Robin Hood was an English heroic outlaw who lived in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart. He was skilled with a bow and arrow and helped the poor by stealing from the rich, having become an outlaw for shooting the King's deer. He lived in the forest with his band of Merry Men, which included his second-in-command Little John and the minstrel Alan A Dale.

1. What characteristics does a hero have to
have?

2.  Draw a heroic symbol out of your words. (a
sword, an arrow, a crest, an emblem, or other
symbols…)

3. Who was he and what did he do?
 Parents*
 Robin of Locksley (known as Robin Hood) was a
heroic outlaw.
 He lived near Nottingham during the reign of
King Richard the Lionheart.
 He was a skilled archer and a master of disguise.
Both talents helped him outwit his arch
enemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham.
 He was thought of as a protector of the poor. He
stole from the rich and gave to the poor in a time
of corrupted leaders.

4. Why was he outlawed?
 At the age of fifteen, he defended himself
against fifteen foresters who refused to pay
the 20 marks they promised him if he could
outshoot them.
 He shot some of the King’s prized deer to
feed his starving family.

5. Where did he live?
 He was born in Locksley (in Yorkshire, near
Sheffield) and went to live in Sherwood Forest
in Nottinghamshire after he was outlawed.
 Legend has it that he used The Major Oak in
Sherwood for his headquarters.

6. What did he wear?
 He dressed in Lincoln green
 He wore a feathered cap
 He wore a vest of stag hide
 He always had favourite weapon, his bow and
arrow with him.
 He is always portrayed with ginger hair.

7. What do you think would happen if you met
Robin Hood?
 Robin Hood would invite all passersby to a
feast with his Merry Men. He would ask them;
“How much money are you carrying?”If they
told the truth, they could keep their money.
Robin would give or lend money to those who
needed it and would take both money and
clothes away from rich travelers who lied.

8. Do you know who the Merry Men are?
 The Merry Men were Robin’s faithful companions
who lived with him in Sherwood forest and aided
him in his quest to help the poor and weak.
How many can you name?
The most famous are:
 Little John
 Friar Tuck
 Will Scarlet
 Much the Miller’s Son
 Alan A Dale

9.  John was not as little as his name suggests, he
was 7 feet tall!
 He often looked like a wild man, dressed in skins
with a thick beard.
 He was Robin’s second in command.
 He was an excellent swordsman and archer and
always carried a quarterstaff.
How did they meet?
 After both men refused to let the other pass on a
narrow bridge, they fought until Robin was
pushed in the water. Robin was so impressed
that he invited Little John to join his Merry Men.

10.  He was very overweight and was said to love
food as much as God.
 He could be jolly, foolish, a lover of ale, a
holy man, and sometimes wise.
 Don’t underestimate him because he could be
a very dangerous opponent.
How did they meet?
 Friar Tuck dumped Robin in the water after he
had asked to be carried across. After a long
fight with swords and bow, Robin asked Friar
Tuck to join his Merry Men.

11.  He always dressed in scarlet silk
 He was the son of Robin’s sister
 He was obsessed with fashion and always carried
a rose
 He was musical
How did they meet?
 They got into a broadsword fight which will won.
After they fought Robin realised that Will was his
nephew.
 On one quest Will, Robin and Little John saved a
princess from three Turkish giants. The princess
chose to marry Will.

12.  He was strong enough to carry Little John
 He was so violent that he beheaded a monk’s
page just to keep him quiet.
How did they meet?
 Much killed a deer and for this offence he was
going to have his hands chopped off and his
eyes burnt out. Robin intervened and asked
Much to join the Merry Men.

13.  Alan shows up late in the legend
 He was not a fighter, he was a minstrel who
entertained the men.
 He spread stories of Robin’s deeds
How did they meet?
 Alan asked Robin to stop the marriage
between his true love and an old cruel rich
knight. Robin snuck into the ceremony and
with the help of his Merry Men, prevented the
marriage. Will and his true love marry and
join his Merry Men.

14.  She is Robin’s true love
 She acts as a spy, passing information to rogues in
Sherwood.
 She only is mentioned as being attached to Robin in the
late 16th century.
 She was a high-ranking Saxon or Norman lady of the court
How did they meet?
 Robin helped pay off her father’s debt when he came to
Sherwood forest and in return he helped Robin when he
was injured. Maid Marian helped nurse him back to health.
When Robin got better, he asked for her hand in marriage.
She spent half the year in Sherwood and half the year with
her weak father.
 In other legends, she is the ward of king Richard and met
robin Hood in the court.

15.  All the places mentioned in the stories exist.
(Nottingham, Sherwood forest…)
 King Richard the Lion Heart was the King of England from 1189
to 1199. He is named in many of the Robin Hood stories. Robin
Hood is portrayed as a faithful supporter of the King while King
Richard was away fighting in the crusades.
 Both historical records and Robin Hood stories document many
kings visiting Sherwood Forest
 Robin Hood’s grave is in Sherwood forest, little John’s is in
Hathersage, Will Scarlet’s is in Blidworth.
 Nottingham castle, mentioned in many of the legends and many
historical events, was damaged severely in the British civil war.
Its ruins can still be visited today.
 One story says that Robin hood became a fisherman in
Scarborough. He was a lousy fisherman, but he stopped some
French pirates and, for this brave act, the bay is still known as
Robin Hood’s Bay.

16. What is one of his most famous legends?
 Robin entered an archery contest in which his
opponent shot an arrow into the centre of the
target, an impossible shot to beat. However,
Robin took aim and was able to split his
opponents arrow into two therefore winning a
golden arrow which is sometimes seen in his
hat.

18.  (*) There have been over 50 adaptations of
the Robin Hood legend from 1908
 (*)It was actually Prince John who took over
while King Richard the lionheart was away
fighting (The sheriff of Nottingham was under
him) Notes to Molly

19. Robin Hood is represented as a fox in the Disney
version.
Why do you think this is?
 Sly
 Sneaky
 Cunning
 Quiet
 Secretive
 Crafty
 Draw a picture of the animal you think Robin
Hood or any of the other characters should be.

20.  Who are your heroes and how are they
different from Robin Hood?
 Could you write a dialogue between Robin
Hood and your hero?

21. 1. Where was Robin Hood born?
2. What type of green did Robin Hood wear?
3. Who was the tallest of the Merry Men?
4. What question did he ask passersby after the
feast?
5. Who was the minstrel of the Merry Men?
6. Who was the rightful king?
7. What was the name of Robin Hood’s
headquarters?
8. What was the name of the forest he lived in?
9. How much did the foresters bet young Robin?
10. How did Robin Hood summon his Merry Men?

22.  Loxley
 Lincoln green
 Little John
 How much money are you carrying?
 Alan A Dale
 Richard the Lionheart
 Major Oak
 Sherwood Forest
 20 marks
 3 blasts on his horn

23.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evof-iVDOwQ (Errol Flynn as
Robin Hood)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-01kzxLKLo (similar scene
from men in tights)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXTj5nd2oKQ ( Kevin Kosner
speech) qualities of a hero?
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UkTB4EDV_o (Shrek Robin
Hood scene in Finnish!)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJAfXaziIwM (same in
English)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJAfXaziIwM (24 minutes of
the episode of Will Scarlet)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnyDzGEW2DA (Kevin kosner
splitting the arrow)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gx1yN6ZxpA (bbc series
robin Hood meeting Little John)