, whom the rich robbed. In any legend there is some truth and a lot of fiction. The legend of Robin Hood is no different in this sense. Scientists have long been trying to understand who was the prototype of this folk hero. Over the entire period of studying this issue, several common versions have emerged. Let's figure it out.

Robin Dobry Maly

Let's start a little unconventionally and from afar, namely with the folklore of the Saxons and Scandinavians - more precisely, with the forest spirit Puck, or Peck, or Pook ( English Puck), who in England itself is called Hob ( English Hob). The folklore of the Saxons is important here, since part of this ancient Germanic tribe participated in the formation of the ethnic composition of the population of the British Isles. The Scandinavians also participated, but later, starting with the era of the Norman Conquest of England 1066-1072.

Actually, Puck is a forest spirit who scares people and makes them wander through the thickets. And if in Scandinavian folklore Puck is a creature associated more with evil, then for the British he is a joker and a spoiler, a trickster (he can either help or harm). Rudyard Kipling in Tales of Old England described him as an elf dressed all in green. In addition to the colors of clothing (Robin Hood wore a green cloak/cape with a pointed hood) and dual behavior (a robber, but a good robber), there is also a similarity in the name, since the English call Puck, or Hob, also by the name Robin Goodfellow - Robin the Good Fellow . One might assume that at some stage Hob “incarnated” himself into the character of the Robin Hood legend, but this is not entirely true.

Historical prototypes

The most common version of Robin Hood is the one in which the robber is a contemporary of King Richard I the Lionheart (second half of the 12th century). This is reported in a chronicle of the 16th century. But there is a nuance here - the famous episode from the legend of Robin Hood, which describes his participation in archery competitions. The fact is that such competitions in England began to be held no earlier than the 13th century. However, nothing prevented this story from becoming a legend right away.

Other information relating to 1261 tells us about a certain robber Robin, who ruled the forests of England at that time. There is also evidence according to which Robert Goad (Hood or Hod) was born in 1290, lived in the era of Edward II, at the age of 32 he found himself in the service of the Earl of Lancaster, who was defeated during the uprising he raised against the king, and his servants were declared outlaw. To avoid justice, Robert went to Sherwood Forest, where he gathered a band of robbers with the aim of extorting money from the rich. There is a record about this same Robert that he worked for several months at the court of Edward II - the legend beautifully played out this episode, building its own chronological sequence of events. Robert died in 1346 in the Kirkley monastery from a serious illness.

It turns out that the fact of the existence of the famous robber (or several) is documented and dates back to the 13th-14th centuries. But did he and his gang really live up to the image that popular rumor created?

Daniel Maclise. Robin Hood and his men entertain Richard the Lionheart in Sherwood Forest

It seems not, but most likely not at all. Even if he helped the poor, this is not recorded in any document. He did not know the girl Marian (Robin's legendary lover). Marian found herself in the legend of a noble robber from a 13th-century French poem, where she plays the role of the shepherd Robin's girlfriend. Monk Tuk, a drinker, a merry fellow and an unsurpassed stick-fighter, is either a completely fictional character, or his prototype was real priest one local church, who in reality created his own band of robbers and lived in the XIV-XV centuries. Robin Hood's faithful friend Little John, whose grave was opened in 1784, was indeed a very tall man. But he was not a merry fellow at all. On the contrary, he is stern, touchy and capable of brutal murders.

It turns out that the real prototype that formed the basis of the legend about the noble robber Robin Hood and his gang did exist. But people in those harsh times wanted a “ray of light” so much that it collective image turned out to be completely unrecognizable...

“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 a very 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 care 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 Highway, laid by the Romans and connecting the capital 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, robbery big roads was one of the calling cards of England in the Middle Ages, the authorities were able to finally deal with it only early XIX V.

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.

IN folk ballads oh they mention Robin Hood 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 the light hand of Walter Scott, the 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 a 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 the gang fairy-tale creatures. This is not the only circumstance that connects the legend of the Sherwood robber with pre-Christian tradition. For example, in one of the ballads about Robin it is stated that there are not twelve months in a year (as in the church calendar), but 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 in early XIII V. In 1226 he fled from justice, and all his property, total cost 32 shillings and 6 pence, 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 more 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 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 possible prototypes Robin Hood had nothing 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 from the 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 boys" 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 the right hand of 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 pretty cruel person: Once he 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. Since 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 Scarlet's real name was Gamwell and that he was the nephew of Robin Hood. 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. Usually Tuk is 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 Tuck 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 Tuck is a collective image that combines 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, the character named Marian has as long a history as Robin Hood himself.

Maid Marian was originally one of the central figures at 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 good guys In the legends about Robin Hood, everyone is entirely robbers, poachers and their accomplices, but the guardians of law and order inevitably ended up playing 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.

Sheriff - actor 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. It's skillful and brave warrior, excellent at fighting with swords and good at shooting with a bow. 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 is 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 a man who has returned to England after crusade and the captivity of King Richard 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.

