What did Robin Hood fight for? Robin Hood: did the “noble robber” really exist?

Robin Hood doesn't owe his name to English word"good", that is, "good", as Russian readers usually think. The most common belief is that he got his nickname from “hood,” that is, a hood or other headdress. Robin Hood - Robin in the hood.

A character from English folklore, a skilled archer and warrior from Sherwood Forest who robs the rich and distributes his loot to the poor. Interestingly, this trait was not part of original character ballads and appeared only in the 19th century. It is unknown whether the legend of the noble robber had real prototype or it was based only on medieval ballads and tales, but over the past centuries Robin Hood has become one of the most popular elements English culture, and the story about him feels great in the age of cinema and television.

Robin Hood owes his name not to the English word “good,” that is, “good,” as Russian readers usually believe. The most common belief is that he got his nickname from “hood,” that is, a hood or other headdress. Robin Hood - Robin in the hood. Attempts to connect this name with a real person have led nowhere, in particular because Robert has been one of the most popular names in England over the past ten centuries, and Robin is perhaps the most popular diminutive version of it. . It is not surprising that in medieval records there were many people named Robert or Robin Hood, and some of them were indeed criminals - but not so famous or significant as to contribute to the birth of the legend.

Robin Hood is accompanied by a squad of loyal companions, all of whom live in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, where the action of the first Robin ballads and modern films and television films mainly takes place. In the earliest accounts he was a yeoman gone into the woods, a free peasant, but later he was often portrayed as an exiled aristocrat, unjustly deprived of his possessions due to the machinations of an unscrupulous sheriff. The Forest Archer is often called Robin of Loxley - he is believed to have been born in this village near Sheffield, but this version dates from the late 16th century, while there are earlier versions of his birthplace, such as the village of Skelough in South Yorkshire (Skellow, South Yorkshire), which has been associated with the name of Robin Hood since 1422.

The first reference to the poems about Robin Hood dates from the end of the 14th century, but the ballads themselves were written down only in the 15th and 16th centuries, and already in them Robin Hood has all his main features - he comes from the common people, worships the Virgin Mary, enjoys increased attention among women, he is a skilled archer, cannot stand clergymen and is at enmity with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Little John, Will Scarlet and Much the Miller's Son have already appeared in Robin's squad, but there is still no mention of Maid Marian and the cheerful monk Friar Tuck Tuck - they will appear a little later. In popular culture, Robin Hood is considered a contemporary and supporter of King Richard the Lionheart, that is, he lives in England in the 12th century.

Interestingly, the first ballads give readers a few details to determine the time of action, such as King Edward, for example, but ballads, of course, cannot be considered reliable in such matters historical source. Moreover, there were several kings with this name - King Edward I ascended the throne in 1272, and Edward III died in 1377. Since the 16th century, Robin Hood "becomes" a nobleman, usually considered the Earl of Huntingdon, and this version is still very popular today.

In any case, Robin Hood is a model for any noble robber. He collects tribute from wealthy merchants, knights or high-ranking clerics who were not lucky enough to meet him in Sherwood Forest, offering them to dine on juicy venison, obtained, of course, by poaching. True, the payment for such a dinner is usually the “guest’s” wallet. There are exceptions to the rules - in one of the ballads, Robin Hood invites a knight to dinner, intending to rob him completely, but upon learning that the knight is about to lose his land, which the greedy abbot has his eye on, he gives him enough money to pay debt to the abbot.

Robin Hood is young, tall, handsome and very intelligent, despite his simple origins. He and his men usually dress in green, which helps them hide in the dense forests. He has a sharp tongue, loves to joke, and can be quick-tempered and quick to kill. It is very interesting that in the ballads Robin holds his people in strict obedience, and, recognizing his supremacy, they kneel before him as before their lord - in medieval tales there is no hint of modern ideals of equality and brotherhood. Historians argue that the legend of Robin Hood was cultivated mainly among the gentry, the minor nobility, and it would be a mistake to see him as the embodiment of a peasant revolt. He does not so much rebel against the social standards of the Middle Ages as he embodies them - generous, moderately pious and courtly, despising greedy, effeminate and discourteous enemies. Although there are more than a hundred people in his squad of "Merry Men", only four or five of them, Robin's closest friends and associates, are regularly described in ballads.

