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Robin Hood is the author of a fairy tale. Robin Hood: did the "noble robber" really exist?

Since childhood, Robin Hood has been and remains a hero for many (eng. Robin Hood (and not “good” - “good”; “hood” - “hood”, it makes sense to “hide (cover with a hood)”, “robin” can be translated as "robin") - the noble leader of the forest robbers 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 of the noble robber has been living for more than six centuries, and the identity of the prototype of these ballads and legends has not been established.
In the 1377 edition of William Langland's Plowman Pierce, there is a reference to "poems about Robin Hood". Langland's contemporary Geoffrey Chaucer, in Troilus and Crisade, mentions "a hazel thicket where the merry Robin walked." Moreover, in The Tale of Gamelin, which was included by Chaucer in " The Canterbury Tales”, a robber hero is also depicted.

Several real historical figures , which could serve as the prototype of the legendary Robin. In the census registers for 1228 and 1230, the name of Robert Hood, nicknamed Brownie, is mentioned, about which it is said that he was a fugitive from justice. Around the same time, a popular movement arose under the leadership of Sir Robert Twing - the rebels raided the monasteries, and the looted grain was distributed 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. In some reference books, these years even appear as dates for the life of Robin Hood, although written sources of that time do not contain any mention of a rebellious aristocrat named Robert Fitzug.

Who was king in the days 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 deal with this problem, Sir Walter Bower, believed that Robin Hood was a participant in the 1265 uprising against King Henry III, which was led by a royal relative, Simon de Montfort. After the defeat of Montfort, many of the rebels did not disarm and continued to live like the hero of the ballads Robin Hood. “At this time,” Bower wrote, “the famous robber Robin Hood ... began to enjoy great influence among those who were disinherited and outlawed for participating in the uprising.” The main contradiction of Bower's hypothesis is that the longbow mentioned in the Robin Hood ballads had not yet been invented at the time of de Montfort's rebellion.

A 1322 document mentions a "Robin Hood 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 a genuine Robin Hood in the 1320s usually suggest the role of the noble robber Robert Hood, a tenant from Wakefield who in 1322 participated in the rebellion led by the Earl of Lancaster. In support of the hypothesis, evidence is provided that the next year King Edward II visited Nottingham and took into his service a certain Robert Hood, who was paid a salary for the next 12 months.

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

In one of the most complete collections of English ballads published by Francis Child in the 19th century, there are 40 works about Robin Hood, and in the 14th century there were only four:

In the first novel Robin lends money and his trusty squire Little John to an impoverished knight in order to get revenge on the greedy abbot.

In the second- cunningly forces the hated sheriff from Nottingham to dine with him venison, which the robbers got in the patrimony of the law enforcement officer - Sherwood Forest.

In the third- Robin recognizes King Edward in disguise, who arrives incognito in Nottingham 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 Kirklei abbey, who brings him to death by 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 the 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 already present in the band of robbers 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 jolly fat man) appears in a much later version. Yes, and Robin himself from a yeoman (a free peasant) eventually reincarnated into a noble exile.

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

The association of Robin Hood with Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, is also known - 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 "a pure creation of the folk muse." And, according to M. Gorky, "... the poetic feeling of the people made a hero out of a simple, perhaps robber, a hero 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

BALLAD OF ROBIN HOOD
(translated by I. Ivanovsky)

Let's talk about a brave guy
His name was Robin Hood.
No wonder the memory of a daredevil
The people are protected.

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

He hasn't shaved his beard yet.
And there was a shooter
And the heaviest bearded man
Couldn't compete with him.

But his house was burned by enemies,
And Robin Hood is gone
With a gang of valiant shooters
Gone 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 a miss,
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 man from big man,
Three healthy fellows
He carried it!

Most of us know the legend of the noble robber Robin Hood. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor, who were robbed by the rich. In any legend there is some truth and a lot of fiction. The legend of Robin Hood does not stand out in this sense. Scientists have long been trying to understand who was the prototype of this folk hero. Throughout the study this issue There are several popular versions. Let's figure it out.

Robin Good Small

Let's start a little outside the box and from afar, namely with the folklore of the Saxons and Scandinavians - more precisely, with the forest spirit Pak, or Pak, or Puk ( 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 ethnic composition population of the British Isles. The Scandinavians also took part, but later, starting from the era of the Norman conquest of England in 1066-1072.

