Robin Hood

In addition to Doritos and Budweiser, the Superbowl seemed to want to push several films, one of which was Russell Crowe's Robin Hood.

So now...here is the real Robin Hood. (As best as I can recall.)

Robin Hood first appears in written poetry and folktales a hundred or so years after he is claimed to have lived, and, as such, the actual man - if there ever was one - is rather shrouded in mystery. However, if he did exist, Robin Hood/Robert Hodd/etc. was probably nothing much more than a petty thief, a medieval yeoman-turned-highwayman. Several legal documents such as local court summons and censuses mention a Robbehod (or 'Hobehode' - that damned Hode) who fails to turn up for his trial and therefore becomes an outlaw. Inglorious beginnings.

Of course, the best place to be an outlaw would probably be in one of the uninhabited bits of the country, and if it's in one of the private hunting forests of the king, so much the better...so there's Sherwood for you. It is, however, unlikely that the original Hood was poaching John's game and robbing his supporters as an act of defiance in the name of the 'true' king; Richard Lionheart was essentially a foreigner in England, not speaking the language of its people (and not even stepping foot on its soil for above 6 months of his life). And it's even more unlikely that he was involved in any kind of communist or fundamental Christian wealth redistribution program; these elements of the story were added well after any historical figure ever existed.

Anyway, the mythical Robin Hood's politico-religious campaign, as well as his core band of accomplices - minus the Friar and, of course, the Maid - are established early on in the timeline of the myth for comic relief and further excitement. It is not until nearly 400 years later that Robin becomes elevated to a disenfranchised nobleman. Also at this point, the chivalrous and romantic addition of Marion enters in.

Interestingly, the name Robin Hood does crop up relatively often in the British history records, apparently as an alias for a host of petty thieves. And of course, the myth around the man lives on, continually being embroidered upon, as a tale of bravery, selflessness, and romance; a story of defiance in the face of the law; or simply a spirited, plucky adventure.