I seen all the Robin Hood movies (even Men in Tights, which I thought was funny), and I’ve never figured out where the “Hood” came from.
I know he was Robin of Locksley before the sheriff wiped out his family, but after joining up with the merry men, how did he acquire the “Hood” and what does it mean?
Hood was his last name; in the accounts I read, his “real” name was Robert Hood, and Robin was his nickname.
It’s the same thing with Joan of Arc. Her last name was “of Arc” (well, in French it’s “D’arc”).
The legend is very old, so there are probably many different accounts.
The two I remember reading:
a) The famous outlaw was
Robin Hood (or Robin Hode, or Robert Hood) who grew up in Locksley
or
b) He was originally Robin, Earl of Huntington.
I had a book when I was younger with the legend of Robin Hood. Could anyone recommend one?
J’ai assez vécu pour voir que différence engendre haine.
Stendhal
He was either Robin of Locksley, (or Loxlea, or Lockslea etc) or Robert of Huntingdon.
But the Hood comes from the hood he wore. He was Robin of the Hood, a distinctive feature of his forest dwelling disguise. Just like most surnames, they originally were used to describe the man.
Or at least that’s the interpretation that’s been given him. In actuality, there probably was no real specific Robin Hood, he was one of those myths that inspire us and so persist, despite having little basis in fact other than indistinct tales.
Most likely he was based on many forest outlaws, some of whom would deliberately capitalise on the legendary name.
“Well, roll me in eggs and flour and bake me for forty minutes!”
If you have a lot of Robin Hood questions, you might want to try this site:
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/rh/rhhome.stm
Tom~