Nottingham is a city in the East Midlands of England. There are nearly a half-million residents in the area and not one of them knows for sure if Robin Hood ever roamed Sherwood Forest robbing the rich to give to the poor. Nevertheless, the appeal of the legend remains as strong as ever, so much so that the city adopted a flag featuring a Robin Hood silhouette.
The city’s classic castle, which many think was built in the eleventh century, is the city’s most prominent landmark. It is a favorite among landscape artists, especially Charles Flower, one of Tuck’s most admired artists. The Castle and the Castle Gate are popular “take my picture” sites.
The grounds are also popular with picnic partiers and fun-loving tourists. From the parapets, tourists can see for miles. The city is also home to a thriving arts scene, displayed in several galleries, theatres, and museums.
Robin Hood, according to fable and myth, was a legendary heroic outlaw, originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer who, in some versions of the legend, is a being of noble birth, and in modern retellings he is sometimes depicted as having fought in the Crusades.
The most authentic versions of the legend tell that on the young hero’s return to England, he finds his lands are taken by the sheriff. In other versions, he is instead a member of the underclasses who is courageous enough to “rob the rich to give to the poor.” Hence, Robin Hood is among the first public spirits to adopt the philosophical theory of “redistribution of wealth.” Or perhaps, he was an oracle of modern politicians.
Through retellings and variations, a body of familiar characters associated with Robin Hood has been created. Those who could be dubbed, “the Good Guys” are his band of outlaws, Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, Much the Miller’s Son, and Alan-a-Dale. And the always lovely, Maid Marian, who is by far the most adored.
Because of their “crimes” the Merry Men have antagonized the tyrannical ruler Prince John, who seems to be standing-in while King Richard is fighting in the Crusades. Robin’s chief opponent, the Sheriff of Nottingham, is often depicted as assisting Prince John in his attempt to usurp King Richard’s powers but finds Robin as a foe because Robin remains loyal to the King.
[One interesting piece of phraseology comes from these legends, the phrase “merry man” was originally a generic term for any follower or companion of an outlaw, knight, or similar leader.]
Robin Hood in literature
The oldest surviving Robin Hood tales are A Gest of Robyn Hode, from about 1534, Robin Hood and the Monk, written after 1450, and Robin Hood and the Potter, about 1503. There is no evidence that other tales were written down prior to these. Although the first literary reference to Robin Hood was circa 1370 in Piers Plowman a folkloric tale of a drunken priest who confesses he does not know his prayers, but he knows rhymes of Robyn Hood and Randolf earl of Chester.
Robin Hood in the theatre
By the early fifteenth century, Robin Hood had become associated with May Day celebrations, with revelers dressing as Robin or as members of his band for the festivities. There is also evidence that James VI of Scotland was entertained by a Robin Hood play at Dirleton Castle as early as May 1585. This was not common throughout England, but in some regions the custom lasted until Elizabethan times and during the reign of Henry VIII the legends were briefly popular at court.
The legends enjoyed a wide and splendid renaissance in the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century when troops of actors would assemble in theatres and in public parks to re-enact scenes from the legends. One such event was captured on a postcard of the 1906 May Day Fête.
Likely the most popular twentieth century actor in the Robin Hood genre was Lewes Waller, an accomplished thespian and theatre manager.
He was born William Waller Lewis, in 1860, in Spain. His acting career began in London in 1883, but before entering the profession he changed his name to Lewis Waller. He died on November 1, 1915, in Nottingham, two days before his 55th birthday.
Robin Hood on film
The natural path to film was a difficult one because of unforeseen conditions. For unknown reasons cinema executives had very little success in finding actors willing to assume the lead roles until they discovered Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Flynn read the script of The Adventures of Robin Hood and had no quarrel with the industry because they allowed him to portray Robin as a hero that led the oppressed Saxons in revolt against their Norman overlords while Richard the Lionheart fought in the Crusades. In the end this movie established itself so definitively that many other studios resorted to movies about his son (invented for that purpose) rather than compete with the image created by Flynn in this one.
The gold-mine that was Robin Hood resulted in:
- 5 theatrical shorts,
- 19+ theatrical features (+ because one Hollywood project starring Hugh Jackman is in production),
- 3 direct-to-video features,
- 6 television features, and
- 12 television series.
Was mining mentioned? In 1970, even the Muppet Show did their version of Robin Hood for one episode with Kermit the Frog as the titular character, Fozzie Bear as Little John, Gonzo the Great as the Sheriff of Nottingham with guest star Lynn Redgrave as Maid Marian. The show takes an unusual twist mid-way when Miss Piggy, jealous that Redgrave is the leading lady instead of her (gets a consolation role as “Sister Tuck” as opposed to Friar Tuck), kidnaps her, locks her up in her dressing room and unsuccessfully takes her place during the rescue scene, to which Kermit and his Merry Men end up saving the real Maid Marian, played by Redgrave.
Q and A
Yes, one question, “Is the Robin Hood legend still popular?”
The only answer, “It is and will always be!”
Robin Hood’s name has even been attached to a brand of flour which was first milled in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The company is now owned by Smuckers.
I loved hearing about all the reincarnations of the Robin Hood legend all the way down to the Muppets.
Hello Bert, Now that you are living in California we would love to have you join us at the San Jose Postcard Club to help us learn more about European postcard history.. Thanks for the informative article!
Great story. I spent a week in that lovely town once and remember visiting what was alleged to be, at any rate for tourism purposes, the Sherwood Forest of old. That Lewis Waller card is really nice.