ROBIN HOOD. "THE KING OF THE FOREST"

The sword of Robin Hood always was to the service of the poor men.

At the beginning of century XIV, by the depths of the forest of Sherwood vagaba prohibiting whose feats with their sword, turned it the main popular hero of their time. 

Its name today is known anywhere in the world; Robin Hood was called. Some historians think that the stories of the hero-duende are tie with the spirit of the forests, others think that Robin Hood was simply one of the personages of the old ceremonies of the first day of May, that through the years soon passed to be a first legend and a presumed personage historical. Robin was name that pagans gave generally to beings supernatural, and color green, which he was the one that distinguished the clothes of the hero, is the traditional color attributed to the spirit of the forest. Doncella Mariann, that shares the adventures of the hero, could derive from the queen of May of these the same pagan celebrations.

Finished sword of Robin Hood in different.

Nevertheless, the documentary evidences indicate that between centuries XIII and XIV a called man Robin Hood lived in Wakefield, in the county of York, that could be the prohibited one of the romantic legend; Robin Hood (whose name of baptism was Roberto), was born around 1290; his father Adam Hood was forester to the service of John, count of Warenne and lord of señorío of Wakefield. The last name of the forester and his son appears in old documents of court with different grafías: sometimes it appears like Hod, others like Hode or Hood.

In 1322, the master of Robin was Thomas, count of Lancaster, that summoned its subjects to reveal itself against king Eduardo II, and the subjects did not have another option that the one to obey unconditionally; the revolt was squashed and Lancaster was captured. Robin was hidden in the forest of Bamsdale, that was united to the forest of Sherwood, in the county of Nottingham. The forests were crossed by the Great Route of the North, constructed by the Romans, this route provided gains to the thieves of ways and is in this region where the legend is born of Robin Hood.

In one of the supposed adventures of Robin Hood, the arrogant bishop of Nereford, that traveled towards York, it saw Robín and some of its men in critical moment roast a deer for the supper. To take them from the farmers and infuriated by its flagrant violation from the laws from the forest, the annoyance with bishop. The bishop of Nereford ordered the guards of his escort who catched to Robin Hood and his. These requested mercy for Robin, that made sound its horn, and raising the famous sword Robin Hood, and the unfortunate bishop was itself surrounded by arqueros in opening and closing of eyes. These took prisoner to the dignitary and his guards and requested by them a rescue.

Sword with which Robin Hood helped the poor men.

In Bamsdale and Sherwood there are other tie oaks to Robin Hood and its band: of the call Central Tree, one says that it constituted the point from which the secret road network arose from Robin Hood; but the most famous tree is Greater Roble, in Birkland, of which it affirms that it is 1000 years old.

Robin and its men became famous, among other reasons, because they unfolded an incessant activity in a very ample territory. The bay of Robin Hood, that dista many kilometers of the coasts of the county of York, was baptized thus in memory of the prohibited one, whose band had numerous boats there, that used to fish and, possibly, to flee from the authorities.

But what transformed to Robin Hood into a popular hero was its defense of the abandoned ones, the sword of Robin Hood was during long time dedicated to this defense. One seized of the wealth of the powerful ones and it distributed them between the poor men; in addition, when making fun of of the unpopular authorities of that time, the support of the pressed farmers gained.

One of the most famous stories is the legend on the encounter of Robin Hood and king Eduardo II. He narrates that the king, to the knowledge that the number of real red deers of Wherwood diminished due to Robin Hood, decided to clean of prohibited the forest. The king and his horsemen disguised themselves of monks and they went into to horse in the forest. When they found to Robin king Eduardo II showed the real seal and he requested to them that they were put to the service of the king. Robin asked its men who knelt down before the real seal and swore fidelity to the king. Later, the band invited to "monjes" to eat: the food consisted of real deer to the live coal. Shortly after Eduardo II revealed to all his identity and pardoned to the prohibited ones, with the condition of which they settled in the cut and they put themselves to his service.

Robin Hood with its sword, arc and horse.

The legend appears in A Lytell Geste of Robinn Hood, a book published in 1459. It can that all this is a legend, but king Eduardo II really was in Nottingham in November of 1323 and the story of its encounter with Robin is coherent with which it is known of his personality. In addition the name to Robin Hood appears months later, in 1324, in the registries of the house of Eduardo II. There they appear certainties of wages that were paid to Robin until November of that same year. As of that date, the name of Robin disappears of official documents to submerge in the folklore. It is possible that, after enjoying during as much time of the freedom in the forest, Robín was incapable to put itself to the service of anybody, not even of his king.

The adventures of Robin Hood in the forests continued until near 1346; one says that it died in that year in the monastery of Kirklees. 

History finishes when Robín Hood, with its sword in hand, is able to make sound for the last time its horn of hunting before dying shooting an arrow from the window of its room in the direction of the forest and requesting that buried it in the place where the arrow had fallen. Still today it is possible to see the site that Robin chose as it falls down.

The one of Robín Hood it is a romantic history that has stayed lives and has been narrated and returned to narrate during 600 years, giving rise to a series of creations, between which we can emphasize the reconstruction of the mythical sword of Robín Hood.

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