"Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow" is Child ballad 152. It features an archery competition for a golden (or silver) arrow that has long appeared in Robin Hood tales, but it is the oldest recorded one where Robin's disguise prevents his detection.

Synopsis

The

sheriff of Nottingham The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, ...

complains to King Richard of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

. The king declares that the sheriff is his sheriff and must catch him. The sheriff decides to trap him with an archery contest, where the prizes would be arrows with golden and silver heads. Robin decides to compete, despite a warning from David of Doncaster that it is a trap, though he does order the Merry Men to attend in great number and disguised. Robin goes in disguise and wins, escaping without being recognized. At

Little John Little John is a companion of Robin Hood who serves as his chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men. He is one of only a handful of consistently named characters who relate to Robin Hood and one of the two oldest Merry Men, al ...

's advice, a letter is written to the sheriff and shot into his hall, telling the truth.

Archery contests in Robin Hood tales

There are many archery contests in the legends of Robin Hood, but many of them are clearly derived from this source, as in

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

's ''

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire'' is an 1883 novel by the American illustrator and writer Howard Pyle. Pyle compiled the traditional Robin Hood ballads as a series of episodes of a coherent narrative. For ...

''. Other variants are more closely related to the older contest included in '' A Gest of Robyn Hode'', where they are recognized and must fight free.

Portrayals

The story is portrayed in the 1938 film ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia d ...

'' starring Errol Flynn in which Prince John, Guy of Gisbourne, and the Sheriff of Nottingham plan to trap Robin as the most likely winner of the contest, knowing of his attraction to the Lady Marian, and Robin splits the arrow of another contestant to thus win the prize of the golden arrow given by her hand. An altered version of the tale appears in the first episode of the ''

Robin of Sherwood ''Robin of Sherwood'' is a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 28 April 1984 to 28 June 1986 on the ITV network. In th ...

'' television series, in which the prize offered is a silver arrow belonging to

Herne the Hunter In English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. He is said to have antlers growing from his head, ride a horse, torment cattle, and rattle chains. The earliest m ...

as a means of luring Robin to the castle. This episode is parodied in

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

' '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' in which the contest itself seduces Robin. The event also appears in the animated Disney film, with the prizes instead being a golden arrow and a kiss from Maid Marian. The event also appears in the computer game '' Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood'', where the player, as Robin Hood, can win a golden arrow in an archery contest, thereby adding its value (15000 marks) to a ransom to free

Richard the Lionheart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

from prison abroad. The event also appears in the Doctor Who episode "Robot of Sherwood," with Robin splitting another contestant’s arrow, before the Doctor splits Robin’s arrow.

Notes

External links

''Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow''
Child Ballads Robin Hood ballads {{Folk-song-stub

Synopsis

Archery contests in Robin Hood tales

Portrayals

See also

Notes

External links