10 Little-Known Facts About Robin Hood You’ve Never Heard Before

Everyone “knows” Robin Hood: green hood, longbow, Sherwood Forest, steal-from-the-rich, give-to-the-poor. But the real (or at least original) legend is stranger, murkier, and way more interesting than most screen versions let on. From a possibly Black Maid Marian to a still-active Sheriff of Nottingham, here are ten surprising nuggets that reshape the myth.

1) Maid Marian may have been Black

Before anyone cries “modern revisionism,” consider medieval Britain’s diversity. People of African descent lived in the British Isles from Roman times onward; Scottish kings entertained Black courtiers with gifts of silk and gold, and archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an African-descended noblewoman in York. Tournaments sometimes centered on winning the honor of a “Black Maiden,” and there’s a strong folkloric link between “Maid Marian,” “Murrian” (“Moorish one”), and “Morris” (i.e., “Moorish”) dancing – where Marian appears to have begun as a stock character alongside Friar Tuck. In short: a Black Marian fits the period much better than you might think.

2) He wasn’t a revolutionary communist

The zippy slogan “steal from the rich and give to the poor” is catchy – just not faithful to the oldest ballads. Those tales don’t portray Robin as a system-toppler bent on redistribution. They show a wily outlaw pushing back on corruption: punishing predatory sheriffs, crooked officials, and over-taxation while honoring a legitimate king. In modern terms, Robin reads less like a class-war revolutionary and more like a liberty hawk who hates extortion and graft.

3) The Crusades weren’t part of the original story

Many film and TV retellings weave in Richard the Lionheart and the Crusades, sometimes even adding a Saracen ally among the Merry Men. That Crusader backdrop actually arrives centuries later via Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. The earliest ballads – like Robin Hood and the Monk and Robin Hood and the Potter – are local capers, not Holy Land homecomings. In one, Robin swaps clothes with a potter, hustles pots in town, wins an archery match, humiliates the Sheriff, and sends him home barefoot. No Crusader king required.

4) We still have a Sheriff of Nottingham – yes, really

The Sheriff isn’t just a fairy-tale villain; it’s an actual civic role that still exists in Nottingham today (largely ceremonial, focused on hospitality and public events). Some postholders really leaned into the legend. One sheriff donned black robes and a gold chain for everything (even unphotographed interviews), claimed a castle “throne,” formed a “Sheriff’s Commission,” and reportedly kicked over sandcastles at the city’s pop-up urban beach – because of course the Sheriff would.

5) Robin Hood’s “grave” is hidden – and controversial

The old ballads say Robin died at Kirklees Priory, betrayed during a “bloodletting” by his cousin, the prioress, and finished by Sir Roger of Doncaster (aka Red Roger). Dying, he supposedly shot an arrow and asked to be buried where it landed. A mossy monument in the private woods near the priory gatehouse marks the spot traditionally called his grave. There are no signposts or public paths – visiting means skirting private land like an outlaw yourself. Ground-penetrating radar hasn’t confirmed bones beneath the stone (suggesting the marker may be a later folly), but some believe his remains lie nearby. Adding to the drama: proposals to develop the area for industry keep surfacing.

6) Sherwood Forest faces modern threats – from fracking

Sherwood was never wall-to-wall trees; “forest” meant a royal hunting jurisdiction. Still, it contains truly ancient woodland, including the thousand-year-old Major Oak – legendary camp of the Merry Men. Recent permissions for seismic surveys and underground explosive charges as part of fracking exploration have raised alarms. Critics warn of risks to wildlife, water, and even the Major Oak itself. Robin’s old haunt isn’t just a period backdrop; it’s a living ecosystem under real-world pressure.

7) Friar Tuck joined the band later (but might have been real)

Tuck doesn’t appear in the earliest ballads. He and Maid Marian stroll into the tradition through medieval May games and Morris dancing – community pageantry, not literature. Yet there’s a curious historical echo: royal writs from 1417 sought the arrest of a “Frere Tuk,” later named as Robert Stafford, a chaplain turned outlaw in Sussex. Little John has similar blips in the records: a “Littel John” deer-poacher in 1323 and a “John le Litel” in a raiding band in 1318. Folklore and reality sometimes rhyme.

8) Much the Miller’s Son was a big deal – then got sidelined

Modern adaptations love Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and Alan-a-Dale. But in some of the earliest ballads, Much the Miller’s Son is front and center – and not always cuddly. In Robin Hood and the Monk, he’s depicted as shockingly ruthless, even murderous. Maybe that edge explains why many modern retellings quietly drop him; unlike the others, he lacks a catchy prop or origin story and carries a darker vibe.

9) The “2018” movie was just one of many reboots in the pipeline

That contemporary, hyper-stylized Robin Hood film was hardly a one-off. For years, studios lined up competing takes: Sony’s “medieval superhero” approach; Disney flirting with a Pirates of the Caribbean-style franchise; talk of a Wachowski-driven Hood; an animated Merry Men; a “Marian” vehicle with the heroine front and center; even a dystopian Robin Hood 2058. TV had irons in the fire too, with projects like Nottingham and The Outlaw Chronicles. The appetite to remix Robin is evergreen.

10) We don’t actually know who Robin Hood was – or if he was one person

Historians have chased “real Robins” through centuries of records: Robert “Hobbehod” in 1255 Yorkshire; a Robert imprisoned at Rockingham around 1354 for trespass in royal hunting grounds; a Robert de Huda recorded as a deserter in 1199. There are many Robins, many spellings (Hod, Hode, Hudde, de Huda), and many possibilities. One compelling idea is that “Robin Hood” became a nom de guerre for outlaws in general – a blend of “robber” and “hood” – which would explain why the legend seems to pop up everywhere at once. Maybe “he” wasn’t one man at all, but a banner many carried.

The Legend Is Bigger – Because It’s Messier

Strip away the tidy movie beats and you get a more human, more political, and more mysterious Robin Hood. He’s not a Crusader superhero or a modern ideologue; he’s a folk figure forged from local grievances, outlaw cunning, and centuries of retelling. Marian might be Black. Tuck may be a dance-hall import with a felonious cousin. Much is scary. The Sheriff still smiles for the cameras. And Sherwood’s fate is a live issue, not a backdrop. That messiness is the magic – the reason Robin Hood keeps getting rewritten. The story isn’t finished; it never was.

UP NEXT: “Heavily Armed” — See Which States Are The Most Strapped

Americans have long debated the role of firearms, but one thing is sure — some states are far more armed than others.

See where your state ranks in this new report on firearm ownership across the U.S.