Robin Hood

Robin Hood is the archetypal English folk hero, an outlaw who, legend has it, stole from the rich to give to the poor. This redistributionalist form of philosophy in action anticipates the work of writers such as Proudhon? and Karl Marx by many hundreds of years.

Most of the stories relating to Robin Hood are largely apocryphal, verging on the mythological. He allegedly was deprived of his lands by the villainous [Sheriff of Nottingham]? and became an outlaw?. He took up residence in the verdant Sherwood Forest where he assembled a band of co-workers, his "Merry Men": Alan-a-Dale?, [Friar Tuck]?, [Will Scarlet]?, [Much the Miller]? and [Little John]? who was called little because he wasn't. The female interest was provided by one [Maid Marian]?, who gladly gave up her life of bourgeois comfort for a life in the great outdoors and love.

Many a tale is told of how Robin bested the Sheriff, fighting his way manfully out of the Sheriff's traps (usually conveniently signposted: Trap -> this way...), robbing rich abbots on their way to pay off the wicked [King John]? (who was quite happy for the rightful king, his brother, [Richard the Lionheart]?, to rot in Saladin's dismal dungeons while he grew fat and prospered).

A television series was made in the 1950s of Robin's exploits; [Eroll Flynn]? has portrayed him on the silver screen, and a New Age interpretation appeared in the 1980s, again on television. The most notable recent stab at Robin Hood, was the blockbuster movie, [Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves]? starring [Kevin Costner]? as our man in green.

Perhaps one of the more interesting takes on the Robin Hood mythos was by Mel Brooks in his satire on Mr Costner's epic, [Robin Hood, Men in Tights]?.