ROBIN HOOD

Robin Hood is a legendary hero who lived in Sherwood Forest, in Nottingham, with his band of followers. Stories about him and his adventures began to appear in the fourteenth century, but the facts behind the legend are uncertain.

One writer thinks Robin was born in 1160, at a time when there were many robbers living in the woods, stealing from the rich but only killing in self-defence. Everyone knows that Robin Hood robbed the rich to give to the poor. He chose to be an outlaw, that is, someone who lives 'outside the law', but he had his own ideas of right and wrong. He fought against injustice, and tried to give ordinary people a share of the riches owned by people in authority and the Church. He had many qualities - he was a great sportsman, a brave fighter, and was very good with his bow and arrow.

He dressed in green, lived in the forest with his wife, Maid Marion, and his men, among them Friar Tuck, Allen a Dale, Will Scarlet, and Little John. For food, they killed the King's deer, and many days were spent eating, drinking, and playing games. He robbed the rich by capturing them as they travelled through the forest and inviting them to eat with him. During the supper, someone looked in their bags to see how much money they had. When it was finished, Robin asked them to pay for the meal, and of course, he knew how much to ask for!

His main enemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham, who was always trying to capture Robin but never managed to do it. Some stories say that he killed Robin by poisoning him. In his dying moments, he shot a final arrow from his famous bow, and asked Little John to bury him where the arrow landed.