Robin Hood

[WBA1955]

One bitterly cold Friday evening around 1964, I was out playing with my mate. But we got so cold we couldn't feel our fingers or toes. I went home, my mom had come from work and she had bought me a book called the Adventures of Robin Hood. It contained all the traditional stories about him and had painted illustrations in it. That Friday night I lay on the settee in front of the coal fire and read that book. I loved that book I kept it for years until it fell apart. I never replaced it but I never forgot it. Now although I love stuff by Ken Follet, Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell, I was looking at the Kindle store last night and saw The Adventures of Robin Hood, I immediately bought it for a couple of quid.
Robin Hood for me is the ultimate super hero, and is so ingrained in our traditions and culture even though there's no evidence he actually existed.
I had a Robin Hood jig saw around the same time with Robin, Marrion and the Merry Men gathered together in the greenwood.
There have been many film's and tv series about him, most of them rubbish like Kevin Costner and Keith Allen's efforts.
The best for me although it's now dated and corny is still Errol Flynn, every kid's vision of what a super hero is.
The best series was Robin of Sherwood which also toyed with the legends of the spirits and folk tales of the old English woods, and also the only one that suggested that the stories were based on more than one person.
I defy anyone to walk through an English wood in Spring or sit outside a country pub with a glass of English Cider, and not think of the tales of long ago.

Anyway, there you have it. Robin Hood.

[Dubbag]

It appeals to our sense of justice. The poor been made poor by the rich.

Zorro was another and many other traditions of local heroes.

[WBA1955]

Zorro was based on the outlaw Joaquin Murietta, though not much is known about him.
Robin Hood goes much farther back and is probably a mixture of fairy tales and the memories of robbers who once haunted our woods.
These are real legends, not overpaid thick as a brick footballers.

[Omegstrat6]

With you on this one. Two books I used to love were John Gilbert's "Highwaymen and Outlaws" with its tales of people like Capt.Hind, Moll Cutpurse and Jack Shepherd and Barbara Leonie Picard's "Hero tales of the British Isles" with magical stories about Arthur, Finn Mac Cool and Tam Lin alongside Robin Hood. Still have them! Might just be pure nostalgia of course, but think that today's generations are missing out by not knowing of many of these. As a kid I also used to love stories like Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island and Kiddnapped. When you read them now -particularly Dumas or RL Stevenson -the old fashioned language can be hard going but the kids versions I had were enthralling to me at the time.

[soulman101]

With our Dad coming from Sutton in Ashfield, near Mansfield, we used to spend weeks in the summer playing in Sherwood forest and sitting inside the Great Oak Tree, which is now protected and fenced off. Happy days

[mickd1961]

I think Robin Hood was gay.

Maid Marion was a smokescreen for his goings on with all those merry men.

Not to mention Triar F u c k .........it all seems so obvious to me that it was going on in plain sight.

[billsbest]

I think Robin Hood was gay.

Maid Marion was a smokescreen for his goings on with all those merry men.

Not to mention Triar F u c k .........it all seems so obvious to me that it was going on in plain sight.

Thanks for making me smile!

[billsbest]

For the last five years I've lived quite near Sherwood Forest. Loads of pubs around here are named after Robin or Marion or just the Arrow!

[baggieal]

I think Robin Hood was gay.

Maid Marion was a smokescreen for his goings on with all those merry men.

Not to mention Triar F u c k .........it all seems so obvious to me that it was going on in plain sight.

Didn’t have many gays in those days! I reckon Maid Marion loved a bit of rough!

[WBA1955]

There is a programme on YouTube of him that Tony Robinson done. Worth watching.