Actually, Pak is a forest spirit that scares people and makes them wander through the thickets. And if in Scandinavian folklore Pak is a creature associated more with evil, then for the British it is a joker and a prankster, a trickster (it can both help and harm). Rudyard Kipling in Tales of Old England described him as an elf dressed in all green. In addition to the colors of the clothes (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 British call Pak, or Hob, also the name Robin Goodfellow - Robin Good Small . It can be assumed that at a certain stage, Hob "embodied" in the character of the legend of Robin Hood, 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 the chronicle of the XVI century. But there is a nuance - 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 plot from being in the legend immediately.

Other information relating to 1261 tells us about a certain robber Robin, who was in charge in the forests of England at that time. There is also evidence that Robert Goad (Hood or Hod) was born in 1290, lived in the era of Edward II, at the age of 32 he was in the service of the Earl of Lancaster, who was defeated during his rebellion against the king, and his servants were declared outlaw. To avoid justice, Robert went to Sherwood Forest, where he gathered a gang of robbers in order to extort money from the rich. About the same Robert there is a record that he worked for several months at the court of Edward II - the legend beautifully beat 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 refers to the XIII-XIV centuries. But did he and his gang really live up to the image that popular rumor has created?

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

It doesn't seem to be, and probably not at all. Even if he helped the poor, this is not recorded in any document. With the girl Marian (the legendary beloved of Robin), he was not familiar. Marian fell into the legend of a noble robber from a 13th-century French poem, where she acts as the girlfriend of the shepherd Robin. Monk Tuk, a drinker, a merry fellow and an unsurpassed fighter of stick fights, or as a whole fictional character, or its prototype was a real priest of a local church, who in reality created his own band of robbers and lived in the XIV-XV centuries. True friend Robin Hood Little John, whose grave was opened in 1784, was indeed a very tall man. But he wasn't funny at all. On the contrary, he is stern, touchy and capable of brutal murders.

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

By the name of which Robin himself is sometimes called - Robin of Loxley. His forest army has several dozen free shooters. All of them are excellent archers, brave, inventive and noble people in their own way.

Robin Hood is one of the few, along with King Arthur, the legendary heroes of English ballads that have gone beyond folklore and become an important cultural reality - they write about him on the themes of ballads literary works, performances are staged, numerous films are shot, etc.

Etymology

Word "hood" in English means "hood" and indicates an element of Robin Hood's clothing, and with an erroneous Russian etymology from English. good- "good" is associated only with a similar sound. At all " hood"- this is not only a hood, but also several other similar headgear - a cap, a cap, a hood, a human or horse helmet (the main thing is that it covers / protects the entire head). Robin Hood and his opponent Guy Gisborne wear headdresses that are called by the same word - a hood and a knight's helmet. But the word "hood" also has figurative sense- "to hide (cover with a hood)".

The word "robin" is translated as "robin", but it is possible that the name of the hero is the result of a rethinking of the expression "Rob in hood" - "Rob (Robert) ("rob", "robber" also means "robber") in the hood. So Robina called Marian when he won the archery tournament and proclaimed her the queen of the tournament.

Both of these meanings, hood-hood and robin-robin, are played up in the popular television series "Robin of Sherwood" ("Robin of Sherwood", UK, 1984-1986), where main character often referred to as "Hooded Robin".

The association of Robin Hood with Robin the Good Small (eng. Robin goodfellow), or Pak (eng. Puck) is also known - a forest spirit in the folklore of the Frisians, Saxons and Scandinavians.

Also, according to the book "Robin Hood" by Stephen R. Lowhead, the word "hood" in the Celtic language means "sorcerer".

Similar personalities and characters

Kotovsky, Grigoriy Ivanovich - the hero of the Civil war in Russia, gained fame for the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century he burned the landowners' estates in Bessarabia and enjoyed the support of the peasants who hid him from the gendarmes. In the song of the group "Forbidden Drummers" Kotovsky is compared with Robin Hood.

Vasily Fedorov, or Manchaary (1805-1870) - Yakut national hero who opposed the oppression of local feudal lords. Widely known storyteller and singer, master of improvisation. The image of Manchaara was repeatedly covered in Russian, Yakut and Soviet literature.

