Was robin hood a fictitious character?

Question

Was robin hood a fictitious character?

Answer 1

Cybele K. is correct.  There have been several outlaws who called themselves Robin Hood.  Further, the oldest of the ballads don't talk about robbing from the rich to give to the poor, and the Sheriff of Nottingham is only after him because Robin is an outlaw, not because the sheriff is corrupt.

Check out this website about Robin:

http://www.boldoutlaw.com/

Answer 2

Robin Hood cannot be proven to have been an actual person. The character of Robin Hood though is believed to be a literary description of an actual person, the poetic portrayal of an Scottish outlaw named Robert G de Lockesly. Robin Hood specifically is fictitious, but many people are said to have inspired the 'Robin Hood' character.

Answer 3

No.  He was actually bled to death by his own cousin who was a nun.

Answer 4

The popular folklore Robin Hood is mostly myth, but the figure was based on a real man.

Answer 5

Yes.

Answer 6

NO,dude robin hood was real!!!He was in the medivel times.(axes,swords,ball and chain etc.)I studided it at school.He was and outlaw.(robber).He always said"I steal from the rich,and give to the poor".well he also had fello people join him also.And thats all i know.Hope this helps,take care.

Answer 7

I do believe he was ,but there have been many to copy this behavior.

Answer 8

The story was based on an actual person. I'm not sure who but, there was a man in England who stole from the rich and gave to the poor...whether or not he wore tights and had a band of merry men is probably not too accurate.

Answer 9

Robin Hood was real and they also found little John gave site and little John was 6" 9" tall.......................................

Answer 10

He was based on a man known as Robert of Loxley, who fought against corrupt government officials.

Answer 11

To the best of our knowledge, yes.  he does not correspond to any historical person, even though some historical locations (i.e. Loxley and Huntingdon) and people (various kings, almost the earliest stories mention Edward I, not Richard or John) are real.

Wikipedia has a good rundown on the tales: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_hood

Answer 12

No.  He was real.  His name was Sir Robert of Locksley.  

Many of the legends that surround him are completely made up, and some have some basis in reality.  And the character that has built up around the legends.  

But the man WAS real.

At least that's what I always heard.

Here's a few links for you...you decide.

http://www.boldoutlaw.com/realrob/index....

http://www.britainexpress.com/Myths/robi...

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Eng...

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/R...

Answer 13

Someone, or maybe several someones, named Robin Hood existed at different times.

Court records of the York Assizes refer to a "Robert Hod", who was a fugitive in 1226.

In the following year the assizes referred to the same man as "Robinhud". By 1300 at least 8 people were called Robinhood, and at least 5 of those were fugitives from the law.

In 1266 the Sherrif of Nottingham, William de Grey, was in active conflict with outlaws in Sherwood Forest. It seems most likely that a number of different outlaws built upon the reputation of a fugitive in the forest, and over time, the legend grew.

One thing to note about the early legends is that Robin Hood was not an aristocrat, as he was later portrayed, but a simple yeoman driven to a life of crime by the harsh rule of the law of the rich. As such, it is easy to see how his story soon became a favourite folk tale among the poor.

There is, in the grounds of Kirklees Priory, a old grave stone, marking the final resting place of one "Robard Hude". Proof that part of the tale may be true.

Myths are usually born from a kernel of truth ....  so the answer to your question  is ... yes and no.