At the latest, by the beginning of the 15th century, Robin Hood had become associated with the May holidays, and around the same time, Robin Hood's romantic attachment to Maid Marian (or Marion), who eventually became his lifelong friend, appeared in the sources. Marian is also portrayed as either a commoner or an heir to a noble family, and in modern culture it is believed that, in the end, Robin and Marian marry and leave the forest, returning to a rich and civilized life.

The Victorian era created its own Robin Hood - it was during this period that he became a philanthropist who robs the rich to give gifts to the poor - and the 20th century brought its own changes: from book to book, from film to film, Robin Hood turned from a cheerful robber to national hero epic scale, who not only takes care of the weak, but also bravely defends the English throne from unworthy and corrupt lords.

Scientists still do not agree on whether the robber Robin Hood actually existed. There is a version that the legends about the noble robber are echoes of ancient pagan cults of forest creatures. Proponents of this hypothesis cite as evidence one of the nicknames of the Celtic god Puck, who always walked with a retinue of not very kind spirits. This Puck was called Robin Goodfellow. However, today the mythological origin of Robin Hood is not taken seriously by most historians. The fifty legends and legends about the forest robber that have reached us do not contain anything fantastic. The images of Robin Hood and his associates are extremely down-to-earth, they are endowed with many features real people.

The period in which the Robin Hood legends originated is almost non-controversial. The first mention of people singing ballads about the terrible robber Robin Hood is found in a poem by William Langland dated 1377. So the ballads about Robin appeared, apparently, in the 14th century.

Strange as it may seem to the modern reader, neither the legendary Robin Hood nor his possible historical prototype There was no way they could have met Richard the Lionheart and even been contemporaries of the famous crusader king. The acquaintance of the robber and the monarch was invented in mid-18th century century, and was popularized by Walter Scott. The Scottish novelist did not care much about the historical accuracy of his books, but the power of his talent has been making readers believe that Robin Hood lived in the 12th century for 200 years. This opinion was “cemented” by numerous followers of Sir Scott, who forced Robin and Richard to meet on the pages of books, movie screens and computer monitors.

Robin Hood's Gang

In fact, Robin Hood could live and rob only at least a century after the reign of Richard. Only in the 13th century did archery competitions appear in England - an invariable feature of the ballads about Robin Hood. An active member of the Sherwood gang, Brother Tuck in legend is called a “friar,” that is, a member of a mendicant monastic order. Such orders appeared in England only a few decades after the death of Richard the Lionheart.

It turns out that if real Robin If Gud existed, he could have lived between the middle of the 13th and 14th centuries. Are there any contenders for the title of prototype of the Sherwood robber who lived at this time? It turns out there is, and more than one.

Most often, a certain Robert Hoad is named as the “real” Robin Hood. Some Russian-speaking supporters of this version, violating modern rules transcribers of English proper names prefer to write the surname Hode as "Goad" or even "Hood". But phonetic tricks as arguments in a historical dispute hardly look convincing. Nothing in Robert Hoad's biography indicates that he was interested in robbery.

Possible grave of Robin Hood

He was born in 1290 in the family of forester Adam Hoad, who lived near the town of Wakefield in northern England. In 1322, Earl Warren, master of Howde, joined the Duke of Lancaster's rebellion against King Edward. The rebellion was defeated, its leaders were executed, and ordinary participants were declared outlaws. Robert Hoad's house, where his wife Matilda was already raising several children, was confiscated by the authorities. In 1323, Edward II paid a visit to Nottingham, and a few months later the name of Robert Howde appeared on the lists of the king's servants for a couple of years. The Gazette, dated November 22, 1324, reads: “By order of His Majesty the King, that Robert Howde, ex-Guardsman, be given 5 shillings, in view of his no longer serving in the palace.” Houd died in 1346. This biography is easily combined with one of the ballads, in which Edward II, disguised as an abbot, visits Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, forgives all the robbers and takes them into his service. However, all this may be nothing more than a coincidence.

Even less is known about the other applicant for the title of Robin Hood prototype. The name of one Robin Hoad appears in the year 1226 in the court records of the city of York. It says that this person's property total cost 32 shillings and 6 pence were confiscated, and he himself was declared an outlaw. Further traces of Robin Hod are lost, and not necessarily in Sherwood Forest.

