Robin Hood: Legendary English outlaw. Recent forms of the legend would have us believe that he was born in Locksely, was born a nobleman, was cheated of his inheritance, lived in Sherwood Forest, opposed the Sheriff of Nottingham, married Maid Marian, and was a follower of King Richard the Lion-Hearted, whose cause he defended against Richard's brother John. With the partial exception of Sherwood and the Sheriff of Nottingham, none of this is found in the earliest sources, such as the ballad romance "The Gest of Robin Hode." In the earliest known stories, Robin is a yeoman (freeman), he is a devout Catholic, he operates primarily in Barnsdale Forest in Yorkshire, he has no involvement with women other than the Virgin Mary, and the King who forgives him is Edward (probably Edward II). For those seeking to find this "real" Robin, J. C. Holt's Robin Hood remains the best reference, and Francis James Child's The English and Scottish Popular Ballads and Dobson and Taylor's Rymes of Robyn Hood the best source texts for the ballads (which are our earliest substantial records of Robin).
