People have told stories about Robin Hood for more than 700 years. Nobody knows if he was a real person or an invented character. In the legends, Robin was extremely intelligent and had a playful sense of humour. He loved playing tricks onpeople.
The stories say that Robin Hood was a skilled archer and he always carried a bow and arrow.
He wore green clothes and a hat with a green feather. He lived in Sherwood Forest with a group of outlaws, or criminals, known as his ‘Merry Men’. The group included Friar Tuck, Little John, who was unusually tall, ‘Little is just my nickname!’, and Robin’s true love, Maid Marian.
Sherwood Forest was a royal hunting forest near Nottingham in England. Most people thought that forests were dangerous places to go. People travelling through the forests were often robbed by outlaws.
‘Your money, please, my Lord!’
‘Oh no, it’s Robin Hood!’
The stories say that Robin Hood only took money from rich people so that he could give it to people who needed it. So he became famous for ‘robbing from the rich and giving to the poor’.
‘Here you are, my dear.’
‘Oh, thank you, Robin!’
The Sheriff of Nottingham was Robin’s arch-enemy. It was the sheriff’s job to keep the woods safe and to make sure that nobody stole the king’s deer.
The Sheriff of Nottingham tried to catch Robin Hood, but never succeeded.
Centuries ago people loved to tell each other stories of Robin Hood. Later he became a famous character in books, and nowadays Robin is still a well-loved hero in literature, theatre, TV and films.