Finally, the third applicant is of noble origin. His name was Robert Fitzut, Earl of Huntington. The only reason for appointing a scion of an ancient family as the leader of a bandit gang is a gravestone near Kirklees Abbey, where, according to legend, Robin Hood died. The famous archer bequeathed to bury himself there, where will it fall the last arrow he shot from his bow. And then in the middle of the 18th century a sensation broke out: the grave of Robin Hood was found. A certain William Stukeley, a doctor, freemason and amateur historian, wrote in his book “Paleographica Britannica” that the Sherwood robber belonged to the family of the Earls of Huntington. As evidence, he cited an inscription on a grave near Kirklees Abbey. It read: “Here, under this little 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 criminals like him and his men again.”

Robin Hood and Little John

This stone can still be seen today, although it is located on private property. True, it is almost impossible to make out the inscription - it has been almost completely erased. The authenticity of it, and of the grave itself, was already in great doubt in the 19th century: the text was written not in Old English, but in the language of the 18th century, “aged” with the help of gross errors. The date of death at the end of the inscription aroused even greater suspicion: “24 cal: Dekembris, 1247.” If we use the Roman calendar format adopted in 13th-century England, we get “23 days before December.” No inscription with a similar spelling of the date is known. Modern scientists believe that both the inscription and the stone are fakes of the 18th century.

By the way, the origin of Robin Hood from the village of Loxley, which became especially popular after the film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” is not seriously considered by anyone. This name is not mentioned either in the ballads about Robin Hood, or in documents associated with its possible prototypes. Loxley was first mentioned as the birthplace of the Earl of Huntington by Joseph Wriston in 1795, defending the theory of the archer's noble origins. It is not clear what motivated him in doing so.

Sheriff of Nottingham

It is quite possible that Robin Hood does not have a specific known to historians prototype. Perhaps in the 13th century there lived in Sherwood Forest a cheerful and successful robber, of which there were many in England at that time. He helped peasants he knew several times, and the stories about this, growing with ever new details and conjectures, turned into folk legends. At least several of Robin Hood's friends and enemies known from the ballads have clearly legendary origins.

Of the entire Sherwood gang, only Little John left some material traces. The Derbyshire village of Heathersage proudly calls itself the birthplace of Robin Hood's closest friend. At the local cemetery they will readily show you his grave, albeit with a modern stone slab without indicating the date of death. When this burial was opened in 1784, they found the skeleton of a real giant. This convinced everyone that the grave was genuine: after all, John was nicknamed the Kid as a joke; according to legend, he was seven feet tall (213 centimeters). In court documents of the 14th century, it was also possible to find a mention of a certain John Le Little, who robbed people in the vicinity of Wakefield. But this can hardly be considered another proof of the reality of Little John’s existence, since nicknames given by height are not uncommon.

Robin Hood and Maid Marian, 1866. Painting by Thomas Frank Hafey

Traces of Robin Hood's remaining associates can only be found in folklore. Some of his friends don't appear in earlier versions legends, they became members of the gang already in the late Middle Ages. Around the same time, Robin Hood had a lover. Marian's name is not mentioned in folk ballads oh, but this character was traditionally present at folk May holidays as the May Queen. Somewhere in the 15th century, Robin Hood became the hero of these walks, usually held at the edge of the forest. How could you not make a wonderful couple? The rest is the work of writers and filmmakers.

The origin of Robin Hood's eternal opponents is also rather vague. The Sheriff of Nottingham, of course, existed, but none of the legends mention his name. So a dozen royal officials who took turns in this post for several centuries could have felt an acute personal hostility towards the Sherwood robber. The cruel knight Guy of Gisborne, who wore horse skin instead of a cloak, is a legendary figure. At the beginning of the millennium, there were separate legends about him, and at the end of the 15th century he appeared in the ballads about Robin Hood.

Bishop's oak

Who the heroes and anti-heroes of Sherwood Forest really were is known for certain today only by the huge oak tree standing in the thicket at the crossroads of major roads. It is more than a thousand years old; back in the 19th century, special supports had to be made for the huge branches. According to legend, it was under this giant that Robin Hood forced the captured bishop to dance. Since then, the tree has been called the Bishop's Oak. Whether this actually happened or not is a mystery.

