| “Once upon a time the great mass of English people were unfree. They could not live where they chose, nor work for whom they pleased. Society in those feudal days was mainly divided into lords and peasants. The lords held the land from the king, and the peasants or villeins were looked upon as part of the soil, and had to cultivate it to support themselves and their masters.” |
— Robin Hood by Henry Gilbert
THE LEGEND
It's been at least twenty years since I last wandered the "leafy paths" of Sherwood Forest with Robin of Locksley. This 1916 retelling by Henry Gilbert was unexpectedly fresh and inspirational, quite different from the Paul Creswick rendition I knew and loved as a boy.
Gilbert's tale is rooted in the oldest ballads and legends (roughly forty) rather than later romantic embellishments and has an episodic structure to the various adventures. Grounded so well were the characters, places and customs of 13th century England. It was an age of impenetrable castles and far off crusades, widespread serfdom and untamed forests, barons and nobles, lords and ladies, monks and abbeys, and, of course, death and taxes.
King Richard the Lion Heart is in Jerusalem defending the West from the East, while England is on the brink of civil war. For the high-born lords left in charge are robbing one another and everyone else. No one stands up to stop the looting and misery, except for one nobleman: Robert of Locksley Hall. He trades his cloak for a hood, in fierce defiance of the systematic injustice. But he is no thief. He has chosen to wage war on all those who criminalize survival (poaching) and prey on the innocent (taxes).
Gilbert's tale is rooted in the oldest ballads and legends (roughly forty) rather than later romantic embellishments and has an episodic structure to the various adventures. Grounded so well were the characters, places and customs of 13th century England. It was an age of impenetrable castles and far off crusades, widespread serfdom and untamed forests, barons and nobles, lords and ladies, monks and abbeys, and, of course, death and taxes.
King Richard the Lion Heart is in Jerusalem defending the West from the East, while England is on the brink of civil war. For the high-born lords left in charge are robbing one another and everyone else. No one stands up to stop the looting and misery, except for one nobleman: Robert of Locksley Hall. He trades his cloak for a hood, in fierce defiance of the systematic injustice. But he is no thief. He has chosen to wage war on all those who criminalize survival (poaching) and prey on the innocent (taxes).
| “I am Robin Hood, whom ye know, and I give ye this choice. Cease your evil pilferings, wherein you respect neither the poor nor needy, and join my band and take out oath, or fight with me to the death." |
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| Robin Hood Meets Maid Marian At The Royal Tourney, Oil On Canvas, 1917, N.C. Wyeth | Robin Hood And His Companions Lend Aid To Will O' The Green From Ambush, Oil On Canvas, 1917, N.C. Wyeth |
FREEDOM AND JUSTICE IN THE FOREST
The green woods becomes more than a hiding place for Robin and his small group of outlaw companions. There, Robin establishes an alternative moral order. The forest shelters those wronged by knights, abbots, and the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. And Robin seeks to reform them from lawless revenge into a fight force for restorative justice. There is a code: Robin’s justice is selective and disciplined. He forbids harm to peasants, women, and honest laborers, while reserving force for corrupt nobles and clergy. Christianity matters deeply to him—but it is measured by conduct, not robes.
The Merry Men—Little John, Will Scarlet, Alan-a-Dale, Jack, Son of Wilkin, Hob and Ket o’ the Hill, Much, the Miller’s son, Rofe, the Carter and others—are distinct figures, many with personal histories of injustice, and unique skills. Gilbert’s Robin thrives on this fellowship and his trickster ways. Horn calls, birdsong signals, disguises as potters or monks, and forest scouts allow the outlaws to outmaneuver superior forces. The corrupt knights and even the Sheriff of Nottingham himself is humiliated publicly, his authority weakened not by brute force but in ambush, and even public ridicule and exposure.
The Merry Men—Little John, Will Scarlet, Alan-a-Dale, Jack, Son of Wilkin, Hob and Ket o’ the Hill, Much, the Miller’s son, Rofe, the Carter and others—are distinct figures, many with personal histories of injustice, and unique skills. Gilbert’s Robin thrives on this fellowship and his trickster ways. Horn calls, birdsong signals, disguises as potters or monks, and forest scouts allow the outlaws to outmaneuver superior forces. The corrupt knights and even the Sheriff of Nottingham himself is humiliated publicly, his authority weakened not by brute force but in ambush, and even public ridicule and exposure.
 Robin Hood Wrestles Will Stuteley at Gamewell, Oil On Canvas, 1917, N.C. Wyeth |  The Passing of Robin Hood, Oil On Canvas, 1917, N.C. Wyeth |
LOYALTY AND BETRAYAL
Maid Marian understands Robin’s higher calling and accepts the risks it brings. Their eventual marriage offers a lasting peace for nearly twenty years. However, political collapse, renewed corruption under the newly crowned King John, and old enemies return with violence. Robin’s final years are marked by steadfast loyalty—especially Marian and Little John—but also betrayal.
The image of the last arrow and the green grave stayed with me. And I wanted even more: more time with the married Robin, more depth in the training and inner life of the Merry Men, more sense that Greenwood's outlaws permanently altered England's bend toward justice.
Yet overall, this felt like a complete legend—tragic, moral, and deliberate—but also like a foundation for further telling. It rekindled my interest in Robin Hood as a serious figure of justice rather than simply a comforting folktale. [JG]
The image of the last arrow and the green grave stayed with me. And I wanted even more: more time with the married Robin, more depth in the training and inner life of the Merry Men, more sense that Greenwood's outlaws permanently altered England's bend toward justice.
Yet overall, this felt like a complete legend—tragic, moral, and deliberate—but also like a foundation for further telling. It rekindled my interest in Robin Hood as a serious figure of justice rather than simply a comforting folktale. [JG]
| “A man stood close by the path, behind a tree, and looked out into the glade. He was dressed in a tunic made of rough green cloth, open at the top, and housing a bronzed neck.” |
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