The Dark Side of 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, city authorities made Official statement, in which Marian, Friar Took, Alan-a-Dale and Will Scarlet were declared to be fictional characters. Little John was recognized historical figure, however, 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 support his case, 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 traits, 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 saw the light famous novel Walter Scott"Ivanhoe." In this novel, Robin Hood is the leader of a detachment of Saxons fighting against the Norman knights who oppress them. We can say that the modern image of Robin Hood owes its appearance to Walter Scott. He did not ignore the noble robber and Alexandr Duma, who wrote the adventure novels “Robin Hood: King of Robbers” and “Robin Hood in Exile.”

IN Victorian era the legend of Robin Hood has been 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 dark forest». 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 from 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.

Didn't stand aside Russian writers. 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 mostly 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 characteristics into their characters. For example, the forest robber John Vengeance for All from Black Arrow is very reminiscent of Robin Hood. Robert Louis Stevenson.

Screen life 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 movies about the Sherwood robber, but also about 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 loyalty to her monastic vows and her love for Robin, ends up killing her lover and then committing suicide.

In 1991, Sean Connery again starred in a 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 Robin Hood’s 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. Main villain in Robin of Sherwood - the powerful sorcerer Baron de Belham. And there are two main positive heroes 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 the occupied civil war 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.

A 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.

Everyone knows stories about Robin Hood. For some it is a beautiful legend, for others it is a real character. Stories about Robin Hood are covered with a touch of romance and legend.

However, it is safe to say that Robin Hood really existed. He was first remembered in 1377 in a ballad about a forest robber - the enemy of the rich and the defender of the oppressed. Around 1510, a pamphlet was published that told the story, and according to it, Robin Hood met the king. He pretended that he did not recognize his sovereign, and he invited the daredevil to serve the crown. Since then, more and more new versions about the exploits of the public defender began to appear, and each of the authors put more and more data into their stories, not always taking into account the facts.

And Robin Hood in every one new version increases his status in society - from a land-poor peasant to the Earl of Huntington. However, all legends agree on one thing - the noble robber deployed active work, when the central government fought for powers with the local one.

The name of the man who became the prototype for folk legends was Robert Hood. He was a native of Wakefield in Yorkshire and was born around 1280. He had a wife, Matilda, served in the royal army during the battles with the Scots and supported the Duke of Lancaster in his war with King Edward the Second.

After the general battle lost by his patron around 1322, the future hero of legends went underground. He created his own partisan detachment and continued the war with royal power. And, of course, he fought against the Sheriff of Nottingham, without sparing the clergy.

Both the sheriff and his sworn enemy were constantly captured by each other, but, oddly enough, they separated peacefully. It seems that both opponents agreed among themselves on the division of powers between the center and local authorities. Soon the king himself arrived at the head of Sherwood Forest for negotiations. And only after this Robert Hood agreed to disband his troops, accepting the post of bedmaster offered by his sovereign. This was a fairly high post, giving direct access to the king.

However, Good soon left London and returned back to his native forests. Punitive expeditions were constantly sent against him. He managed to defeat several detachments. One of these detachments was led by the Norman knight Sir Guy of Gisborne. After the victory, Robert Hood cut off this knight's head and impaled it on a stake. The same fate befell the Sheriff of Nottingham.

After this, it was no longer possible to stay in England, and the forest robber tried to sail away. But he was out of luck - the storm brought him back to shore. After this, Robin Hood was sheltered in his castle by one of the barons hostile to the king. However, he could not fight with the state. After several defeats by government forces, the legendary partisan became seriously ill and went to a convent in Kirkless for treatment. The local abbess sheltered the fugitive and began to treat him. For medicinal purposes, she bled her patient, but forgot to stop it.

After this, the deceased robber was buried not far from the abbey. Rumor has it that in the nineteenth century tombstone from Hood's grave they were allowed to use rubble for the local railway.

Many researchers are not too clear why ROBIN Hood is so popular. For example, the abuse of the sheriff and Sir Gisborne does not look very attractive. In addition, his constant conflicts with the king look illogical, when Robin himself could become part of the government. There are even versions that he had an unconventional sexual orientation, because of which conflicts arose with the church.

It is quite possible that such a tough position of Robin Hood is associated with increased royal power. At the local level, this same authority was represented by sheriffs. They headed county councils, managed royal property, collected taxes and led armies on campaigns. Of course, the sheriffs had conflicts with local lords and yeomen.

At the beginning of the thirteenth century, under pressure from the barons, one of the most unfortunate kings, John the Landless, was forced to sign the Magna Carta. And it was called Great not only because of its historical significance, but also because of the scope of rights and freedoms that its subjects were endowed with. According to one of the clauses, if the king violated the charter, the barons had the right to revolt, which should not end in the death of the king or members of his family.

However, almost immediately John the Landless began to break his promises, which led to a new uprising. Under Edward the First, Magna Carta was amended to prohibit the central government from collecting taxes without the consent of the entire English community. Nevertheless, Edward II strengthened his power by limiting all liberties of citizens. This led to unrest and forced Robert Hood to go into the forests.

Robin Hood was not the only one who demanded that the authorities fulfill their promises, but it was he who was remembered as the people's defender.