Since childhood, Robin Hood has been and remains a hero for many (eng. Robin Hood (and not “good” - “good”; “hood” - “hood”, it means “to hide (cover with a hood)”), “robin" can be translated as “robin”) - the noble leader of forest bandits from medieval English folk ballads, according to them Robin Hood acted with his gang in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham - robbed the rich, giving the spoils to the poor.
The legend about the noble robber has lived for more than six centuries, but the identity of the prototype of these ballads and legends has not been established.
In William Langland's edition of Plowman Pierce (1377), there is a reference to "poems about Robin Hood". Langland's contemporary Geoffrey Chaucer in Troilus and Criseyde mentions "the hazel thicket where funny robin" Moreover, Gamelin's Tale, which was included by Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales, also features a robber hero.

Several real ones have been installed historical figures , which could serve as a prototype for the legendary Robin. In the census registers for 1228 and 1230 the name of Robert Hood, nicknamed Brownie, is listed as a fugitive from justice. Around the same time it arose popular movement under the leadership of Sir Robert Thwing, the rebels raided monasteries and distributed the looted grain to the poor. However, the name Robert Hood was quite common, so scientists are more inclined to believe that the prototype of Robin Hood was a certain Robert Fitzug, a contender for the title of Earl of Huntingdon, who was born around 1160 and died in 1247. Some reference books even list these years as the dates of Robin Hood's life, although written sources from the time contain no mention of a rebellious aristocrat named Robert Fitzug.

Who was the king in the time of Robin Hood? Dating historical events is further complicated by the fact that various options legends mention various English monarchs. One of the first historians to study this problem, Sir Walter Bower, believed that Robin Hood was a participant in the 1265 rebellion against the king Henry III, which was headed by the royal relative Simon de Montfort. After Montfort's defeat, many of the rebels did not disarm and continued to live like the ballad hero Robin Hood. “At this time,” Bower wrote, “the famous robber Robin Hood ... began to enjoy great influence among those who had been disinherited and outlawed for participating in the rebellion.” The main contradiction to Bower's hypothesis is that the longbow mentioned in the ballads of Robin Hood had not yet been invented at the time of de Montfort's rebellion.

A document from 1322 mentions "Robin Hood's Stone" in Yorkshire. It follows from this that the ballads, and perhaps the owner of the legendary name himself, were already well known by this time. Those inclined to look for traces of the original Robin Hood in the 1320s usually suggest Robert Hood, a tenant from Wakefield who took part in the rebellion led by the Earl of Lancaster in 1322, for the role of the noble brigand. In support of the hypothesis, information is provided that in next year King Edward II visited Nottingham and took into his service as a valet a certain Robert Hood, who was paid a salary for the next 12 months.

If you take for starting point mention of King Edward II, it turns out that the robber hero performed his exploits in the first quarter of the 14th century. However, according to other versions, he appears on the historical stage as a brave warrior of King Richard I the Lionheart, whose reign fell on last decade XII century - it is this version in the artistic presentation of Walter Scott that is currently the most popular. Since Walter Scott used the image of Robin Hood as a prototype for one of the characters in the novel Ivanhoe in 1819, noble robber continues to be a popular character in children's books, films and television.

One of the most complete collections of English ballads, published by Francis Child in the 19th century, contains 40 works about Robin Hood, while in the 14th century there were only four:

In the first novella Robin lends money and his faithful squire Little John to an impoverished knight to take revenge on the greedy abbot.

In the second- by cunning he forces the hated sheriff from Nottingham to dine with him on venison, which the robbers obtained in the patrimony of the law enforcement officer - Sherwood Forest.

In the third— Robin recognizes the disguised King Edward, who comes to Nottingham incognito to investigate violations of the law by local rulers, and enters his service.

artist Daniel Content Published by Rand McNally & Co ~ 1928

artist Frank Godwin (1889 ~ 1959) Published by Garden City Publiching Co ~ 1932

In the fourth- the final part of the ballad, published in 1495, tells the story of Robin’s return to robbery and the betrayal of the abbess of Kirkley Abbey, who brings him to death with bloodletting when he comes to her monastery for treatment.

artist N. C. Wyeth Published by David McKay ~ 1917

In the early ballads there is no mention of the maiden Marianne, Robin's lover. She first appears in later versions of the legend, which arose at the end of the 15th century.

artist Frank Godwin (1889 ~ 1959) Published by Garden City Publiching Co ~ 1932:

artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923

The giant, nicknamed Little John, is present in the band of robbers already in the original versions of the legend,

artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923

And Brother Tak (a wandering monk, a cheerful fat man) appears in a much later version. And Robin himself, from a yeoman (a free peasant), eventually turned into a noble exile.

artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923

There is also a known association of Robin Hood with Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, a forest spirit in the folklore of the Frisians, Saxons and Scandinavians.

artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923

Now most researchers agree that Robin Hood is " pure creation folk muse." And, according to M. Gorky, “...the poetic feeling of the people made a hero out of a simple, perhaps robber, almost equal to a saint” (preface to the collection “The Ballads of Robin Hood”, Pg. 1919, p. 12).

artist Frank Godwin (1889 ~ 1959) Published by Garden City Publiching Co ~ 1932

THE BALLAD OF ROBIN HOOD
(translated by I. Ivanovsky)

We will talk about a brave guy,
His name was Robin Hood.
No wonder the memory of a daredevil
People take care of it.

artist N. C. Wyeth Published by David McKay ~ 1917

He still didn't shave his beard,
And there was already a shooter,
And the heaviest bearded man
I couldn't compete with him.

But his house was burned by his enemies,
And Robin Hood disappeared -
With a band of valiant shooters
Went to Sherwood Forest.

artist N. C. Wyeth Published by David McKay ~ 1917

artist Frank Godwin (1889 ~ 1959) Published by Garden City Publiching Co ~ 1932

Anyone shot without missing a beat,
Jokingly wielded a sword;
Two to attack six
They didn't care.

artist Lucy Fitch Perkins Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company ~ 1923

There was a blacksmith, Little John -
Big guy of big guys,
Three healthy guys
He carried it on himself!

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

Robin Hood. Book. Author

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

Did he exist

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

Original source

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

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

Good is not the first

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

Hood and the world of fantasy

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

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

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

Is Robin Hood noble?

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

Who really was Robin Hood?

A romantic hero who robbed the rich to help the poor, or a bloodthirsty bandit who was idealized by subsequent generations? What is the true face of the daring daredevil named Robin Hood?

In the historical chronicles of six hundred years ago, it is possible to find only a brief mention of the rascal of the same name, who hunted in the forests of Central England.

However, it is unlikely that the petty villain would have received the attention of chroniclers if his actions did not stand out in any way from other events of those troubled times. And yet, when wars, plague and famine were commonplace, the historiography of that time devotes several lines to it. Popular rumor took care of the rest.

Through the depths of time, numerous legends about the romantic robber have reached our days, whose name is now, oddly enough, more widely known than during his lifetime. This name is Robin Hood.

Truth and fiction

March 1988 - Nottingham City Council, in east-central Britain, releases a report on the city's most famous citizen. Because over the years the council has received thousands of inquiries about Robin Hood and his gallant squad, the council decided to make a definite statement on this matter.

Despite the fact that the legends about Robin Hood have centuries-old history, members of the city council took it upon themselves to question the authenticity of the legend of the elusive Robin and find out who Robin Hood was.

After a thorough study of Nottingham's distant past, researchers came to the conclusion that the brave hero, who robbed the rich to help the poor, did not even know Maid Marian - according to legend, Robin Hood's lover. Monk Tuk, as they believe, is a completely fictitious person. Little John was an angry and grumpy man, who had nothing in common with the carefree character from folklore. This is the interpretation of the research results.

Having debunked the legend, the council members hoped to gain fame as pioneers. However, they were only the latest in a long line of skeptics. Because when studying the story of Robin Hood, it is almost impossible to separate fact from fiction. And before them, many undertook to explore this exciting story, but this did not dim the image of Robin at all.

So, who is Robin Hood, where is the truth and where is the fiction about a man whose exploits still excite readers, cinema and television viewers to this day? Some are inclined to accept on faith what serious researchers have revealed: Robin robbed people on the Great North Road near Barnsdale in South Yorkshire and was engaged in looting with his gang of criminals in Sherwood Forest, 30 miles from Nottingham. Others are more seduced romantic version legends that this handsome hero actually robbed, but only the rich, in order to give the stolen goods to the poor.

Facts in history

The first reports that Robin Hood ruled the forests and heaths of England date back to 1261. However, in written sources it was first mentioned only a hundred years later. This was done by the Scottish historian Fordun, who died in 1386.

The following information about Robin Hood in the chronicles dates back to the 16th century.

