Robin Hood's Death
Encyclopedia
Robin Hood's Death is the 120th ballad of the Child ballads
collection published by Houghton Mifflin
. The fragmentary Percy Folio
version of it appears to be one of the oldest existing tales of Robin Hood
; there is a synopsis of the story in the fifteenth century A Gest of Robyn Hode
. A later broadside version of the ballad also exists, which includes the famous detail of Robin Hood's last bowshot.
version Robin Hood goes to get himself bled (a common medieval medical practice) by his cousin, a prioress. He refuses a bodyguard that Will Scarlet
offers and takes only Little John
. The prioress treacherously lets out too much blood, killing him, or her lover Sir Roger of Doncaster stabs him while he's weak. Robin Hood claims some consolation though in that he mortally wounds Roger prior to his own demise. Little John wishes to avenge him, but Robin forbids it, because he has never harmed a woman.
An old woman appears early on the journey "banning" Robin Hood. The manuscript breaks off for half a page with the outlaws asking why she is doing it. "Banning" is usually taken as "cursing" him, but may mean "lamenting" — predicting his death and weeping in advance. In the next surviving fragment Robin Hood appears to be reassuring someone who has warned him he is going to his death.
The later broadside version of this ballad omits the mysterious people (or person) Robin Hood meets on his way, and Sir Roger of Doncaster, but adds the detail that Robin Hood shoots one final arrow and asks to be buried where it falls. The broadside is first recorded around the time that the Percy Folio version was first published in the mid-eighteenth century
This is now the most common account of Robin Hood's death. See Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight
for a different version that commonly appeared in the Robin Hood "garlands" or collections; and also A True Tale of Robin Hood
.
This version inspired the film Robin and Marian
, where it is his lover, Maid Marian, now a nun, who is his downfall.
Child Ballads
The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century...
collection published by Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
. The fragmentary Percy Folio
Percy Folio
The Percy Folio is a folio book of English ballads used by Thomas Percy to compile his Reliques of Ancient Poetry. Although the manuscript itself was compiled in the 17th century, some of its material goes back well into the 12th century...
version of it appears to be one of the oldest existing tales of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
; there is a synopsis of the story in the fifteenth century A Gest of Robyn Hode
A Gest of Robyn Hode
"A Gest of Robyn Hode" is Child Ballad 117; it is also called A Lyttell Geste of Robyn Hode in one of the two oldest books that contain it....
. A later broadside version of the ballad also exists, which includes the famous detail of Robin Hood's last bowshot.
Synopsis
In the fragmentary Percy FolioPercy Folio
The Percy Folio is a folio book of English ballads used by Thomas Percy to compile his Reliques of Ancient Poetry. Although the manuscript itself was compiled in the 17th century, some of its material goes back well into the 12th century...
version Robin Hood goes to get himself bled (a common medieval medical practice) by his cousin, a prioress. He refuses a bodyguard that Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet was a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men. He was present in the earliest ballads along with Little John and Much the Miller's Son....
offers and takes only Little John
Little John
Little John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...
. The prioress treacherously lets out too much blood, killing him, or her lover Sir Roger of Doncaster stabs him while he's weak. Robin Hood claims some consolation though in that he mortally wounds Roger prior to his own demise. Little John wishes to avenge him, but Robin forbids it, because he has never harmed a woman.
An old woman appears early on the journey "banning" Robin Hood. The manuscript breaks off for half a page with the outlaws asking why she is doing it. "Banning" is usually taken as "cursing" him, but may mean "lamenting" — predicting his death and weeping in advance. In the next surviving fragment Robin Hood appears to be reassuring someone who has warned him he is going to his death.
The later broadside version of this ballad omits the mysterious people (or person) Robin Hood meets on his way, and Sir Roger of Doncaster, but adds the detail that Robin Hood shoots one final arrow and asks to be buried where it falls. The broadside is first recorded around the time that the Percy Folio version was first published in the mid-eighteenth century
This is now the most common account of Robin Hood's death. See Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight
Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight
-Synopsis:The king and nobles meet to consider Robin Hood. They send Sir William with a hundred men. Sir William presents him with a letter from the king ordering Robin to surrender. When Robin refuses, Sir William attempts to seize him on the spot. Both Sir William and Robin summoned their...
for a different version that commonly appeared in the Robin Hood "garlands" or collections; and also A True Tale of Robin Hood
A True Tale of Robin Hood
A True Tale of Robin Hood is Child ballad 154, featuring Robin Hood and, indeed, presents a full account of his life, from before his becoming an outlaw, to his death. It describes him as the Earl of Huntington, which is a fairly late development in the ballads...
.
This version inspired the film Robin and Marian
Robin and Marian
Robin and Marian is a 1976 British/American co-produced romantic adventure period film filmed in Pamplona, Spain starring Sean Connery as Robin Hood, Audrey Hepburn as Lady Marian, Nicol Williamson as Little John, Robert Shaw as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Richard Harris as King Richard. It also...
, where it is his lover, Maid Marian, now a nun, who is his downfall.