Facts about Robin Hood

Born: c. 1100
Birthplace: England
Best known as: Legendary medieval good-guy robber and expert archer

     

Robin Hood Biography

Robin Hood is a legendary hero of English folklore. Much like King Arthur, he is a fictional figure who may have been loosely based on a real person or persons.

In the old tales, Robin Hood is an expert archer and good-hearted outlaw who lives in England’s Sherwood Forest and “robs from the rich and gives to the poor.” He loves Maid Marian, leads a band known as the Merry Men (which includes Friar Tuck and the oversized Little John) and torments the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.

Most Robin Hood stories are set in the era of 1100 – 1300 A.D., and in many he is a defender of the real-life King Richard the Lion-Hearted and enemy of the usurper, King John. Robin Hood appears in Sir Walter Scott‘s Ivanhoe and in many other books, stories and movies.

Extra credit

Robin Hood has been played in the movies by Errol Flynn (1938), Sean Connery (1976), Kevin Costner (1991) and Russell Crowe (2010), among others. He was portrayed as a fox in the 1973 Disney animated musical film Robin Hood.


     

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