Myths and mysteries: Who was Robin Hood?

SYEDA SABAHAT · #1 Sunday, January 01, 2012

Myths and mysteries: Who was Robin Hood?

A fearless, brave and a great swordsman, an expert archer, who lived with his band of outlaws in the forest and stole from the cruel rich to give to the poor, Robin Hood, has captured our interest and stories for centuries.

Dressed in green and red, especially famous for his unique green cap, this strangely lovable hero of mediaeval England has remained a mystery and an enigma as regard to his true identity and whether he actually existed.

The oldest records describing him and his strange ways were in old poems and ballads, which were later copied in literature, and books and novels which either glorified him even more or made him out as not all that nice a chap.

The first somewhat historical account of such a person was given in 1420 by Andrew of Wynton’s Original Chronicle. But the ballads are much older. It is also imagined by some historians that Robin Hood was just a title or name given to a Robert Hood
who lived with his friend and outlaw Little John, in Sherwood Forest, and continued to do many robberies in the areas nearby.

But there are so many conflicting origins to the person and so many books, plays and poems written over the centuries that it is a little difficult to prove that there existed a man who was the person that matched the Robin Hood of our modern stories.

Then there are also some who say that there never was such a person. Just a mythical figure conjured up in folktales.

According to some records, Robin Hood was a nobleman who turned against a cruel king. But more reliable sources state that he was a ‘yeoman’ or a middle-class man who had his land taken away and had thus turned against King John who was taking care of the throne in the absence of his brother Richard, the Lion Hearted. Robin seeing that his true ruler was away and the greedy brother was being unjust to the peasants and middle-class landowners by increasing the taxes and taking away their lands, had decided to hide in the Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire, England, living in trees and hiding from the law.

At the same time he robbed the filthily rich nobility and then helped the needy. There still stands a huge tree by the name of The Major Oak, in Sherwood forest, which people say that Robin Hood and his friends used as their hiding place. Then a well in Barns dale Forest in Yorkshire, England, is also referred to as Robin Hood’s well, which has stood there since 1422. But the question as to when he was born or in which time he actually lived cannot be ascertained. The reason being that since the basic relevance to the existence of Robin Hood is found only in Ballads, there is no saying as to when a ballad was originally written or sung for that matter. Because they were written as copies from older copies and no one knew who wrote the first copy. Many names have been also attributed to this interesting figure, like, Robert Earl of Huntington, Robert Hude, Robin Wood, Robert Hood, etc.

The 15th century ballads speak of Little John, (who by the way is said to have been exactly the opposite of his name), Will Scarlet and Much The Miller’s Son, were amongst his band of outlaws that hung out with him. The earliest ballads mentioning such a man also connect him to King Edward, but it is anyone’s guess whether it was Edward I, Edward II or Edward III. Then there is also a romantic aspect to his personality given in some literary works. His friend and supporter Maid Marion is supposed to have been in love with him and some accounts say that Robin and Marion were married somewhere in the forest.

Since we cannot establish his birth due to the fact that his real name has never been confirmed as he had turned into an outlaw and probably changed his name, his death too is a mystery.

Where and when he died, is the grave that is claimed by authorities to be his is actually where he was buried, cannot be said for sure. This is because he has become a public figure even though no one has seen him, locations connected to him in any way are famous tourist attractions.

As to the accounts of his death, they too vary. It is said that Robin Hood went to a monk for bloodletting, an exercise common in those times. Whether purposely or by mistake, he bleed too much which lead to his death. Then there is another story that Robin Hood was injured in a fight and went to a nun to tend to his wounds. The nun, who he trusted, turned out to be his enemy and purposely let him bleed from his wounds, which left him too weak to recover. It is said that Little John came to his rescue when he found out and wanted to take him away but Robin was too weak and told Little John to shoot an arrow from the Priory window and bury him where the arrow landed.

His grave is said to be in Mirfield in West Yorkshire and a visit is arranged for interested tourists. The actual story of his death is still somewhat a mystery. Just like this great legendary hero.

By Fatima Sajid

SYEDA SABAHAT · #2 Sunday, January 01, 2012

Time check: British India Dastan-i-Ghadar

Zahir Dehlavi

Zahir Dehlvi was a Mughal noble at the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar. He was at Delhi when the rebellion broke out and witnessed the important events which happened at the court and in the city.

Afterwards he wrote his memoirs known as the Dastan-i-Ghadar. In the first part of the book, he describes the life of the court and cultural activities of the city. The Red Fort used to be the centre of cultural activities where, under the patronage of the emperor, different festivals and gatherings of poets took place. He vividly narrates the marriage ceremony of Mirza Jawan Bakht, the favourite son of the emperor.

The peaceful and pleasant life changed when the rebels arrived in Delhi and after occupying the Red Fort, forced the emperor to lead the rebellion. Their presence disturbed the whole life of the city.

The situation became worse when the English army besieged the city and there began daily skirmishes between the rebels and the English army.

Eventually, when the rebels were defeated and the English army conquered, the city of Delhi suffered a lot. First of all, the army vacated the whole city from its inhabitants. The soldiers started to loot and plunder the city indiscriminately. Many famous and reputed persons who were gems of Delhi were killed during this time.

It is said that 150 persons were taken from the streets and were shot dead at Ram Ghaat. Their dead bodies were thrown in the river.

Women, in order to save their honour, plunged in wells along with children. It is also said that the wells became full of the dead bodies. Zahir Dehlvi, after this description stopped to write about the devastation of the city and said he did not have the courage to write more about it.

When the city was vacated, men were ordered to go out from the Kashmiri Gate and women from Kabuli Gate. It separated many families. The English authorities employed spies to trace those who opposed them. The people who were with the rebels changed their loyalty and pointed out those who had sympathy with the rebels, or who took part in the rebellion. They were paid two rupees for telling about such people. Those who were found guilty were immediately hanged by the British.

Important dates

March 29, 1857 — rebellion of Mangal Pandey against the cartridges greased by animal fat
May 10, 1857 — rebellion of sepoys at Meerath and their march towards Delhi
May 11, 1857 — occupation of Delhi by the rebels
May 30, 1857 — rebellion at Lucknow
June 4, 1857 — rebellion in Banaras and Kanpur
July 9, 1857 — siege of English Residency at Lucknow
September 20, 1857 — English occupation of Delhi
March 22, 1858 — Lucknow was occupied by the English
June 21, 1858 — murder of Rani of Jhansi
May 21, 1858 — rebels escaped to Nepal

By Mubarak Ali

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to SYEDA SABAHAT For This Useful Post:
Hamidullah Gul (Sunday, January 01, 2012), Lady (Wednesday, January 04, 2012), Naqash Fatima (Wednesday, January 04, 2012)

The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to SYEDA SABAHAT For This Useful Post:
Hamidullah Gul (Sunday, January 01, 2012), Lady (Wednesday, January 04, 2012), Naqash Fatima (Wednesday, January 04, 2012), Shooting Star (Monday, January 02, 2012)