Robin Hood, we all know him, and I think we all love him, but who is he? As for me, I had always counted him as one of those fictional legendary hero’s, and when I first found out that Sherwood forest was a real place, I got super excited at the prospect that Robin Hood could have been a real person, but the first time I got super enlightened on it was a wonderful Timeline Documentary on him that I’ve linked in show notes. So go learn more and please check out the link.
Anyways…. Let’s begin at the beginning shall we?
So, the oldest historical reference to someone close to the name Robin Hood goes back to a 1226 Yorkshire court record that lists a fugitive named Robin Hood who had his property confiscated, but he’s not alone in the record, there are multiple other “Hoods”, so much so that many argue it’s more of an unofficial alias given to outlaws who hide out in the woods.
Anyone could be a Robin Hood.
Then, by 1422 we have the first official place name associated with him, and that’s “The Stone of Robin Hood”, which is tied to Robin Hood’s well near Skelbrooke, England... which seems like it would be the obvious country but ya know you never know who won’t get it.
I teach high school English, I’m never assuming anyone knows anything.
Carrying on, It’s after this that Robinhood starts to really take off and let’s remember that the printing press doesn’t get to England until 1476, and I’d argue that’s about the time that we get the appearance of the first actual literary appearance of Robin in William Langlands “Piers Plowman” where a somewhat thick parson who doesn’t actually know any Latin says, ““Although I can’t recite the Lord’s Prayer (Paternoster), I do know the rhymes of Robin Hood.” which shows that by at least the late 1400s the stories were popular enough to be used as an allusion to something popular among the uneducated masses.
But this written record leaves a huge gap in the 14th century or 1300s which is when this legend of Robin Hood likely really took off. His linked popularity with the lower classes means his stories were likely largely orally transmitted, and that time frame, the 14th century, would have been some huge things plaguing the lower orders that would make the ground ripe for such an anarchic hero.
To begin with, there was The Great Famine that lasted from around 1315-1317 but would have left plenty of residual psychological pain. The Medieval Warm Period was coming to an end, meaning less and less of the seeds planted were bearing fruit, meaning the price on what food there was went… well..to the moon, meaning the average lower and middling sort were priced out, having to give the best of what harvests there was to their lords. Now on top of this, colder and wetter weather moved in, making the spring and summer of 1315 see massive amounts of consistent flooding that resulted in almost complete crop failure, and any hay or livestock fodder was ruined.
As a side note, it’s probably good it did stay so wet, as large bales or stacks of hay that get too much moisture are prone to spontaneous ignition as molds or fungus in the center begin to create heat and methane, so the exterior begins to dry and so pressure and heat get together with now dry exterior hay and… bam.. Big ass fire. If that hay was close to your thatched house, well you get it.
So, it’s now cold, and wet, and nothing will grow. All the wet cold weather with little to no food meant things like pneumonia were running as rampant as the actual starvation and rumors of cannibalism.
Now, as soon as we get over this as a society, we get hit with the Black Death between 1346-1353. I’m not going to spend time going over that specific period because I think most of us have a good memory of it from school or went researching when Corona hit. If you don’t or didn’t, just know that around ½ of what was left of the population of Europe after the famine died.
To look back at England specifically, they were also also seeing huge tax increases for the 100 Years War, which was a series of battles between the English and French over Norman ancestral lands. To give a quick jist, ever since the Norman, or French William the Conquer had gained England in 1066, many of the ruling elites held a kind of dual citizenship and estates in both England and France, some owing the kings of both England and France loyalty as vassals. Honestly, it was really a miracle they had managed to make such as situation work for over 200 years.
All this means the ground is fertile for the growth of fuck your system chaos agents like Robin, and by 1381 the Peasant’s Revolt was sparked in Essex when attempts to collect unpaid taxes turned heated and violence would soon be spreading across the country.
The people were sick and tired of being sick and poor, and they weren’t taking it anymore. Remember too that this was a time that saw harsh punishments for theft and poaching, leaving many poor folks hung, gibbetted, etc. If you were lucky, maybe you just got stuck in pillory.
So we can see how during this time in the late 1300s there could be an explosion in Robin’s popularity, but again, by at least the early 1400s he officially has place names, real figure or not he had become real in the minds of the people.
Another note on culture and timing is that the view of archery as an integral part of English weaponry and sport didn’t really occur until the late 1200s to early 1300s during the reign of Edward I, and let’s be honest, what is Robin without his bow? It wasn’t until 1252 that the law requiring all able bodied men aged 15 to 60 to be well-trained in archer, and let’s quickly acknowledge how vital that had to have been in the upcoming 100 Years War.
