Hodd

Who was Robin Hood? Romantic legend casts him as outlaw, archer, and hero of the people, living in Sherwood Forest with Friar Tuck, Little John and Maid Marian, stealing from the rich to give to the poor - but there is no historical proof to back this up. The early ballads portray a quite different figure: impulsive, violent, vengeful, with no concern for the needy, no merry band, and no Maid Marian. Hodd provides a possible answer to this famous question, in the form of a medieval document rescued from a ruined church on the Somme, and translated from the original Latin. The testimony of an anonymous monk, it describes his time as a boy in the greenwood with a half-crazed bandit called Robert Hodd - who, following the thirteenth-century principles of the 'heresy of the Free Spirit', believes himself above God and beyond sin. Hodd and his crimes would have been forgotten without the boy's minstrel skills, and it is the old monk's cruel fate to know that not only has he given himself up to apostasy and shame, but that his ballads were responsible for turning a murderous felon into the most popular outlaw hero and folk legend of England, Robin Hood. Written with his characteristic depth and subtlety, his sure understanding of folklore, his precise command of detail, Adam Thorpe's ninth novel is both a thrilling re-examination of myth and a moving reminder of how human innocence and frailty fix and harden into history. Good guy or bad guy? A medieval document casts doubt on our pre-conceptions about a medieval folk hero and legend. Who was Robin Hood? Romantic legend casts him as outlaw, archer, and hero of the people, living in Sherwood Forest with Friar Tuck, Little John and Maid Marian, stealing from the rich to give to the poor but there is no historical proof to back this up. The early ballads portray a quite different impulsive, violent, vengeful, with no concern for the needy, no merry band, and no Maid Marian. Hodd provides a possible answer in the form of a medieval document rescued from a ruined church on the Somme. The testimony of the monk Matthew describes life with the half-crazed bandit Hodd in the greenwood. Following the thirteenth-century principles of the heresy of the Free Spirit, he believed himself above God and beyond sin. Hodd and his crimes would have been forgotten without Matthews minstrel skills, and it is the old monks cruel fate to know that not only has he given himself up to apostasy and shame, but that his ballads were responsible for turning the murderous felon Robert Hodd into the most popular outlaw hero and folk legend of England, Robin Hood. Written with his characteristic depth and subtlety, his sure understanding of folklore and precise command of detail, Adam Thorpes ninth novel is both a thrilling re-examination of myth and a moving reminder of how human innocence and frailty fix and harden into history. Was Robin Hood A Good Guy Or A Bad Guy? A Long-hidden Document Casts Doubt On Our Pre-conceptions About A Medieval Folk Hero When The Written Testimony Of A Monk Named Matthew Is Rescued From A Ruined Church On The Somme And Describes Life With The Half-crazed, Murderous Bandit Hodd. Adam Thorpe. Includes Bibliographical References. Who was Robin Hood? Romantic legend casts him as outlaw, archer, and hero of the people, living in Sherwood Forest with Friar Tuck, Little John and Maid Marian, stealing from the rich to give to the poor - but there is no historical proof to back this up. This title provides a possible answer to this famous question. Who was Robin Hood? A folk hero of Sherwood Forest who stole from the rich to give to the poor? The early ballads portray a quite different figure: impulsive, violent, vengeful, with noe concern for the needy and no merry band. Thus Hodd turns romantic legend on its head