According to the chronicler John Stow, he was a robber from the reign of Richard I. He was the leader of a gang that included hundreds of brave outcasts. They were all excellent archers. Although they traded in robbery, Robin Hood “did not allow oppression or other violence against women. He did not touch the poor, giving them everything that he took from the saints and noble rich people.”

We will look at this story from the most benevolent positions. Let's start with the fact that the fact of the existence of Robin Hood has documentary evidence. He lived in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The documents record that the legendary robber was born in 1290 and was named Robert Hood. Old registers give three spellings of the surname: God, Goad and Goode. But no one disputes the origin of Robin: he was the servant of Earl Warren.

How did a peasant son end up on the path of a robber?

1322 - Robin went into the service of a new master, Sir Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. When the count led a rebellion against King Edward II, Robin, like the count's other servants, had no choice but to obey his master and take up arms. However, the uprising was crushed, Lancaster was captured and beheaded for treason. His possessions were confiscated by the king, and the count's people who took part in the rebellion were declared outlaws.

Robin found the perfect refuge in the deep Sherwood Forest, in Yorkshire.

Sherwood Forest covered an area of 25 square miles and was adjacent to Yorkshire. The Great Northern Road, built by the Romans, passed through Sherwood and Barnsdale Woods and was a busy road. This attracted the attention of outcast robbers.

This is how the legend of Robin Hood, a man in green clothes, the color of the forest, appeared.

New stories

Legends about Robin abound in many funny stories about his brave adventures and tricks. One of them tells how the arrogant and narrow-minded Bishop of Hertsford, on his way to York, met Robin and his people, who were roasting venison obtained from the royal hunting forests.

Mistaking Robin's men for simple peasants, the bishop ordered the capture of those who killed the deer. The robbers calmly refused: the deer could no longer be resurrected, and everyone was terribly hungry. Then, at a sign from the bishop, those around the fire were surrounded by his servants. The robbers, laughing, began to beg to spare them, but the bishop was adamant. Robin eventually got tired of the bickering. He gave the signal, and the rest of the gang arrived from the forest. The stunned bishop was taken prisoner and began to demand a ransom.

Wanting to teach his hapless hostage a lesson, Robin forced him to dance a jig around a huge oak tree. To this day, that place in the forest is called “the bishop’s oak.”

They also say that once Robin, accompanied by his best friend Little John, paid a visit to the Whitby monastery. The abbot asked them to show off their vaunted skill in archery. It was necessary to shoot from the monastery roof. Robin and Little John gladly granted his request. They did not disgrace their glory.

Passed from mouth to mouth, in people's memory One of the most beloved stories has been preserved about how Robin met Edward II. According to legend: the king, concerned that the number of his deer was melting before his eyes, disappearing into the insatiable wombs of the robber people, wanted to clear his forest of poachers once and for all.

The king and his knights, dressed as monks, headed to Sherwood Forest, knowing that Robin Hood and his gang were lying in wait for unlucky travelers there. And they were right. The robbers stopped them and demanded money.

The disguised king declared that he had only 40 pounds (a rather insignificant amount for that time). Robin took 20 pounds for his men and returned the rest to the king.

Then Edward told the leader that he was being summoned to Nottingham to meet with the king. Robin and his men fell to their knees and swore their love and devotion to Edward, then invited the "monks" to dine with them - to taste the king's own venison!

In the end, Edward realized that Robin was simply mocking him. Then he revealed himself to the robbers and forgave them on the condition that they all come to the court for service as soon as he calls them.

This story, of course, seems implausible, created by the imagination of Robin Hood admirers. But, after all, maybe not everything in it is fiction.

The fact is that this incident is described in “The Little Feat of Robin Hood,” published in 1459. It is known for certain that the king visited Nottingham in 1332. We also know that a few months after this, the name Robin Hood was mentioned in reports of Edward's yard.

However, he soon suddenly disappeared from the royal court, only to reappear in the forest and in popular rumor.

So, let's continue the story about the brave adventures of Robin Hood. He appeared at St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, where a monk recognized the robber and informed the sheriff. Robin was captured only after he single-handedly killed 12 soldiers with his sword. Even while in captivity, the fearless leader had no doubt that his loyal friends would not leave him. Shortly before Robin was due to stand trial, Little John launched a daring attack and returned the bandit brethren to their leader. For complete justice, the robbers tracked down and killed the monk who betrayed Robin.

Forest Brotherhood

It is impossible to talk about Robin Hood without paying tribute to his merry band and his legendary friend Maid Marian.