The image of Robin Hood in culture

Books

Walter Scott, Ivanhoe. Here Robin Hood first entered the European literature of the New Age (as a minor, but very important character).
Alexandre Dumas, "Robin Hood - King of Thieves".
Alexandre Dumas, Robin Hood in Exile.
Donald Angus, Robin Hood. Rogue.
Stephen Lowhead, Robin Hood. The Raven King."
Diana King, Robin Hood
Escot Lyn, "Robin Hood and his Merry Friends"
Mikhail Gershenzon, Robin Hood.
Leonid Filatov, "The Great Love of Robin Hood".
Elena Khaetskaya (under pseudonym Medelaine Simons), "The Sword and the Rainbow".
Sophia Radzievskaya, "Thousand-Year Night".
Irina Tokmakova, "Robin Hood"
Anna Ovchinnikova, "Friend and Lieutenant of Robin Hood" (a book in the genre of historical fantasy about our contemporary, who, by chance, ended up in medieval England and became a loyal companion of Robin Hood, later known as Little Johnny).
Katherine Lasky. "The Falcon Girl" (a book in the historical fantasy genre, where the main character is Maid Marian, who understands the language of birds and is able to transform into them).
Tadeusz Kraszewski. "Robin Hood", "Marianne, wife of Robin Hood" - Robin Hood appears as the son of an Anglo-Saxon nobleman, whose estate was destroyed, and he himself was killed during the Norman yoke. The role of the oppressors is emphatically assigned to the Normans ruling in England, while the remnants of the Anglo-Saxon landlords lead a patriarchal lifestyle and suffer from arbitrariness along with the common people.
Kir Bulychev, the story "Dragonosaurus".
Dalia Truskinovskaya, Luce-A-Guard (a book in the genre of historical fantasy)

Theatrical performances

Robin Hood - forest robber. A play by Semyon Zayaitsky, staged story by Viktor Dubrovsky, music by Mark Karminsky, lyrics by R. Burns, translation by S. Marshak.
Arrow of Robin Hood. A play by S. Prokofieva and I. Tokmakova, staged in 1981 at the Central Theater of the Soviet Army (dir. S. Artsibashev and A. Burdonsky. Cast: Robin Hood - Nikolai Sakharov, Sir Guy Gisborne - Alexander Baluev). In 1984, director M. Muat filmed the performance for television (TO "Screen").

Film and television films

Robin Hood / Robin Hood (USA,) director Allan Dwan, in the role of Robin Hood: Douglas Fairbanks.
The Adventures of Robin Hood / The Adventures of Robin Hood (USA) directed by Michael Curtis and William Keely, starring: Errol Flynn. The film received three Oscars and one nomination.
Rogue and Queen / The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (USA). Starring: Russell Hicks.
Revenge of Robin Hood / Rogues of Sherwood Forest (USA). Starring: John Derek.
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (USA). Starring Richard Todd. The film has not been translated into Russian.
Ivanhoe (USA, 1952). Robin Hood is played by Harold Warrender.
Sword of Sherwood Forest (Great Britain,). Starring: Richard Greene. The same actor in 1955-1960 starred in the British television series The Adventures of Robin Hood (see TV series).
The Legend of Robin Hood / Magnifico Robin Hood, Il (Spain, Italy,). Starring: George Martin.
Arrows Robin Hood (USSR,) director Sergey Tarasov, in the role of Robin: Boris Khmelnitsky.
Robin and Marian (USA, ). Robin: Sean Connery, Marian: Audrey Hepburn. In the Soviet film distribution was called Return of Robin Hood.
Ivanhoe (USA, 1982). Robin Hood is played by David Robb.
Ballad about the valiant knight Ivanhoe (USSR, ) director Sergey Tarasov, in the role of Robin Hood: Boris Khmelnitsky.
Robin Hood / Robin Hood (Canada, Germany, Great Britain, USA,). Starring: Patrick Bergin, Uma Thurman.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (USA). Starring: Kevin Costner.
Robin Hood: Men in tights / Robin Hood: Men in Tights (France, USA). Comedy-parody. Starring: Cary Elwes.
Daughter Robin Good: Princess of thieves / Princess of thieves (USA). The Story of Robin Hood's Daughter. Starring: Keira Knightley, Robin Hood played by Stewart Wilson
Sherwood Forest / Beyond Sherwood Forest (Canada,). As Robin Hood: Robin Dunn.
Robin Hood / Robin Hood (USA, UK,) directed by Ridley Scott, starring: Russell Crowe.
Robin Hood: Ghosts of Sherwood / Robin Hood: Ghosts of Sherwood (Germany,). Horror film directed by Oliver Krekel. Starring: Martin Ton

