That Man, Robin

He remains a favourite hero of mine.

In my childhood there were not that many heroes to choose from compared to those churned out later by the likes of Marvel, D.C and the dream and image factories at Disney and Pixar.

That lack of choice was purely down to the means of their delivery which, for me in the pre-multi TV channel, computer and internet era was in the form of books and comics.

Beyond my access to age appropriate literature I would revel in the dusty shelves of hard bound books upon visiting respective Grandparents. These had been assembled as a collection, piecemeal, probably from a door to door salesman or by regular subscription and formed an impressive sight in the corner of the living room.

The mass of words was, thankfully, interspersed with pen and ink images, some colour tinted and it was in the midst of the pages of  the book of the same name by Sir Walter Scott that I first came across my hero- Robin Hood.

Depicted as a slim, feather in hat, doublet and tights wearing individual his skill with bow and arrow, the compelling characters in his band of outlaws and their exploits were thrilling and exciting.

I didn't at that young age have the temperament to absorb the character in Scott's historic novel but he came more to life for me in various movie and TV series versions which I came to see during my subsequent and more formative years.

Robin Hood has been portrayed by the likes of Errol Flynn and Richard Greene through the 1950's and 1960's and in later decades notably but critically received by Connery, Costner and Crowe with many more in between.

The Disney animated story remains popular and memorable for its drama, comedy and superb narration including the distinctive voices of Peter Ustinov and Terry Thomas.

What I have come to realise in my later years is that it is not important that there may not have been an actual Robin Hood, indeed he is steeped more in myth than hard facts, but more so in what he stood for and largely achieved.

His is not an exclusively English persona.

Just take a snapshot of the popular literature, folk lore and tradition of story telling in just about every country of the world and there will be a very similar character not far from public consciousness.

The strongest image of Robin Hood may in fact be an invention of mid 20th Century Hollywood bringing together in an easily understandable form for American cinema-goers a stereotypical England with Castle (Nottingham), a dense forest (Sherwood) and almost pantomime like representations of Goodies and Baddies with a sprinkling of love interest (Robin and Marian), a bit of menace and peril and ultimately a happy ending with the return of Richard the Lionheart to oust his evil, feckless brother, Prince John.

This reference to history puts the adventures in the 12th Century although dramatic licence has placed Robin in many other period settings.

The locational factors of an English Midlands City and the adjacent, once sprawling and impenetrable forest are also likely to be an aid to the presentation of the tale.

What is however most appealing about Robin Hood is his morality, his mission statement to rob from the rich and give to the poor and his battles against an oppressive and unjust Clergy and Ruling Class.

In a modern context this would certainly put Robin right up there on a Terrorism Watch List or as an image on the Most Wanted section of Crimewatch but when dressed as popular fiction we can overlook lawlessness, criminality, wanton disregard for the rule of law and even his unlawful occupation of woodland belonging to the Crown. Oh, add to that trespass and poaching of livestock.

On the political scale he can be seen as a freedom fighter, defender of the poor, righter of injustice and even as a person with ecological credentials by his living off the land in a very ethically green environment.

His associations with specific locations has undoubtedly generated tourist income for those places.

I did live in Nottingham as a student and would often wander up to the Castle to see if the statue of Robin Hood in full archery pose had, as often happened with great regularity, been deprived of his arrow as a bit of a prank.

Sherwood Forest is still a popular destination for visitors and the Major Oak which is depicted in fiction as a safe refuge for Robin Hood remains as an attraction and serves to perpetuate the whole story for successive generations.

I firmly believe that Robin Hood would be warmly received today by a good proportion of even a law abiding society for his sense of justice.

He may not be found robbing the rich in a violent or physical way but cleverly through subterfuge and a few mail or phone scams.

As for sharing out his borderline ill-gotten gains, well, I can see him in the context of today hijacking a few Tesco or Asda delivery trucks and leaving the spoils in the doorstep of his nearest Food Bank.