There are some stories we just keep coming back to: myths of great heroes, of Chosen Ones who save the world, of sources of light that lead us from the dark. These stories as passed down through generation and take many forms: some are told many times with slight changes to suit the times, some are changed to make the hero look more like the storyteller. Some become songs or plays or films. But no matter the shape these stories take, their core themes stay the same, and we relate to them over and over again.
The first whispers of Robin Hood began to show up in the 15th century, in epic poems and ballads. They tell of his skill as an archer, the band of Merry Men, and paint him as an advocate for the lower classes – a hero of the people. Robin Hood, in all his forms, is a man who uses his skills to correct what he sees as a great wrong – the exploitation of the people of England. And maybe this is why we keep coming back to the Robin Hood myth—he’s a hero who is one of us.