TV serials

The Adventures of Robin Hood / The Adventures of Robin Hood (-). 4 seasons, 143 episodes in total. Starring: Richard Green. It has not been translated into Russian.
"Robin from Sherwood" (Great Britain, -). 3 seasons, 26 episodes in total. Starring: Michael Praid, Jason Connery
New Adventures of Robin Hood / The New Adventures of Robin Hood (-). 4 seasons with 13 episodes. Robin Hood: Matthew Porretta.
Back to Sherwood / Back to Sherwood (1999). Starring: Aimee Castle.
Robin Hood / Robin Hood (-). 3 seasons with 13 episodes. The series was filmed by the BBC. As Robin Hood: Jonas Armstrong.
"Once upon a time, in a Fairytail " / Once Upon a Time(). The series was produced by the ABC television network. In the role of Robin Hood: Sean Maguire, as well as Tom Ellis.
"Doctor Who" / Doctor Who (). Season 8 Episode 3 The series is produced by the BBC. As Robin Hood: Tom Riley.

cartoons

Animated series Jet Robin Hood/ Rocket Robin Hood (Canada, USA, -). The action takes place in the year 3000 on the Sherwood asteroid, where Robin Hood and his gang of "jolly astronauts" are fighting against the evil sheriff.
Brave Robin Good (USSR, ). In this cartoon, a song by M. Ziv was sounded to the verses of Yevgeny Agranovich (“The sorcerers performed a miracle over Robin Hood in the thicket ...”).
Robin Hood (USA). The cartoon, created by Walt Disney Studios, retells the traditional legends of Robin Hood with anthropomorphic animals as actors(Robin Hood and his beloved Marian are foxes, Little John is a bear, the Sheriff of Nottingham is a wolf, Prince John is a mangy lion and the like).
The Adventures of Robin Hood / The Adventures of Robin Good (Australia, ).
Robin Hood (Japan).
Robin Hood - Prankster from Sherwood (France, 2013-2015).

Documentaries

Solving the mysteries of history with Ollie Steeds. Robin Hood(English) Solving History with Olly Steeds. Robin Hood) - TV channel Discovery, 2010.

Computer games

Robin of the Wood (1985) is a quest with elements of an action movie.
Super Robin Hood (1985) - action movie.
Defender of the Crown (1986) is a strategy game about civil war in England. In it, Robin Hood is the player's ally in the unification of the state.
Amazing Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1993) - action film.
Conquest of the Longbow (1990) - quest with arcade elements.
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood (2002) is a tactical game similar to Commandos.
Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown (2003) - a game that tells about the struggle of Robin Hood with Prince John for the throne, for the sake of the real king. The game contains elements of arcade , strategy , shooter . It is a remake of the 1986 game.
In the Age of Empires II strategy mission editor there are units Robin Hood, Took and Sheriff of Nottingham. It also contains Sherwood Forest and Heroes of Sherwood cards.
In Medieval II: Total War strategy there is a unique unit of the English crown "Sherwood arrows".

Songs

"The Ballad of Free Riflemen" - V. Vysotsky
Robin Hood and Furrier
"Robin Hood" - group "Kar-man"
"Robin Hood" - band "Edguy", album "Age of Joker"
"Carmen Horrendum" - group "Zimovye Beasts"
"Robin Hood" - group "Marco Polo", album "Alexandria", 2015

Additionally

Record "Robin Hood", USSR, All-Union Recording Studio "Melody". Children's musical based on the play by Semyon Zayaitsky. Most of the songs are adaptations of poems by Robert Burns translated by S. Marshak. The songs are performed by many leading artists of the USSR.
In the series "Charmed" 14 episodes of season 7, the ex-demon Drake, because of the spell, thinks he is Robin Hood. Also in the same series, some scenes from the story of Robin Hood are parodied.
In the animated series "Transformers: Animated" one of negative characters, a Detroit thief nicknamed the "Terrible Archer", dresses like Robin Hood and uses a bow and arrow as a weapon.
In the cartoon " Shrek"Robin Hood appears with his gang, whom Fiona taught a lesson.
In the movie Superfantozzi, the bankrupt Fantozzi receives a huge amount of money from Robin Hood, and when he rejoices in the wealth that has fallen on him, he takes them back.
In the book by M. Dalin "Kill the Necromancer" there is a character nicknamed Good Robin, which is a reference to Robin Hood, but in the book he is a negative character.
Robin Hood is a RASH skinhead band from St. Petersburg that has been playing Oi/Streetpunk since 2010.

