Lecture The Literature of the 15th century. Robin Hood Ballads

Robin Hood Ballads

England's favourite hero Robin Hood is partly a legendary and partly a historical character. He lived in about the second half of the 12th century in the times of King Henry II and his son Richard-the-Lion-Heart. In those days many of the big castles belonged to robber barons, who ill-treated people, stole children and took away the cattle and corn of peasants. If the country folk resisted, they were either killed by the barons or driven away and their homes were destroyed. They had no choice, but to go out in bands and hide in the woods. After that they were declared outlaws and found themselves outside the protection of the law. In Sherwood Forest near Nottingham there lived a large band of outlaws led by Robin Hood. He came from a family of a Saxon landowner whose land had been seized by a Norman Baron. The ballads of Robin Hood tell us of his adventures in the forest as an outlaw. Many Saxons joined him. They were called the Merry Men of Robin Hood. The men in their green coats were killing birds and animals for food and playing all sorts of tricks on anyone who happened to come near them. Robin's closest friends were Little John who was the tallest and the strongest and Allan-a-deil. Robin himself was described as a man with twinkle in his eye, who never robbed the poor. He was a tireless enemy of Norman aggressors and always helped the country folk in their troubles. Though the sheriff had put a big prize on Robin's head, not a Saxon in the whole Nottingham betrayed him.