There are times, when we need our heroes; this is one of them, not least because we suffer from the officially ‘dullest’ Prime Minister in the last two centuries
We find our heroes as children, and keep them.
I’m sure there are any number of adults who travel to the office, outwardly sober in suit and tie, clutching briefcase.
But in their heads, they are Captain Courageous and they’re gonna save the world in snazzy lycra red underpants and blue tights.
Traditional heroes can be analysed, historically corrected and the myths de-bunked; but it’s too late for you and me, oh yes it is.
The latest casualty of correctness is Robin Hood
(Statue of Robin Hood, Nottingham, UK)
He is now viewed with a….'Negative Attitude’
Bloody Hell, now the academics are telling us that Robin in the Hood , isn’t any good.
A 15C manuscript discovered at Eton College, describes him as ‘infesting parts of England with continuous robberies.’
Dr Luxford, an expert in medieval manuscript studies, said: "Rather than depicting the traditionally well-liked hero, the article suggests that Robin Hood and his merry men may not actually have been 'loved by the good'.
(BBC News Front Page)
Infesting? Heroes don’t infest, they are good and like to help people – or something like that.
I’m torn here; the scholar within admires the academic input, the preciseness of fact. But I still remember the green legged hero who swung through the trees of Sherwood Forest, played by Richard Greene
(Richard Greene in the Adventures of Robin Hood, ATV. 1955 -58)
in the television series produced by ATV and shown every Sunday afternoon. And guess who sat there as Robin Hood, with his Brillcream hair-do and RADA accent put everything to rights and made the Sheriff cry?
Me.
Yup.
For you Saddoes, who want to hear the theme song ‘Robin Hood ’ go to
Adventures of Robin Hood
16 comments:
Hi Fred. This smells like a P.R exercise timed to coincide with the release of the Ridley Scott Robin Hood film. I believe the Sheriff of Nottingham is the good guy and Robin Hood is seen as a bit of a terrorist.
I wonder if the actual text they refer to actually exists or if it does maybe they were a bit "flexible" with the translation.
I don't think changing people's perceptions of mythical or real heroes to sell a film is anyhting new though.
Hallo indeed
The manuscript does exist, in the English Public School, Eton, and also dates Robin to the 14C, in the reign of Edward I, not good King Richard the Lionheart (but that's another story)
The Ridley Scott film was being puffed up quite some time back, so no, it is not a PR job.
I didn't go into the concept in the blog, but Robin has a much older history, as the Pagan, Hern the Hunter, or 'the Hooded Man'.
Also,a Scottish manuscript has backed up the story of Robin Hood as a thief and robber. Go to BBC Front Page News, for more info.
10:18 AM
Wot I kin never quite imagine is a road in England long nuff to highwaylay anyone on it. Is an island isn't it? I mean start givin chase in Sherwood and over the cliffs of Dover you go in a jiffy, wot?
On the B side of the origional Robin Hood song was Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.
I liked Dick Turpin, only the robbees always had to pretend they didn't see him coming a mile - exactly the mile the roads are long in Ye Olde England - har har!
Anyway, where's dat Fred, she didn't rise to the first jibe - how long shall I have to be witty at the expense of English roads? Dey don't have rivers either, not wot I calls a river - i think I mentiuned that.
Look 'ere.....I is around *sniff* and I would point out to Miss D, that we in England are simply too sensible to go jumping off cliffs
We know how to trot along our roads in a proper manner without unwarrented jumpings
An' we have rivers that see no need to gush all over the place - unlike some Rivers I could mention, in Krautland for example
and as for you Zap, Davy wasn't English...Pah
..and to make it worse, the Pirate has been laffing his socks off, in a most admiring manner, re: Miss D and her scoffs ......
Of course, there was also the William Tell song that went with the Sunday afternoon tv programme.
Those were the days. Every German was a hun and the baddies were all fat and ugly and threw chicken legs over their shoulders.
Anyway...I like the story where Robin shoots an apple off the top of Maid Marian's head.
That's the thing, zap - you always knew who the baddies were, as they would sneer and leer, leaving you in no doubt
And the hero was usually clean-shaven...Hmmmn
Errol Flyyn was a bit fuzzy and mustachiod - though there was a man who could afford sporting a clean shaven chin. Of course they did HIS Robin Hood in America, thus avoiding the embarrassment of too short roads - in fact the reel would end before the road did - just make an afford picturing that me limey friens - if ye can.
Effort - i meant effort of course instead of afford - the second, not the first afford - anyways jus you try imaginin it - with the predictable result of mentally going over the cliffs of Dover wiv a big almighty splash.
Over the cliffs...
Straight in to the gaping maws of a passing kraken, no doubt on its holidays from krautland...
An unrealistic scenario, I think!
Although I grant you, Errol made a good pirate, flyin' through the air (although not always orf cliffs) in his long boots an' tight trimmed moustache...
Oh, yes. Bet he turned on more faiting females in krautland than that wooden Dolf Lundgren ever did.
Wooden? Granite, more like. Da man 's a monument. Dear Dolph. Dere is one thing way way worse than a bad Dolph movie, and that is no Dolph movie at all.
Errol made 50+ movies but I allus think he looked best in his first one, Captain Blood. "It's entirely innocent I am!" he told the dastardly judge, and you would have blieved him, then. He was a water creature, like da Kraken.
I wish it to be taken on record that it wuzn't me who made fust mentiun of da Kraken in da middle of Fred's Robin Hood ranting, it wuz da pirate.
Of course it's true, there is a Kraken lurking at the foot of the cliffs of Dover, on account of all those people fallin over them, havin misjudged the length or rather shortness, of English roads.
Dolph who ? Is he a relation of Robin Hood or even Davy Crockett (or DC as his friends call him)..Or more to the point, is he some Kraken relation of the kraut.
Richard Greene was the definitive Robin Hood as far as I'm concerned. He could never do wrong surely?
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