Notes

Links

Gershenzon M. A. Robin Hood .
Morozov M. M. Ballads about Robin Goode // Selected articles and translations - M. : GIHL, 1954.
Boris Nevsky. Forward to the past. Robin Hood // World of fantasy.
Robin Hood - Bold Outlaw of Barnsdale and Sherwood
site with Robin Hood plays, poems, ballads, etc. (English)

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

Ballads of Robin Hood

Summary poetic work Scottish folklorist Robert Burns can be summed up in a few sentences. The work of an eighteenth-century poet, based on a medieval legend, should be read in the original. The Burns legend is an example of poetic romanticism. main role it's not the plot that plays here, but literary language. However, let's make a brief summary.

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

It's time for lunch. However, the leader of the gang is not used to eating at his own expense. Therefore, he ordered John to go on a noble robbery duty.

The young member of the gang did everything as instructed by the mentor. However, the victim of the robbery was an impoverished knight who had once taken a large loan from the abbot. Robin Hood helped the poor fellow by providing armor and everything else necessary to fulfill his knightly duty. The first song is about this story. In the next chapters in question of Robin's other glorious deeds.

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

Robin Hood in the prose of Walter Scott

The novel depicts the era of contradictions 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 of this adventure work are devoted to the struggle of people's liberators against the arbitrariness of power. Glorious feats in the novel are performed by the squad of Robin Hood. The people's liberators storm the castle of Front de Boeuf. And the servants of the Norman feudal lord are not able 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 of the just robber, he wrote two novels. The French prose writer significantly changed the canonical history. What can you learn from reading the summary?

"Robin Hood - King of Thieves", as well as other works of the classic, is an exciting 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 true friends. Among them is John Malyutka. But French writer paid attention not only to the exploits of the fearless robber. Robin Hood in Dumas' novel can also be called a lyrical hero. He flirts with women. But at the same time, he remains faithful to his beloved.

In a novel about Robin Hood, the characters are either positive or negative. This is due to the style of the author and romantic stories born in medieval era. However, Dumas' version is an unfinished story. Continued in the book "Robin Hood in Exile".

In domestic prose

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

The summary of the story about the beloved hero of the English people in any of the versions is a presentation of an old legend. Robin Hood is a character with fearlessness, nobility, and a heightened sense of justice. The interpretation of this or that author differs in the system of images, 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 fell on the battlefield "totally Robin Hood's death."

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

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 old chronicles.)

