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• Marlon Ingenito

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Robin Hood Robin is famous for his gallantry, robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny. Anyone who knows of Robin has also heard the stories of his outlaw band. The names of Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marion, Allan a Dale, Will Scarlet, Much the Miller and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham are as much a part of the legend as Robin Hood himself. The stories of Robin portray him as a fearless outlaw leading his band of "merry men" (and women) against the tyranny of Prince John, The Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisbourne. A brilliant archer, Robin lived a life of adventure - poaching the King's deer from the outlaws' retreat in Sherwood Forest.

Little John Renowned for his size and strength, Little John was Robin Hood's faithful companion and right hand man. Most people will be able to recount the tale of how Robin met Little John on the bridge and will associate this famous outlaw with his prowess in hand to hand combat. People may be less aware that Little john was also a skilled archer and shared many of Robin's other characteristics. Little John was the only outlaw to be with Robin at his death at Kirklees Priory. His grave can be found at Hathersage in Derbyshire. Allan A dale Allan A Dale was a minstrel whose songs and music were regularly heard throughout the leafy splendour of the Greenwood. Legend has it that he was befriended by Robin and became an integral part of the outlaw band. Friar Tuck The picture of Friar Tuck is of a rotund and jolly Friar who became an indispensable member of Robin's band. In the ballads Robin made Friar Tuck carry him across a stream but on the return trip, Tuck drops Robin in the water and the pair begin to fight. Eventually, the skirmish reaches a peaceful conclusion and Friar Tuck is asked to join the Merry Men. The location of the fight is reputed to be at Fountain Dale in Nottinghamshire. Maid Marian In the legend Marian is renowned as Robin's beautiful and clever companion whose love for the Outlaw led her to a life in Sherwood Forest. Tradition has it that the wedding of Robin and Marian took place at Edwinstowe church which is situated in the close vicinity of Sherwood Forest.

Stories Stories about the adventures of Robin have been told and retold for over six hundred years. In Robin's time, few people could read or write and consequently little was written down about the exploits of our hero. Instead, people learnt about Robin and his band through the ballad and song of wandering minstrels who weaved a patchwork of fact and fiction into the contemporary culture of the time

The Tales of Robin Hood Many of us today will know of the legend of Robin Hood through stories like: Robin and the Knight: In which Robin saves an impoverished Knight from losing his lands to the Abbot of St. Mary's in York. Robin and the Potter: where Robin, disguised as a potter, tricks the Sheriff of Nottingham into travelling to Sherwood Forest where the Outlaws capture him. Robin Hood and the Monk: In Which Robin is betrayed by a monk and imprisoned by the Sheriff of Nottingham. The story ends with the rescue of Robin by Little John and Much the miller's son. Robin and the Curtal Friar: Where Friar Tuck and Robin Hood first meet. Robin and the Silver Arrow in which Robin wins the archery contest set up to trap him by the Sheriff of Nottingham. The death of Robin Hood: where, after the deaths of Maid Marian and King Richard, Robin ends his days in the grounds of Kirklees Priory.

When did Robin Live? Historians and researchers have a range of views but generally believe that

Robin Hood was alive around the thirteenth century. The earliest reference to Robin Hood is in William Langland's poem "The vision of William concerning Piers Plowman" which was written in 1377. Clearly, for the Gest of Robin Hood to be compiled by 1400 the stories must have been in circulation well before that date. Where did Robin live? No story of Robin Hood is complete without its setting, Sherwood Forest which in Robin's time covered about 100,000 acres. At the heart of the Greenwood encampment lies the famous Major Oak, the "council tree" of the outlaw band. Sherwood Forest was of course home for the Kings deer which the outlaws hunted for their illegal feasts. People in Robin's time saw the forest as a dangerous place and travelled mostly in large groups for fear of ambush and robbery. To Robin and the outlaws Sherwood Forest was a place of safety from the Sheriff's, men.

Where is Robin Buried? According to the legend, Robin journeyed to Kirklees Priory where he was eventually killed by his cousin the prioress and Sir Roger of Doncaster. It is at Kirklees Priory that the supposed grave of Robin Hood can still be seen to this day. Sadly, much of Kirklees Priory is now ruined but roughly 600 metres from the gatehouse a medieval gravestone was found bearing a partial inscription "here lies Robard Hude..."