Robin Hood: Man or Myth?
Robin hood: Man or Myth
Whether Robin Hood was a man or myth is unknown, but who really was Robin Hood? Was he a real historical figure who changed the lives of many? Or simply a fictional character made up by a group of bored village men. There are too many options to decide between either. But why has the so called Robin Hood evolved over time to be this legend of great heroics and courage? He was known for his incredible gallantry and his skillful archery. His stories tell him as a fearless outlaw whom 'stole from the rich to give to the poor' with his band of merry man (Little John, Friar Tuck, Alan A Dale, Much the Millers son, Will Scarlett). They were the outlaws of Sherwood forest, or so the ballads said. He was notoriously known from the ballads to have lived in Sherwood forest but Barnsdale was still a possibility. The only evidence we have of robin hood is from inauthentic ballads from hundreds of years ago. Luckily we have the luxury of having hindsight to really delve further into the evidence we have from ballads and the chronicles and make a genuine inquiry in the robin hood legend.
Various sources say that Robin Hood lived within 1189-1220 (King Richard the Lion heart) It would extremely unlikely that Robin hood lived through this period. He would have lived between the period of 1260-1330. The first ballads were written by William Langland, mentioning the notorious Robin Hood in 1337. This suggests he or someone of the same name lived somewhat before that date (1337). It is unlikely that he lived after that time frame as it wasn't possible for someone to write a ballad about them, if they never existed. It was most likely that he lived under the reign of King Edward the II (1307-1327)or the I (1272-1307) because they ruled over the suggested life time of Robin Hood. There was another character in this ballad called the Earl of Lancaster, a source we know did exist. That gives the likelihood of Robin Hoods existence a but more
Whether Robin Hood was a man or myth is unknown, but who really was Robin Hood? Was he a real historical figure who changed the lives of many? Or simply a fictional character made up by a group of bored village men. There are too many options to decide between either. But why has the so called Robin Hood evolved over time to be this legend of great heroics and courage? He was known for his incredible gallantry and his skillful archery. His stories tell him as a fearless outlaw whom 'stole from the rich to give to the poor' with his band of merry man (Little John, Friar Tuck, Alan A Dale, Much the Millers son, Will Scarlett). They were the outlaws of Sherwood forest, or so the ballads said. He was notoriously known from the ballads to have lived in Sherwood forest but Barnsdale was still a possibility. The only evidence we have of robin hood is from inauthentic ballads from hundreds of years ago. Luckily we have the luxury of having hindsight to really delve further into the evidence we have from ballads and the chronicles and make a genuine inquiry in the robin hood legend.
Various sources say that Robin Hood lived within 1189-1220 (King Richard the Lion heart) It would extremely unlikely that Robin hood lived through this period. He would have lived between the period of 1260-1330. The first ballads were written by William Langland, mentioning the notorious Robin Hood in 1337. This suggests he or someone of the same name lived somewhat before that date (1337). It is unlikely that he lived after that time frame as it wasn't possible for someone to write a ballad about them, if they never existed. It was most likely that he lived under the reign of King Edward the II (1307-1327)or the I (1272-1307) because they ruled over the suggested life time of Robin Hood. There was another character in this ballad called the Earl of Lancaster, a source we know did exist. That gives the likelihood of Robin Hoods existence a but more