ROBIN HOOD AND THE MARIAN The story of robin wood, the out-law hero who robbed from the rich and gave it to the poor, has
captured the imagination of the people for
centuries. Through the years the legend has been made into play, movies and even a television program. Was Robin Hood a real person? It is very difficult to know. The story can be traced to ballads sung as early as the 1200s, but it is thought that the legend is older than that. In most modern versions, Robin Hood is presented as a nobleman who was deprived of his lands and wealth, but in earlier versions he was a yeoman. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the
peasants were at the mercy of their overlords, with few rights and little chance for justice. Robin Hood was the peasants ideal of someone who could give them justice. You will read this version of the same story. The most recent is a play. Next is a prose version and finally a ballad, the oldest of the three on which the newer version were based.