From the outset, Robin Hood was depicted as a rebel who pitted himself against authority. Even so, the idea that he stole from the rich to give to the poor only becomes a character trait from the 16th century onward.
Photograph by Illustrations: Alamy/ACI. Colored: Santi PérezThe name of Robin’s deputy in the ballads was ironic as he is a notably brawny man. He saves his leader’s life on more than one occasion. He is one of Robin’s earliest companions and appears in many of the oldest ballads.
Photograph by Illustrations: Alamy/ACI. Colored: Santi PérezStarting in the 16th century, Marian appears in Robin Hood ballads, although she already existed as
a figure in English folklore. In one 17th-century ballad, she disguises herself as a boy, fights Robin, and then reveals her true identity to him.
Photograph by Illustrations: Alamy/ACI. Colored: Santi Péreza figure in English folklore. In one 17th-century ballad, she disguises herself as a boy, fights Robin, and then reveals her true identity to him.
Presented as a friar expelled from his order for his love of wine, he first appears in a Robin Hood ballad in 1475. Growing out of the stock medieval figure of the corrupt cleric, he later became a popular character in England’s annual May games.
Photograph by Illustrations: Alamy/ACI. Colored: Santi PérezAlso known by the nickname Scathelock or Scadlock, Will Scarlet figures in the oldest ballads about Robin Hood. Despite his pedigree, Will rarely appeared in May games, probably because he did not have a clearly defined character.
Photograph by Illustrations: Alamy/ACI. Colored: Santi Pérez“Sheriff” is from the Old English scirgerefa, meaning “representative of royal authority in an shire.” As Robin’s nemesis, he is a constant presence in the story from the earliest ballads to the recent film adaptations of the tale.
Photograph by Illustrations: Alamy/ACI. Colored: Santi Pérez