I picked up this book at the used bookstore in Detroit! It’s
a quick read, just under a hundred pages. But boy is it a time. Harris here is
trying to debunk the theories claiming that Robin Hood is nothing more than a
myth or legend, primarily because the evidence suggesting this is lacking, and
put forward his own theory that there was a real outlaw.
But first some background is in order. I tried to do some
digging on this book, to see how reliable it is, and surprisingly I couldn’t
find much. There isn’t a publication date in the book, but I managed to find
some information off of the internet indicating that it was published around
the 1950s-1970s. So it could be over 50 years old, I have no real way of
knowing.
Related to that, I tried to find some reviews or critiques
of the book to indicate whether or not Harris’s theories have been challenged
or updated in any way. I could find literally nothing. I have no idea whether
his ideas or accepted by the historian community or dismissed. And I am no
expert on this subject, so take this all with a heavy grain of salt.
The book can be divided into roughly three parts. The first
goes over the primary sources that we have about Robin Hood, as in the legends
and ballads. The earliest known one is called the Lytell Geste and this
is what Harris refers to again and again. Many changes have been made since
there (primarily the addition of Maid Marian and Friar Tuck) so the original
stories aren’t super familiar to contemporary audiences. Harris goes through
them, as well as inferior ballads as well to sum up the evidence that we have.
The second part consists of Harris tearing down other
historians’ theories of Robin Hood’s existence. This is honestly quite funny in
places, as Harris seems to tire of coming up against the same incorrect ideas
repeatedly. There are also points where he takes shots at their researching
ability; I sense some animosity going on here… Regardless, the bulk of the book
is dedicated to this section as Harris’s thesis is that you cannot prove that
Robin Hood is a myth, therefore you cannot eliminate the possibility that he
was real. Probably his most salient point towards this is that “Robin Hood,” or
some variation thereof, was very common in medieval times and you would think
that a legend would have a more unique name!
The third part is the shortest and consists of Harris’s own
investigations in the legendary outlaw and his personal theory. Naturally, he
thinks that he existed. Harris pins down several names mentioned in the Lytell
Geste and evidence to suggest that the king at the time was King Edward II,
known for associating with lower-class citizens and pardoning some. His
personal idea is that Robin Hood was a small-time outlaw with a reputation for
being an excellent archer and very kind to those whose paths he crosses. Over
time, the story grew and changed, being associated with a variety of places and
time periods. But originally there was an outlaw who started it all.
Knowing very little of the research, I thought this was a
fascinating read. Obviously I wish it was a little longer; it is very short at
only 100 pages. And I do wish that we heard more about Harris’s theory of the
real-life Robin Hood, but since there is scant evidence and he focuses mainly
on debunking others it is understandable that the focus is elsewhere. There are
many things I would give to know how this information has been updated over the
years, but until I find a book with a more recent publishing date, guess we
will have to wait.
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