A hooded figure silently observes one of the king’s men from a hidden perch in a tree. He swiftly and silently draws an arrow across his bow and pulls back. A swish stirs the air as the shadow releases the arrow and sends a breathtaking pain to the man below. As frightening and quiet as the whisper of death, the figure drops to the ground, collects any and all valuables the innocent man was carrying and disappears. The money is then equally distributed among commoners… This is the legend of Robin Hood, but is his legacy remembered in a wrong manner? Is Robin Hood good or bad? Are his actions by any means just? Robin Hood is recognized as a hero to most people. Despite his publicity, Robin cannot be labeled as the “good guy” he’s a criminal. The things that make Robin Hood the “bad guy” are as follows: he’s the face of socialism, he doesn’t rob just money he robs value, and he deliberately disobeys his authorities. Robin Hood was a nickname. The man who took most of the credit for the Robin Hood legend was Roger Godberd. Roger began his crimes when the Barons revolted. During the revolt, two opposing sides were in existence: Barons vs. Royalty. Roger chose to side with the Barons, throughout the revolt the idea of equality of wealth took root in his mind. His main goal in equalizing money was to eliminate authority and end poverty. Though his original intentions may have been heroic, his outcome was one of the first well known acts of socialism. Socialism, by dictionary definition, is a theory or system of social organization that advocates the besting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc, in the community as a whole. Roger was one of the first to launch a new way of thinking, but it wasn’t for society’s benefit.
As Ayn Rand so philosophically writes, “Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce…Wealth is the product of man’s capacity to think.” She is saying that money comes to those who put forth value into the world. Money doesn’t just come to you, you have to work for it. What the legend of Robin Hood is teaching people is that they don’t have to work for their wealth. Let’s take a modern day example like Bill Gates. He created half of the world we so heavily rely on through technological advances and in return he was rewarded with money. Dollars follow value. Depending on the amount of value you put out into the world, the more money will follow. Rand also states, “Throughout men’s history, money was always seized by looters of one brand or another whose names changed, but whose method remained the same: to seize wealth by force and to keep the producers bound, demeaned, defamed, deprived of honor.” This is an indirect way of stating that others have followed the most well known act of Robin Hood. The legend has created a confusion of how we should act when it comes to value and that mindset is further defying man’s capability to think. Besides bringing about the act of socialism, Roger was notorious for disregarding the monarchy.
Roger began his mischief in 1265. He spent four years living, or rather hiding, in Sherwood Forest where he defied authorities. The truth of the legend is that Roger wasn’t around during the time of Richard the Lionheart as the Disney cartoon so inaccurately demonstrates. The monarchs in that time period were Henry III and his son, Edward I. The authorities were actually terrified of Roger because criminal activities had never been so high. The infamous Sheriff of Nottingham character was also founded on a real person. Reginald de Grey was a great military leader and one of the youngest sheriffs ever, as well as a dedicated parliamentarian. During the Barons’ Revolt, Grey sided with the Royalty and further terminated the previous friendship he and Roger had shared. Old records show evidence that Roger and Reginald used to hunt together and even got in trouble once for shooting the King’s deer. As disappointing as it may be to Robin’s fans, the sheriff was one of the leading causes as to how Roger was caught in 1272. Reginald devoted a majority of his time spent as the Nottingham Sheriff to involve himself in the man hunt to capture Roger. Another truth of the legend is that there was no evidence of a Maid Marian in existence (another disappointment to the hopeless romantics). Roger Godberd, or the first Robin Hood, disobeyed authorities for years before justice was finally brought about.
Through the effervescent span of time, men have created, destroyed, built, conquered, and defied the value that each of us were meant to accomplish. Ignore my lack of originality, but everyone was born to accomplish something. No matter how drastic or how miniscule, our purpose is none other than to create value for the benefit of mankind. Let us not be misled by incompetence nor blinded by pride. Those who wish to condone such disproportionate retributions are further condoning an inadequate creation. When the hooded figure again drops from the branches, he will have no support. The politics of this defiant, non-thinker have been revealed and will continue to be revealed as history repeats itself. But among the ears of those this topic has reached, a newfound wisdom is uncovered, leaving Robin Hood alone to await his trial and execution.