Anyways…
The first time we see him as a the legendary hero is in our first ballad today, which is “Robin Hood and the Monk” from around 1461, which I’ll be reading a modern version of because nobody deserves to suffer through me pronouncing Middle English.
One note on meaning as we begin is that the term Whitson, in the earliest ballad, is a term used to refer to the traditional Christian holiday of Pentecost, which used to be a much bigger deal than it is today, but celebrates when the holy spirit inspired the original apostles, fulfilling the original promise from the messiah prophecy that the holy spirit/holy ghost/spirit of God would baptize the followers of the Messiah in the spirit. Now, there is a lot of theology here, and as someone who was raised in a Southern Baptist church, surprisingly Pentecost never really was thing, but if you’ve seen the ecstatic speaking in tongues or exuberant shouting, then you should have an idea of what being bathed in the holy spirit can look like. However, this spiritualistic expression was not a part of traditional Medieval Catholic services.
It is important to not that the celebration of it is closely timed to the traditional spring Equinox, celebrated first with Beltane, which has largely transitioned into May Day festivities. I say all of this because in the 1500s in Britain, Robin would become an integrated part of many May Day festivals. Now, the signature green garb and associations with May-day may make one think of the Jack-in-the-Green tradition, but while close in many symbolic aspects, I wouldn’t say there were super closely related. The Jack-in-the-Green tradition has a start date after Robin Hood’s association with May Day and doesn’t show itself in any records until 1770.
All that said, let’s go ahead and look this first known printed version of
In summer, when the woods are shining,
And leaves are large and long,
It is very merry in the fair forest
To hear the birdies' song,
To see the deer draw to the dale,
And leave the high hills free,
And shadow themselves in the green leaves,
Under the green wood tree.
It befell on Whitson
Early in a May morning,
The sun up fair did shine,
And the merry birds did sing.
"This is a merry morning," said Little John,
"By Him that died on the tree;
A more merry man than I am one
Lives not in Christianity.
"Pluck up thy heart, my dear master,"
Little John did say,
"And think that it is a very fair time
In a morning of May."
"Yet one thing grieves me," said Robin,
"And does my heart much woe:
That I may not on solemn days
To mass or matins
go.
"It is a fortnight and more," said he,
"Since I my Savoir see;
Today will I go to Nottingham," said Robyn,
"With the might of mild Mary."
Then spoke Much, the miller's son,
Evermore good to him betide!
"Take twelve of your strong yeomen,
Well-weaponed, by thy side.
Such a one who would thyself slay,
That twelve dare not abide."
"All of my merry men," said Robin,
"By my faith, I will not have go,
But Little John shall bear my weapon,
Till I wish to draw my bow."
"Thou shall bear thine own," said Little John,
"Master, and I will bear mine.
And we will shoot, betting a penny," said Little John,
"Under the green wood line."
"I will not bet a penny," said Robin Hood,
"In faith, Little John, with thee,
But for every one as thou do shoot," said Robin,
"In faith, I'll bet you three."
Thus shot they forth, these yeomen two,
Both at bush and shrub, win or lose,
Till Little John won of his master
Five shillings for socks and shoes.
A fiery strife fell between them,
As they went by the way;
Little John said he had won five shillings,
And Robin Hood said, shortly, "Nay."
With that Robin Hood called Little John a liar,
And smote him with his hand;
Little John waxed wroth therewith,
And pulled out his bright brand.
"Were thou not my master," said Little John,
"Thou should pay for it for sure;
Get thee a man, whoever thou will,
For thou get me no more."
Then Robin goes to Nottingham,
Himself mourning alone,
And Little John to merry Sherwood,
The paths he knew, every one.
When Robin came to Nottingham,
Certainly and without lie,
He prayed to God and mild Mary
To bring him out safe one more time.
He went in to Saint Mary's church
And kneeled down before the cross or rood;
All that were inside the church
Beheld well Robin Hood.
Beside him stood a great-headed monk,
I pray to God woe unto he!
For he recognized good Robin,
As soon as him he did see.
Out of the door he ran,
At once he did run;
All the gates of Nottingham
He made to be barred, every one.
"Rise up," he said, "thou proud sheriff,
Hurry up now, with a bound.
I have spied the king's felon.
Forsooth, he is in this town.
"I have spied the false felon
As he stands at his mass;
It is all your fault," said the monk,
"If from us he does pass.