This is what is said about his death. One day, a glorious archer felt: there was not enough strength in his hands to pull the bowstring, and it was difficult for his legs to follow the usual forest path. And then he realized: old age approached ...
He went to the monastery, the abbess of which was known as a skilled healer, and asked to be treated. The nun pretended to be delighted with his arrival, kindly escorted the stranger to a distant cell, carefully laid him on the bed, and with a sharp knife opened a vein on a 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 did not return. Night has come. Dawn followed 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 already lacked the strength to reach the window. There was barely enough breath in my chest to last time blow a curved hunting horn. Weak, trembling sound, horns sounded over the forest. A faithful friend heard the call signal. Anxious, he rushed to help.
Late! No one could have saved the shooter. So the enemies that long years they did not know how to defeat Robin Gul either in a hot battle or in a stubborn duel, they exhausted him with black betrayal.
An ancient historian names the year and day when this happened: November 18, 1247.
Several centuries have passed. Wars have begun and ended. The shortest lasted a few days, the longest - a hundred years. Devastating epidemics swept through the cities and villages of England. Revolts broke out. Kings changed on the throne. People were born and died, generations succeeded generations.
However, a turbulent series of events, as they liked to say in old books, could not erase the name of Robin Hood from the memory of the British.
One day, it was about two hundred and fifty years ago, a heavy carriage drove slowly into a small town near London. The carriage was smart, magnificent: only the most important people of the kingdom rode around 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 driving 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 climb the steps of the church through the respectfully parting crowd... But the church square was empty. There was a heavy padlock on the church doors.
For a long time the bishop stood in the empty square, turning purple with anger and trying to maintain a dignified appearance befitting his rank and solemn robes, which was not at all easy before the locked door.
Finally, a passer-by, hurrying by no means to the church, threw out to the bishop on the way:
- Sir, you are waiting in vain, we are celebrating Robin Hood today, the whole city is in the forest, and there will be no one in the church.
What happens next is told in different ways. Some say that the bishop got into the carriage and returned to London, uttering in his mind such words as bishops usually do not 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 audience.
What was this life? Why is her memory preserved for centuries? Why whole city could remember Robin Hood for many hours in a row and think only about him?
What do you know about Robin Hood, except for those pages of Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe", where he is bred under the name of the brave yeoman, the 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, we can learn that Robin Hood was ruined by wealthy enemies and fled from them into Sherwood Forest, a deaf and thick bowl that stretched for many tens of miles. He was joined by fugitives like 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 shooters, numbering more than a hundred, hunted forbidden royal game, feuded with rich monasteries, robbed passing Norman knights, and helped the persecuted and the poor.
For the capture of Robin Hood, the authorities announced a reward many times. But not a single peasant, whose hut he entered, not a single one of the "forest brothers" was tempted by these promises.
Here is everything or almost everything that is known to historians about Robin Hood.
The second biography of Robin Hood is much more detailed. From it you can find out how he first encountered the royal foresters and how this meeting ended; how he met a fugitive monk - Brother Took - 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 much more about Robin Hood recorded? Not in historical writings, but in folk songs- ballads, as literary historians call them.
They were composed throughout England for many centuries. The author of these songs was the people, and the performers were wandering singers. The songs about Robin Hood were overgrown with various details, several small songs merged into one, or one big one fell apart into several small ones ... The singers who sang these ballads, if they knew how to write, wrote down the words of the song and gave them to those who wished to write them off for a fee. 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 once a year, in the summer, celebrated Robin Hood Day.
It was in these songs that the second biography of Robin Hood gradually developed. In him, he is what the people imagined him to be. If the old Latin chronicle claims that Robin Hood was a nobleman, then the folk song decisively calls him the son of a peasant. Simple people England legendary biography Robin Hood began to be considered his real life story. For many decades and even centuries, everything that was told about Robin Hood in songs was believed by the British as an indisputable historical fact.
There is interesting evidence for this. One of the oldest ballads tells how Robin Hood, at the age of fifteen, went to the city of Nottingham to compete in archery. Halfway through, he was stopped by the royal foresters and began to mock him. "Does this boy, who can barely bend his own bow, dare to appear before the king in a contest!" they exclaimed. Robin Hood made a bet with them that he would hit the target a hundred feet, and he won the bet. But the royal foresters not only did not pay him the winnings, but threatened that they would beat him if he dared to appear at the competitions.
Then Robin Hood, as the ballad reports with delight, shot all the scoffers with his bow. The people did not like the royal foresters, who did not allow the poor to either collect brushwood in the forest, let alone hunt forest game or fish in forest streams and rivers. Not loving the royal foresters, folk singers sang this ballad with delight.
And in April 1796, that is, five centuries after Robin Hood lived, a message appeared in one of the English magazines. Here it is: "While a few days ago, workers were digging in a garden in the town of Coxlein, near Nottingham, they came across six human skeletons that lay close to each other, neatly side by side. It is believed that this is part of the fifteen foresters whom he killed in his time for Robin Hood.
One can imagine how the publisher of the magazine asked the author of the note: "Are you sure that these are the same skeletons?". And the author replied, as journalists of all times answer: "Well, let's put in for caution the word" suggest ". But it never occurred to either the author or the publisher to doubt that Robin Hood really fought with the royal foresters on the way to the glorious city of Nottingham : after all, this is sung in ballads!
Why Robin Hood is my favorite character folk songs? To answer this question, you will probably have to remind you of what you learned in history lessons: in 1066, England was captured by the Normans, led by William the Conqueror. From the indigenous population of England - the Saxons - they took away land, houses and property, imposed their laws on them with fire and sword. An ancient historian calls Robin Hood one of those who were deprived of the land.
The enmity between the old and new rulers persisted two centuries later. Do you remember what place the feud between the Saxon and Norman nobles occupies in Walter Scott's book "Ivanhoe"? However, the Saxon nobles soon reconciled with the conquerors. But the songs about Robin Hood were not forgotten. They were sung in 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 leaf through an old book that contains one after the other ballads about Robin Hood. Here is a ballad about how Robin Hood fought 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 dressed horseskin over armor - he again outwitted 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, loyal in friendship, a joker, a merry fellow, a mocker, a folk hero who does not grow old.
I have told you about Robin Hood, how he was portrayed in folk ballads, and now you can see for yourself how Walter Scott changed this image when he brought him to Ivanhoe.
Walter Scott's yeoman Loxley, the name under which Robin God is bred in the novel, becomes Richard's faithful assistant. Robin Hood, as his people sang, refused to serve King Richard the Lionheart.
The people remember Robin Hood exactly as he is sung in old folk songs. And this is the immortality of Robin Hood.