Literary references of Robin Hood – beloved today as a vigilante malefactor and ill-affected philanthropist – stretch back to at least the 14th century . Retold in countless variance , Robin Hood ’s resume has been expanded and enrich extensively during the interpose centuries . poet , playwright and directors have all seized on the good felon subject and run with it , breathing new lifetime into the fable again and again . This in twist has led many investigator to class through the chronological record of the yesteryear , attempting to reveal the human being behind the myth , the real Robin Hood who inspired such a devoted following .
But history is as murky as a woodland blanketed in predawn fog . Discerning the true statement through one C of year of repetitious study and venture is like trying to hit a mark with an arrow while blindfold . Plus any apposite fact and public criminal record , I that could determine the verdict once and for all , likely either no longer exist or possibly never survive in the first place . But which is the cause ?
Scholars and amateur enthusiasts have centre over scraps of such records and remnants of school text trying to patch together the puzzle of one of account ’s most renowned reference . However , whether he was a character in the gumption of an real personage , or simply a character in the fictional sense , remains inconclusive .
On the next page , we ’ll take a look at some of the different attempts to dig deeply into the past times and pull a rogue with a spirit ofgoldfrom the Page of story . We ’ll also discuss why any potential answer might not be as clear - cut as they seem initially .
Revealing Robin Hood
While some historians claim Robin Hood is found on an actual diachronic soul , most stay on unbelieving . Verifiable hard facts have n’t been uncovered , so claims are based solely on peripheral information and reading of the earliest known surviving works that allude to him . These medieval literary pieces admit the first passing mention of the submarine sandwich in William Langland ’s " Piers Plowman " circa 1377 , as well as the first lengthy incarnation , a ballad whose rubric now ranges from " A Lytyll Geste of Robyn Hode " all the way to the " Gest of Robin Hood , " cover well-nigh every possible spelling in between . A trio of three other ballads polish out the ranks of the early whole kit : " Robin Hood and the Monk , " " Robin Hood and the Potter " and " Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne . "
However , there has been little shortage of hypotheses that suggest possible prospect for the homo behind the legend – whether they jibe the narration of the original stories or not . Some mediaeval chroniclers , such as Andrew of Wynton and Walter Bower , believed Robin Hood was a real person , but their claims are not accepted at face value nowadays .
Since then , many other names have been tossed into the annulus . A Robyn Hod , a Robert ( or Robertus ) Hood and a Gilbert Robynhood have all been pull out of the past and fleetingly ramble in the spotlight as the inspiration for the Robin Hood tale . Such name sounded promising until investigator started stumbling across a whole server of possible candidates with similar surnames like Robynhood , Robinhood and Robinhud . In at least one instance , a judge ordered a gentleman’s gentleman ’s name changed to Robinhood to denote his malefactor status .
Still other candidates have been draw and quarter from the shadow of history by scholarly person attempting to determine the identity of the real Robin Hood based on similar deed rather than comparatively close names . Hence , the unbelievable monikered Fulk Fitz Warine ( or perchance Warin or Waryn ) has also been considered briefly , since his spirit fib approximately equalise that of the legend . Another man with a flickering glimpse of hope was Robert Fitz Odo , also known as Fitzooth . Sadly for Fitzooth , having a " Fitz " in your name intend you were illegitimate . But if the Fitz is jerk out , you ’re left with Robert Odo . And that takes us in good order back to it – a skewed spelling of " Hood , " perhaps ?
You get the idea – the hypothesis are sempiternal , and the chance of coming to the end of the search seem improbable . However , on the next varlet we ’ll take a closer look at one such attempt , and consider the overall import for the modern version of Robin Hood .
Robin Hood: Then and Now
Surprisingly , present-day enthusiasts still sometimes come in out with claims that they ’ve nabbed the elusive malefactor . Here ’s an instance of one such candidate . In his 2004 Koran " Robin Hood : The Real Story , " Brian Benison claims Robin Hood is actually a nickname similar toBilly the Kidand that a fellow key out Roger Godberd is the man behind the mystery . According to Benison , Godberd endure in the 13th one C and embark on off as a friend and hunting buddy of the sheriff of Nottingham , Reginald de Grey , until local politics forced the two into unlike camps . After four years as an outlaw ( and sans a seductive Maid Marian ) Godberd was finally captured , jailed and finally excuse . He returned to his farm and lived out his remaining day peacefully .
Whether or not Robin Hood really exist , one thing is for certain : The details of his life belike would have been vastly unlike from what is presented in movies , books and plays today . Many investigator have tracked the evolution of the Robin Hood saga over the hundred and the former known textual matter describing the crook do not nearly resemble New iteration . For example , early tales and lay of Robin Hood did not take billet during the principle of Richard the Lionheart , nor did they contain any mention of Maid Marian . The Gest ballad draw only two grand gestures modestly resemble the selflessness that after became a central staple in the Robin Hood caption . Also , Robin Hood was a yeoman , not a fallennobleman ; and his main haunts were domain of Yorkshire as fight to Nottinghamshire and Sherwood Forest . Those additions , seemingly so integral to the story today , were devise by later authors – although that ’s not to say the original Robin Hood ’s trait do n’t pop out up now and then , casting him in all his complimentary - peppy outlaw glorification .
The living myth has acquire and expand during the many intervening years in the manus of countless creative storytellers , so the Robin Hood we know today live outside the realm of the original innovation – and apart from the man himself , if indeed he existed .