"This traitor's name is Robin Hood,
Under the green wood lined;
He robbed me once of a hundred pounds.
It is never out of my mind."
Up then rose this proud sheriff,
And quickly he prepared;
Many was the mother's son
To the church with him did fare.
In at the doors they thoroughly thrust,
With staves for every one;
"Alas, alas!" said Robin Hood,
"Now miss I Little John."
But Robin took out a two-hand sword,
That hanged down to his knee;
There where the sheriff and his men stood thickest,
Toward them then went he.
Thrice through at them then he ran,
Forsooth to you I say,
And wounded many a mother's son,
And twelve he slew that day.
His sword upon the sheriff's head
Certainly he broke in two;
"The smith that made this," said Robin,
"I pray to God give him woe!"
"For now am I weaponless," said Robin,
"Alas! Against my will;
Unless I flee these traitors now,
I know they will me kill."
[There is a gap in the text here which apparently tells that Robin
was captured and that his men heard the bad news.]
Some fell in swooning as if they were dead
And lay still as any stone;
None of them kept their heads
Except for Little John.
"Stop your wailing," said Little John,
"For His love that died on the tree,
Ye that should be doughty men;
It is a great shame to see.
"Our master has been hard beset before
And yet escaped away;
Pluck up your hearts, and leave this lament,
And listen to what I shall say.
"He has served Our Lady many a day,
And very well, surely;
Therefore I trust in her especially.
No wicked death shall die he.
"Therefore be glad," said Little John,
"And let this morning be;
And I shall be the monk's downfall,
With the might of mild Mary.
And if I meet him," said Little John,
"It will be him versus me."
"Look that ye keep yourselves over by the meeting tree,
Under the small leaves, well,
And spare none of the venison,
That goes in this vale."
Forth then went these yeomen two,
Little John and Much together,
And stayed at Much's uncle's house;
The highway was near as ever.
Little John stood at a window in the morning
And looked forth from an upstairs room;
He saw where the monk came riding,
And with him a little page too.
"By my faith," said little John to Much,
"I can tell thee of tidings good;
I see where the monk comes riding,
I know him by his wide hood."
They went in to the way, these yeomen both,
As courteous and gracious men;
They asked news of the monk,
As if they were his friends.
"From whence come ye?" said Little John.
"Tell us tidings, I you pray,
Of a false outlaw, [called Robin Hood]
Was taken yesterday.
"He robbed me and my fellows both
Of twenty marks and seven;
If that false outlaw be taken,
Forsooth, that would be heaven."
"So did he me," said the monk,
"Of a hundred pounds and more;
I was the first to get my hands on him.
You may thank me therefore."
"I pray God thank you," said Little John,
"And we will when we may;
We will go with you, with your leave,
And bring you on your way.
"For Robin Hood has many a wild fellow,
I tell you in certain;
If he knew ye rode this way,
In faith ye should be slain."
As they went talking by the way,
The monk and Little John,
John took the monk's horse by the head,
At once and anon.
John took the monk's horse by the head,
Forsooth to you I say;
So did Much the little page,
For he should not escape away.
By the throat-piece of the hood
John pulled the monk down;
John was not afraid of him.
He let him fall on his crown.
Little John was so angry
And drew out his sword so fast;
The monk saw he should be dead,
"Lord mercy" did he gasp.
"He was my master," said Little John,
"That thou has chosen to fell;
Shall thou never come at our king,
For to tell his tale."
John smote off the monk's head,
No longer would he dwell;
So did Much the little page,
For fear lest he would tell.
There they buried them both,
In neither bog nor heath,
And Little John and Much together
Bear the letters to our king.
Little John came in unto the king.
He knelt down upon his knee:
"God save you, my liege lord.
Jesus watch over thee!
"God save you, my liege king!"
To speak John was truly bold;
He gave him the letters in his hand,
The king did them unfold.
The king read the letters immediately
And said, "I say to thee,
There was never yeoman in merry England
I longed so sore to see.
"Where is the monk that these should have brought?"
Our king did say.
"By my truth," said Little John,
"He died along the way."
The king gave Much and Little John
Twenty pounds in certain,
And made them yeomen of the crown,
And bade them go again.
He gave John the seal in hand,
To place in the sheriff's palm,
To bring Robin to him,
And no man do him harm.
John took his leave from our king,
Forsooth to you I say;
The nearest way to Nottingham
To take, he went that way.
When John came to Nottingham
The gates were all barred tight;
John called up the porter,
He answered him all right.
