Perverting History

Fans of the hooded hero can kick their heels up with joy.

Robin is back, with a kick-ass new team at his side.

First up is Friar Tuck, but banish all thoughts of a roly-poly monk with a penchant for good food and drink from your mind. This holy man is a “warrior poet”.

David Harewood (Criminal Justice, Blood Diamond) who plays Tuck, says: "Creating a modern, strong Tuck for a 21st century audience is a terrific opportunity.

"The new Tuck's a man of vision and imagination, who has a very hands on approach when it comes to justice and freedom and believe me you want him on your side!"

Blimey.

The next newbie to join Robin’s band of merry men is... (wait for it). A girl.

Local lass Kate (Joanne Froggatt: The Street, Life On Mars), objects to her brother's forced conscription by nasty piece of work the Sheriff of Nottingham and inadvertently gets caught up in the cause of Robin.

Joanne says: "Joining the ranks of Robin Hood has been so much fun. I've learnt to fight and run for my life all at the same time!

"Kate's a tomboy with a big and fearless heart, but soon it's a question of who will win her undivided love and attention. As they say the path to true love never runs smoothly." 

Well Kate, you know you’ve found love when everything they do, they do it for you.  continues here

Does it matter, this, after all it’s just a completely inaccurate portrayal and many would argue, that the real story of Robin Hood is somewhat less glamorous, less heroic and more mundane, the story of criminality permeates strongly yet for all that there is a nationalistic side, a patriotic disposition, a loyalty to people. In many tales Robin is depicted as a Saxon defender, a champion against Norman invaders, it matters little that Robin is a Norman name nor that the legend itself remains unproven. In fact to many, Robin Hood typifies the battle between good and evil, that of the people against the corrupt state, a battle I believe still ongoing, although more clandestinely, it may be that Robin Hood was merely a slang term for outlaw or criminal, a term that evolved over the years into the legend we now have.

Certainly the legend appears to be a combination of events, a collection of myths and stories all coalescing into one, there is no conclusive evidence for the man, although many contenders, to my mind the story is a woven tapestry of facts, legends, stories and make believe, all forming the tale but it is our tale, it is our legend, it harks from our people and should not be tampered with. I ask what right do they have, what right to trample roughshod over our history, our legends and our culture, have we not the right now to our history or must they for malicious reason pervert it, warp it and make of it a propaganda.

Were Negroes ever mentioned at the May Games or indeed any festival, did we know of them in such times, would Mr Harewood have any knowledge of our history of our folk customs or are the Whitsun plays, plays which conveyed Robin Hood through history alien to him, would he be able to distinguish Cotswold Morris dancing from Border Morris or would he voice offence at Border Morris due to the darkening of the participants faces. Of course, Cotswold Morris is the most well known and in any event it is this that is performed in May, yet Mr Harewood may well have his mind all a whirl, “what has Morris Dancing to do with Robin”, and in any event you are to portray Friar Tuck are you not, yet all are connected, Maid Marion originally, has more of a connection with Friar Tuck than Robin Hood, although eventually through the telling Marion is paired with Robin.

Perhaps Matilda became Marion over time or maybe the old French tale, Le Jeu de Robin et Marion has merit we can never know, what is certain though, is that Robin, Marion and indeed the friar, hark back to our deep history, that each have a special place. The Friar as with Marion entered our consciousness through ancient rite, May Day wasn’t always a day given over to the left, a day in which evil chose to cause carnage, once it was our day, a day to celebrate life, to herald in the sun and the return of the earths fertility.

Maid Marion is still kept within the tradition of May day celebrations, a tradition still now observed, despite the endeavours of cultural suppressors and their ilk, in fact our ancient traditions attract more every year, unsurprising really, as the Christian church has abandoned defence of people and culture in favour of others. There is an ongoing campaign to rid us of our culture and traditions, to foist untruth upon our children and to herald in an age of tyranny, yet if our tales tell us anything they tell us this, tyranny cannot quell our voice, cannot still truths advance, our tales, indeed our culture, will live on in the hearts and minds of our people, truth will live and the injustices of this age will be remembered.

Few support tyranny, few endorse this ongoing project, many are scared, frightened, unable through circumstance to voice their fears, to yell their dissent, yet for all that we pass on our truth one to the other as we have always done, in a hundred years those to come will know truth, until, if your plan succeeds, we exist no-more. So continue this cultural placement, this deception, this fraud, this destruction, we still know truth, we still reject your scheme, you can dress up untruth, disguise it but history does not lie, I need only ask find me a negro friar, need only ask that and your house falls and the land shall rock with laughter. Leave us our history at least, even as you kill us off can we not have that, are we not entitled to that, deserving of that, even as you prepare for us a grave. 14

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