Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depicted as being of noble birth, and in modern retellings he is sometimes depicted as having fought in the Crusades before returning to England to find his lands taken by the Sheriff. In the oldest known versions, he is instead a member of the yeoman class. Traditionally depicted dressed in Lincoln green, he is most famous for his attribute of stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
Robin Hood on horse back from a 15th century print. Referred to as "Robyn Hode"
Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, woodcut print, Thomas Bewick, 1832
Douglas Fairbanks as Robin Hood; the sword he is depicted with was common in the oldest ballads
Artist's impression of Robin Hood and Maid Marian
English folklore consists of the myths and legends of England, including the English region's mythical creatures, traditional recipes, urban legends, proverbs, superstitions, and folktales. Its cultural history is rooted in Celtic, Christian, Nordic and Germanic folklore.
A sculpture of the mythical Green Man on the Church of St Mary and St David, Kilpeck
Poor little birdie teased, by the 19th-century English illustrator Richard Doyle. It depicts an elf as imagined in English folktales.
King Guthrum being appointed as a Christian by King Alfred before becoming the ruler of East Anglia
An image of 'The Questing Beast', a monster slain by King Arthur and his knights in Malory's Morte Darthur