Robin's closest assistant was Little John, supposedly not a cheerful fellow at all, but a sullen and very vulnerable guy. Most likely, he was called the Kid as a joke, since he was quite tall. This was discovered when his grave in Heathersage was opened in 1784 and the bones of a rather tall man were found.

As for Brother Tuck, opinions differ about him. Some believe that this legendary character combines the features of two fat monks; others believe that there really was such a cheerful man who loved to have fun and dance in the company of forest brothers. Perhaps it was Robert Stafford, a priest from Sussex (early 15th century), who sometimes, under the pseudonym of Brother Tuck, participated in the adventures of a merry gang.

Maid Marian as a character also fits well with the theory that Robin came from folk tales about traditional May holiday festivities and games. Marian could simply be a girl chosen for her beauty as “Queen of the May.”

Contradictory image

The legendary adventures of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest supposedly ended in 1346. It is believed that he died in Kirkless Monastery after a serious illness. The abbess treated Robin with copious amounts of bloodletting, as a result of which, weakened and bleeding, he never recovered from his illness.

That's how romantic image Robin Hood, daredevil and benefactor. But the Anglo-Saxons have a strange tendency to denigrate their idols, and Robin suffered more than anyone else from this.

Graham Black, director of the Nottanham Lore of Robin Hood exhibition, says: "We've come close to understanding true personality Robin Hood."

According to Black, real story Robina dates back to 1261, when William, son of Robert Smith, was outlawed in Berkshire. The law clerk who wrote the decree named him William Robinhood.

Other court documents survive that mention people named Robinhood, most of them criminals. Therefore, researchers believe that if Robin Hood really existed, then he most likely acted before that time.

The most likely candidate for this dubious role, according to Graham Black, is Robert God, a resident of the archbishopric of York, who escaped justice in 1225. Two years later he is mentioned in written documents as Hobhod.

Where does the romantic version of the legend come from?

According to some versions, Robin was a nobleman. But this is a clear invention of the playwright, who in 1597 wanted to attract the nobility to his theater. Previously, Robin was considered a vassal of the lord.

The fame of Robin Hood as the greatest archer comes from wandering storytellers who passed on from mouth to mouth ballads about the legendary robber, recorded in the second half of the 15th century.

As for Maid Marian, they believe that she was a beauty under the care of the treacherous Prince John. She first met Robin when she was ambushed by his men. However, scientists do not agree with this version, claiming that Marian appeared in a French poem of the 13th century as a shepherdess with her shepherd Robin. Only 200 years after the appearance of this poem did it finally become part of the legend of Robin Hood. And Marian gained her reputation as an immaculate virgin much later under the influence of chaste Victorian morality.

According to legend, Brother Tuk was a merry glutton who amused the robbers with his funny antics and jokes. The monk was unsurpassed in stick fights. In fact, it turns out that Brother Tuck also existed. This name was given to the priest of the Lindfield parish from Sussex, in reality a murderer and robber, when in 1417 a royal decree was issued for his arrest, the priest went on the run.

James Holt, professor of medieval history at Cambridge University and author of Robin Hood, wrote: “Written evidence suggests that Brother Tuck organized his band of bandits two hundred miles from Sherwood Forest, centuries after Robin Hood. In fact, Brother Tuck was quite far from harmless gaiety, for he ravaged and burned the hearths of his enemies.”

Little John right hand Robin, was capable of brutal murders. It was he who killed the monk suspected of betraying Robin, then beheaded the monk’s young servant, a witness to the murder.

But Little John did a lot of brave things. One of them, which has already been mentioned, is the rescue of Robin Hood from a well-fortified prison guarded by the guards of the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham.

Regarding Robin Hood, Professor Holt wrote: “He was absolutely not what he was described as. He wore a cap like a monk's hood. There is absolutely no evidence that he robbed the rich in order to give money to the poor. The legend acquired these fabrications 200 or more years after his death. And during his lifetime he was known as a notorious looter.”

And yet, following the legends of hoary antiquity, we prefer to see in Robin Hood a defender of the oppressed and powerless, a brave and cheerful chieftain, every now and then wiping the nose of those in power.

And we want to believe that, ending life path, full of various exploits, our hero is on the verge of death from last bit of strength blew the horn, as if sending news of himself to the future, and we still hear the echoes of this signal in our hearts.