Reading Notes: Week 2 Extra Credit Reading

Title: The Ballads of Robin Hood (A)
Author: Francis James Child
Link: Story link.

Statue of Robin Hood in Nottingham. Source: Wikipedia.

Plot:

• Robin rides into the forest, makes a wager with some foresters and then shoots them when they won't pay up.
• Robin challenges the enormous Little John to a duel with staves and is beaten. He then welcomes Little John into his band of Merry Men.
• Robin meets a butcher on the road and buys his stock of meat. He then sets up a stand at the marketplace and sells the meat at a very low price. The other butchers think he's a wealthy tycoon and invite him to dinner where he meets the sheriff. He convinces the sheriff that he has many cattle to sell but ends up robbing him in the woods.
• Robin is confronted by the head ranger of the King's woods. They duel, Robin is impressed with his abilities, and the ranger joins the Merry Men.
• Robin and Little John try to mug a peddler on the road who manages to best them both in combat. It is revealed that the peddler is one of their cousins and they go to a tavern together for dinner.
• Robin meets a shepherd and threatens to attack if he doesn't share his "bag and bottle." They fight for a whopping 6 hours before Robin is bested and he then proceeds to thrash Little John as well. Robin and Little John are left speechless.
• Robin, Will and Little John meet three forest keepers. The keepers prove to be good fighters and they all go get a drink together.
• Robin, Will and Little John try to rob three peddlers on the road but are fended off and Robin is knocked unconscious. The peddlers revive him and continue on their way. For a legendary fighter, Robin seems quite incapable of beating anyone in a duel.
• Robin meets the mother of three poachers who have been sentenced to death. Robin buys a beggar's clothes and disguises himself. He requests to be the hangman for the poachers -- to which the sheriff agrees -- and then blasts his horn to summon his Merry Men. Together, they free the poachers. This was my favorite story because it shows Robin caring for the poor (how I had always pictured him) and playing the role of clever trickster. It's much easier to root for him in this one.

Setting:

• Nottingham, a small city in England.
• Sherwood, the forests surrounding Nottingham.

Characters:

• Robin: Only 15 years old when the ballad starts and unexpectedly bloodthirsty -- he kills the foresters for not paying up on a small wager.
• He's arrogant; he stares down 7' tall Little John when they meet and insults him to his face.
• Foresters: Punks in the forest who make a bet with a 15 year old, lose, refuse to pay up, and are all shot.
• Little John: 7' tall, long-limbed and powerful.
• He knocks Robin into the creek with his staff when they first meet.
• The Sheriff: Believes Robin has 200-300 cattle to sell and follows him into the woods where he is robbed and mocked.
• Gamble Gold: Banished from his country for murder, he wanders as a peddler. Talented swordsman and cousin of Little John/Robin Hood.

Writing Style:

• Easily the coolest thing about this set of stories is the fact that they're told in verse. Since I'm leaning towards the variety of a portfolio, I think it might be neat to try to do one of my stories (maybe the Beowulf or King Arthur units) in a similar verse format. I think it really adds some neat period flavor to the medieval vibes of the units.