Robin Hood
Fact or fiction?
Robin Hood was apparently a fourteenth century English Hero. People of that time sang songs about his adventures, although the most famous stories come from the sixteenth century and later. On the twentieth century a television series and several films have helped to continue the legend.
Robin Hood was a rebel and in many ways a criminal, but he was the people's hero. The legend says that he lived in the forest with his companions, his merry men. They robbed and killed representatives of authority in order to give the money to the poor. His main enemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham, a local government representative, but he also stole from rich landowners and members of the church. According to the legend he was always kind and polite to women (including his female companion Maid Marian) and to the poor.
Historical "detectives" have tried to find evidence for a real Robin Hood with little success. There was an outlaw of that name, who lived outside the law because of his crimes, but we do not know much about him. What is certain is that for people of that period and later times, Robin Hood was a symbol of justice; of their impatience with authoritaarian government and unfair laws. New stories about him have appeared throuh the centuries, and he has become a legendary figure.
