allowed to “beat and bind” bishops, archbish-
ops, and, above all, the loathed Sheriff of Not-
tingham. In the Gest the type of villains has wid-
ened to include more figures at odds with the
lower classes.
The Robin Hood legend also takes a bloodier
turn than in previous versions as vengeance is
delivered to villains. In the Gest Robin shoots the
sheriff with an arrow and then slits his throat
with a sword. In a 15th-century manuscript of
Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, Robin is not
content with just killing his opponent, Guy. He
also mutilates the corpse with a knife, a deed he
carries out with considerable relish.
Scholars sometimes explain these recurring
themes of duping and punishing corrupt people
in power as reflecting a struggle between dispos-
sessed Saxons of the countryside and the power-
ful Norman rulers in the cities. In the centuries
when the Robin Hood legend was taking shape,
the English government was beset by a number
of crises that upended the social order. A civil
war in the 12th century, later known as the An-
archy, led to a catastrophic breakdown in law
and order. In the 14th century the Black Death
and Hundred Years’ War with France placed a
huge burden on the lower classes, who, in 1381,
launched the Peasants’ Revolt.A Class Act
In the 16th century Robin Hood lost some of his
dangerous edge as he and his men were absorbed
into celebrations of May Day. Every spring, the
English would herald in the spring with a festival
that often featured athletic contests as well as
electing the kings and queens of May. As part of
the fun, participants would dress up in costume
as Robin Hood and his men to attend the revels
and the games.
It is during this period that Robin Hood also
became fashionable among the royalty and even
associated with nobility. One story from 1510
claims that Henry VIII of England, then barely
18, dressed up like Robin Hood and burst into
the bedchamber of his new wife, Catherine of
Aragon. There, accompanied by his noblemen,
he entertained the queen and ladies-in-waiting
with his exuberant dancing and high jinks. InLEGENDS IN THE
LANDSCAPE
The permeation of
the Robin Hood story
throughout English
folk culture is reflected
in the numerous
landmarks bearing
his name across the
country, such as
Robin Hood’s Cave in
Derbyshire (above),
where the bandit is
said to have sheltered.NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY 55CHRIS HERRING/AGE FOTOSTOCK