Bell Ringer #8: Friday 2/4/11 Today we will learn about Robin Hood! Robin Hood was known for his trickery, but he always stole from the rich to give to the poor. Has there every been a time when you tricked or deceived someone to do good for someone else? Do you think it is okay to steal or do harm to someone that “has” in order to give or provide to someone who “has not”?

Robin Hood World Mythology Old English Unit

Fact or Fiction?  Whether based on a real man or created as a fictional story for entertainment, the tales of Robin Hood have a rich history that many have tried to trace.  Ballads were the first way that stories of a man named Robin Hood were spread among the people of England.  The high rate of illiteracy brought about the oral tradition of passing on stories, or history. Because the wandering minstrel would sing in different areas to different audiences, the lyrics of the ballads would change to reflect the type of audience and their interests, and the story grew and changed.

Robin Hood  There are many differences about the birth and life of Robin Hood in the tales.  One manuscript says that he was born in Another man dates his birth at 1225; yet another manuscript states that he was born between 1285 and [So… he was born in the 12 th or 13 th century!]  Ballads mention that Robin Hood was born in Locksly town, Nottinghamshire but there is no town named this on record.

Robin Hood – Going Green!  In the ballads, the man who is Robin Hood represents nature and freedom; he is green (a forest figure), he has a festive time with his men, and he is natural.  He is the fight against oppression and misery, but he does not have a problem with authority. He is simply against the misuse of authority, against those people whom the king appointed and who were unjust.  Robin becomes the hero of the people for fighting this injustice. He would have needed the help of the people to survive as a traveler, and so robbing the rich and giving to the poor was a way of bringing the common people on his side.

Robin Hood’s weapon of choice…  Robin uses a longbow as his weapon (his bow was made of the English "ewe" tree).  It was important to be skilled at the bow and arrow in the 13th and 14th centuries because it was the means of hunting and survival and the means of protection.  Because Robin became a mythical legend, he was the best archer. One story that demonstrates his archery skill is the Golden Arrow contest set up by the Sheriff to bring Robin out of hiding.

Robin Hood and his enemies!  Most people love Robin Hood. And that's a good thing. Just as commoners are allowed to hunt harmful wolves, anyone can hunt Robin Hood.  The sheriff would pay for Robin's capture just as surely as he would pay for a wolf's head. Robin and his band are often called wolfsheads by their enemies.  Robin is no common criminal. As the famous saying goes, he robs from the rich and gives to the poor. The poor have little to fear from Robin Hood.  His enemies are the rich and corrupt, especially the Sheriff of Nottingham and the bad apples in the Church like the Abbot of St. Mary's and the Bishop of Hereford.

Robin Hood’s Death  The downfall of Robyn Hode (or Robin Hood) takes place at Kirklees Castle, or Priory, in Yorkshire, where Robyn's cousin is the Prioress.  She was having an affair and bled Robyn to death under the guise of medicinal healing to keep him out of the way of her indiscretions.  Little John was at Robyn's side until Robyn's death.  Toward the end of his life, Robyn shot his last arrow out the window and told Little John to bury him where the arrow fell.  Another twist on the story is that a monk who was brought to help Robin actually murdered him.

Where did Robin Hood live?  Some say Robin Hood's headquarters is a tree. Others say a cave.  One of Robin's legendary headquarters still stands, even if somewhat battered by time and vandalism, the Major Oak.  It's said that Robin and his men used to hide in this hollow oak tree, or perhaps stored their treasure there.  In truth while the Major Oak is over a thousand years old, it's too young a tree to be Robin Hood's home, but Sherwood has had many oak trees over the centuries..

Sherwood Forest  Sherwood literally meant "Shire Wood." And in the Middle Ages, Sherwood did cover much of Nottinghamshire and was over twenty miles long.  Sherwood was patrolled by foresters who would mete out swift justice to those who broke the forest laws by such acts as killing the king's deer.  Robin, naturally, broke these laws on a regular basis. Venison, deer meat, was among Robin's favorite foods.  Historically foresters were not always villains -- there were friendly foresters who would leave food for starving families.

Significant People

The Merry Men

 Robin Hood is not a lone outlaw but the leader of a trained band of fighters. And it's a good thing too. Robin's a reckless lad sometimes. He'll sneak into Nottingham once too often and get caught by the sheriff. Or he'll pick a fight with the wrong traveler. And when the going gets rough, Robin blows three great blasts on his horn. That's when his Merry Men appear.  Some say they are a small group of outlaws. Others say there were 140 or 150 Merry Men in Robin's band. Some tales even say there were 300 stout fellows in the band.  Whatever the case, if it weren't for these sturdy yeomen (and yeo-women), Robin wouldn't last a week.

The Merry Men  Little John: First met Robin on a narrow bridge, and neither Robin nor the tall stranger would back down to let the other pass. Staffs were drawn, and Robin was knocked into the river. All was forgiven, and the stranger, a big man called John Little, became Robin’s loyal second and a regular feature of the Robin Hood stories.  Friar Tuck: Unlike Little John and Will Scarlett, the monk Friar Tuck was not an original cast member until He is a rotund, beer-loving sort of monk, extremely skilled with a sword.

The Merry Men  Will Scarlet: A fine swordsman and a bit of a dandy (his love of fine clothes and, in particular, red silk got him his name), Will is the youngest fully-fledged member of the outlaws. According to one version, he’s Robin’s nephew.  Much, the Miller’s Son: He appears in some of the oldest ballads as one of the company. Generally he becomes an outlaw when he is caught poaching. This leads to Robin Hood's outlawry in many modern adaptions.

The Merry Men  Alan a Dale: The outlaws’ resident minstrel. He wasn’t part of the original legend, in which the outlaws managed inexplicably to survive without any in- house ballad-singing; but he’s now become a popular addition to the story, even appearing as the singing-rooster narrator in the Disney cartoon version (fame indeed).

The lovely Maid Marian  Maid Marian: The love-interest. She began her life in quite separate legends, and only in the late 17th century did she take her place in the Robin Hood story. In some versions of the story she is a noble Norman, ward to King Richard, and sometimes the daughter to Lord Fitzwater.

The Villains  Sheriff of Nottingham: The arch-baddie of our story. As the man responsible for upholding the laws, the scheming Sheriff is determined to capture and punish outlaw Robin  Sir Guy of Gisborne: This classic bad- guy also features in probably the best- known of the Robin Hood ballads, Robin Hood And Guy Of Gisbourne.

Group Activity: Wanted Posters

Group Activity: Wanted Poster! Each group will be assigned a merry man or villain of Robin Hood (Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Mariam, Will Scarlet, Much, Sheriff, or Sir Guy). With the summary given to you, each group should identify the following:  How is your character significant to the legend?  What type of person was he/she?  How did Robin Hood meet this person?  Were there any significant stories in which this character was involved?  Why would this character be wanted or hunted? Although each group is required to create a poster/visual, you can present your information via lecture, retold story, skit, etc.

How will I be graded? Poster: 20 points Presentation: 20 points Participation in Group: 10 points TOTAL: 50 point project grade Note that the thoroughness of the poster in just as important as the presentation of information to your peers. No matter the role (designer, reader, leader, presenter, etc.) each member of the group should have an equal role and MUST participate with other group members in order to receive credit!