"What is the cause," said Little John,
"Thou shut these gates so fast?"
"Because of Robin Hood," said the porter,
"In deep prison he is cast."
"John and Much and Will Scarlett,
Forsooth to you I say,
They slew our men upon our walls,
And assault us every day."
Little John asked after the sheriff,
And found him very soon;
He opened the king's privy seal,
And placed in his hands the boon.
When the sheriff saw the king's seal,
He took off his hood anon.
"Where is the monk that bore the letters?"
He said to Little John.
"He is so pleased with him," said Little John,
"Forsooth to you I say,
He has made him abbot of Westminster,
A lord of that abbey."
The sheriff made John good cheer,
And gave him wine of the best;
At night they went to their beds,
And every man to his rest.
When the sheriff was asleep,
Drunken of wine and ale,
Little John and Much, forsooth,
Took their way unto the jail.
Little John called up the jailer
And bade him rise anon;
He saw Robin Hood had broken the prison,
And out of it was gone.
The porter rose anon for sure,
As soon as he heard John call;
Little John was ready with a sword,
And stabbed him through to the wall.
"Now will I be jailer," said Little John,
And took the keys in hand;
He found the way to Robin Hood,
And soon had him unbound.
He gave him a good sword in his hand,
To protect his body and crown,
And there where the walls were lowest
Anon they did jump down.
By then the cock began to crow,
The day began to spring;
The sheriff found the jailer dead.
The town bell did he ring.
He made a cry throughout the town:
Whether he be yeoman or knave,
Whoever could bring him Robin Hood,
A reward he should have.
"For I dare never," said the sheriff,
"Before the king do come;
For if I do, I know for certain
Forsooth he will have me hung."
The sheriff made to search Nottingham,
Both the street and alley,
And Robin was in merry Sherwood,
As light as leaf on tree.
Then bespake good Little John,
To Robin Hood did he say,
"I have done thee a good turn for an ill.
Repay me when thou may."
"I have done thee a good turn," said Little John,
"Forsooth to thee say;
I have brought thee under the green wood line;
Farewell, and have a good day."
"Nay, by my truth," said Robin,
"So shall it never be;
I make you the master," said Robin,
"Of all my men and me."
"Nay, by my truth," said Little John,
"So shall it never be;
But let me be your fellow," said Little John,
"Nothing else do I care to be."
Thus John got Robin Hood out of prison,
Certainly without lie he had;
When his men saw him whole and sound,
Forsooth they were very glad.
They filled up on wine and made him glad
Under the leaves so small in the vale,
And ate pasties of venison
That was very good with ale.
Then word came to our king
How Robin Hood was gone,
And how the sheriff of Nottingham
Does never look him upon.
Then bespake our comely king,
In an anger high to see:
"Little John has beguiled the sheriff,
In faith so has he me."
"Little John has beguiled us both,
And that full well I see;
Or else the sheriff of Nottingham
High-hanged should he be."
"I made him yeoman of the crown,
And gave him money with my hand;
I gave him security," said our king,
"Throughout all merry England.
"I gave them security," then said our king;
"I say this all to thee,
Forsooth such a yeoman as he is one
In all England are not three."
"He is true to his master," said our king;
"I say, by sweet Saint John,
He loves better Robin Hood
Than he does each of us upon.
"Robin Hood is ever bound to him,
Both in street and in stable or stall;
Speak no more of this matter," said our king,
"But John has beguiled us all."
Thus ends the tale of the monk
And Robin Hood, or I'm amiss;
God, that is ever a crowned king,
Bring us all to His bliss!
That’s a lot.. And honestly, I considered cutting this all down to save on time, but I eventually found it more important for everyone to hear it in its entirety, because in all reality the real hero of the story isn’t Robin Hood, but Little John. It’s funny to me that modern-day variations portray him as a bit thick, but here he is clearly a mastermind.
In this and many early versions, Robin Hood and Little John are Yeoman, which was a way to describe two positions that would often overlap, small-farm owners and mid-level management in a royal or noble house. So when the king makes Little John a royal yeoman, he’s really elevating his status, but still basically, the middle-sort…not the richest or the poorest. He’s the accounts man… but more on that in a bit. Let’s talk hard money facts a minute though.
