Robin Hood, the Immortal Trickster

To us he's an English bandit but he's appeared in other forms all over the world

Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, seen here in the 1938 swashbuckling movie, “The Adventures of Robin Hood” with his merry men. They lurked in Sherwood Forest, plotting against the Sheriff of Nottingham. A similar character dates back to the 1100’s in Europe in the form of the infamous trickster, Reynard the Fox. and likely was the inspiration for the Robin Hood tales.

The only thing more appealing than Robin Hood to us American kids in the ancient time of our childhood was a familiar bunch of hard-ridin’, straight-shootin’, fist-fightin’ heroes of the silver screen whom we incorrectly referred to as “cowboys”. They were tough as nails but they routinely stood up for horses, defenseless females or any threatened “little guy” who was being abused by some greedy cattle baron threatening to steal his land, or worse.

Although fictional, Robin Hood was a special hero in medieval Europe because he helped the over-taxed poor against the rich and powerful lords of the realm who were taxing them painfully in order to live in luxury behind castle walls.

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