Sadly, however, the same was not true of medieval historians.
Medieval storytellers tended to take their cues from something grounded, even if they then fantasised and elaborated in the telling. Tracing the roots of Robin’s story shows us that none of these mistakes occurred by accident. This 1912 illustration does indeed depict a scene played out in the original ballads. But why? Where have storytellers taken their cues from and what version of the tale should we be telling? Robin shoots with Sir Guy. Neither of these tales have any historical merit. Some storytellers insist on going as far as having him fight in the Holy Land others choose to align him with the Saxon resistance against the Normans. Most notably they include the positioning of Robin alongside Kings Richard and John, and the recasting of his identity into a disinherited nobleman. Many of these falsehoods are familiar ones.
The Sherwood outlaw is so famous that he has become a creature of popular culture, which includes numerous falsehoods that are tough to shake. While we might all be familiar with the name Robin Hood, exactly how in touch we are with an actual historical figure is seldom made clear. Michael explains his ideas, and presents the view from his new book, ‘Robin Hood Existed’, here in his article for #FolkloreThursday … Michael Reuel has come up with an interesting new theory on the Robin Hood story: that he was indeed a real person.
Historians have long debated the issue of whether the character of Robin Hood was an archetypal fictional figure, or an actual person with historical roots, possibly inspired by contemporary characters.
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