In “Robin Hood & The Monk,” Little John outshoots Robin, winning 5 shillings for a new pair of boots and socks. That translates to about 120 bucks today compared to 1420, but it’s nothing compared to the 100 pounds he stole from the monk, who sends men to chase Robin down. Today that would be equivalent to a little over 65k pounds or a little under 80k dollars. During the time that amount would have been equivalent to 13 ½ years salary of a skilled tradesman. Today a skilled tradesman can expect an average a salary of a little under 65k a year according to Salary.com, but those numbers can vary widely between something like a general laborer and a highly skilled and experienced plumber or electrician. So, if you multiply that to get a rough idea of the day to day equivalent, then you’d get Robin stealing about 877K. Let’s call it a bit short of a mill. Now, factor in that this was a monk’s money and you start to see how wealth inequality and fighting corruption start to integrate themselves into the stories in the coming centuries.
I’m honestly surprised we haven’t had a huge Robin Hood revival lately with all the issues of wealth disparity.
However, the ultimate core archetype of the man who has said fuck your corrupt system, I’m going to live in the woods with my friends and my weapons is key to this role as hero trickster, which Robin Hood has become a key avatar for.
I think it’s one of the reasons there was so much outrage at the Robin Hood investment app/site for trying to lock down what happened with the whole R/Wallstreetbets Gamestop moment. The name Robin Hood has had 800 years to cement itself to the working man’s hero, that choosing that name sent a clear message about what their raison d'etre was, and siding with the powers that be over the tricksters who found a loophole in the system was so very hypocritical.
If corporations are the noble families and kings of capitalism, then we are in a world of corporate feudalism, where Robin Hood would be doing exactly what those at wall-street bets were doing. They found a weak spot in a system built to gatekeep and got in that way. It’s the same energy as the stray dog I’m currently fostering. You can try and keep him out, but he’s gonna find his way in. He’s learned where the good food and company are, so you can try and keep him out of the backyard but he will get himself in. He’s actually the reason it’s taken me so long to actually record this episode. I’ve had it ready for weeks, but have spend a large amount of time fixing every weak spot he has found in the back fence and getting him off the streets. On a side note… ya’ll if you can’t or don’t want to take care of an animal… don’t get one. This poor dog we are now fostering and calling Woofus looked like a Holacaust survivor when he showed up. All jutting spine, ribs, and hip bones. Pretty sure he was being kept in a shed by a next door neigbhor as we could hear him crying out at nights until he showed up here.
Anyways, that and some certification tests have kept this delayed.
Anyways, this is trickster energy at its best. Working to highlight the cracks and fissures in society.
Yet, it isn’t until the longest of the ballads, “A Gest of Robyn Hode” spelled _Gest as G-E-S-T Robyn spelled with a Y and Hood as Hode_____ which has an earliest surviving example dating to 1510 that the whole rob from the rich to give to the poor aspect appears, and only that he says, “If he be a pore man, of my God he shall have some.”
In that version, Robin is still a Yeoman, but we get more specifics in that he served the King, but deserts his post to return to the forest. This marks a turning point where he goes from just a standard yeoman to one who works specifically for the king, making the step up to dislanded gentry all that more logical and easy.
Robin remains relatively ruthless up until at least the late 1400s when we have the earliest version of the story of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne in play form, where Robin kills the king’s assassin Guy of Gisborne, slits Guy’s throat and proceeds to mutliate his corpse, most notably his face.
That’s some sick Joker-like energy right there, and while I now have the urge to go off and try do an analysis or comparison on how Robin Hood and the Joker are similar, that’s going to have to wait for a later date.
So we’ve covered how during the 1500s Robin became more and more gentrified and civil as the upper classes begin to somehow see him as a great hero. It’s really the same romantic process that happens in the modern process of Disneyfication that most classic folk and fairy tales get so they are more suited for a wider audience, and with Robin Hood, the most notable was Anthony Munday who has Robin as a disinherited Earl, which is about as close to royalty as you can get. It’s also one of the first to set it specifically during the Reign of Richard the Lionheart and the foul King John, which really solidifies the tale into the romantic hero as even then we liked to fantasize that things were somehow so much better in the past, and forgetting how absolutely brutal it was.
While there have been countless adaptations and variations on the story since, it has kept many of the most essential elements for at least a solid 400 years, and we’ve never stopped loving him, and as we see cycles of more or less wealth inequality, his stories are sure to remain as alive as they were in 1400.
I don’t see Robin Hood going anywhere, and while he isn’t an ongoing ballad topic like forsaken love or addiction, he was one of the first of the ballad tradition so deserved a show all his own in this journey of ballad exploration.
With all that, I will bid you all a grateful goodnight, and as always please reach out with any ballads you’d like me to cover, and stay curious!
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