The Gest of Robyn Hode: the medieval legend that spread around the world

Abstract

The Robin Hood myth has existed for more than six hundred years, spreading across the world through medieval English culture. Medieval or modern, Robin Hood’s references have the same focus: principled resistance to illicit authority: secular or ecclesiastical. The ballad The Gest of Robin Hode (1510-1515) is one of the oldest references to the hero, it brings together a set of his adventures that gives the feeling that his deeds are being narrated, in addition, there is a woodcut of an archer on the first page of the ballad that materializes this mental creation of Robin Hood. In this perspective, the objective of the research is to analyze the construction of the Robin Hood character in the popular mentality through the ballad The Gest of Robyn Hode and its materialization in the woodcut Here begynne a Gest of Robyn Hood (1510-1515). The study was developed through two stages, the bibliographic and imagery study. The bibliographical research allows knowing and analyzing already elaborated theoretical references, and the iconographic analysis follows Joly’s methodology, which refers to the analysis of iconic, plastic and linguistic signs. In this way, the research will make it possible to expand knowledge about Robin Hood, as well as the understanding of political, social and educational issues of the period.