Is a legendary English hero whose myth came into existence in the first half of the 14

ROBIN HOOD

is a legendary English hero whose myth came into existence in the first half of the 14^th century. Nobody knows if the Robin Hood story has some historical basis. There were many ballads about him in the Middle Ages. The ballads locate Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham. One writer thinks Robin was born in 1160. At a time when there were many robbers living in the woods, stealing from the rich but only killing in self-defence.

Everyone knows that Robin Hood robbed the rich to give to the poor. He chose to be an outlaw, that is, someone who lives “outside the law”, but he has his own ideas of right and wrong. He fought against injustice, and tried to give ordinary people a share of the riches owned by people of authority and the Church. He had many qualities – he was a great sportsman, a brave fighter, and was very good with his bow and arrow.

Anyone who knows of Robin has also heard the stories of his outlaw band. The names of Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marion, Allan a Dole, Will Scarlet and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham are as much a part of the legend as Robin Hood himself.

The stories of Robin portray him as a fearless outlaw leading his band of „merry men“ against the tyranny of Prince John, The Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisbourne. A brilliant archer, Robin lived a life of adventure- poaching the King´s deer. He robbed the rich by capturing them as they travelled through the forest and inviting them to eat with him. During the supper, someone looked in their bags to see how much money they had. When it was finished, Robin asked them to pay for the meal, and of course, he knew how much to ask for. One legend says that he was bled to death by a treacherous nun. Some stories say that the Sheriff of Nottingham killed Robin by poisoning him. In his dying moments, he shot a final arrow from his famous bow, and asked Little John to bury him where the arrow landed.

Stories about the adventures of Robin have been told and retold for over 600 years. In Robin´s time, few people could read or write and consequently little was written down about the exploits of a hero. Instead, people learnt about Robin and his band through the ballads and songs.

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