3. The Earliest Ballads Were Far From Heroic
The earliest Robin Hood ballads, such as “Robin Hood and the Monk” (circa 1450), depict him as a violent outlaw rather than a noble thief. In this tale, Robin is captured by a monk and imprisoned, leading to a bloody rescue by his men. Similarly, “Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne” portrays Robin as a ruthless killer, engaging in a brutal sword fight that ends with his adversary’s decapitation (en.wikipedia.org).
