Episode 44: Unmasking Robin Hood, A Deep Dive into Legend and Medieval Cuisine

Have you ever wondered about the truth behind the legendary figure Robin Hood? Well, buckle up because this week on Smarticus Tales History, we're about to give you a first-row seat to the past as we debunk the myths and shed light on the reality behind this famed outlaw. I'm your host, Smarticus, joined by my co-host, Phoenix as we dig into the Robin Hood legend, serving up fascinating insights, trivia, and stories wrapped up in our unique humor and camaraderie.

Now, we wouldn't be Smarticus Tales if we didn't mix in a bit of culinary adventure to our history lessons, right? On today's menu, we've got a hearty beef and potato stew, inspired by the peasant food of Robin Hood's era. And guess what? There's a twist. We ran out of red wine so we used sake instead, and it turned out fantastic! It's no Julia Childs' beef stew, but it's as close as we could get to a medieval English stew. As we cook, there's a hearty discussion on the role of stews in the diets of medieval peasants and how simplicity and utility defined the food of the era. So, pull up a chair, grab a drink, and join us for a rollicking journey through history, served up Smarticus style!

Show Notes:

Recipe: 
https://topteenrecipes.com/beef-stew-recipe/

Research Sites: 
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history/2019/02/who-was-the-real-robin-hood 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_in_the_Middle_Ages 

Links: 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Smart, smart and Health Tales History.
Alright, enough with the echoand fanfare.
You're here for history, right,and not that boring crack you
learned in high school.
This stuff's actuallyinteresting, like things you've
never heard about the Civil War,cleopatra, automobiles,
monopoly, the Black Plague andmore Fascinating stories,

(00:23):
interesting topics and somedownright weird facts from the
past.
It's a new twist on somestories you may know and an
interesting look at some thingsyou may have never heard.
So grab a beer, kick back andenjoy.
Here's your host, smarticus.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Smarticus
Tales History.
I'm your host, smarticus,accompanied by my co-host
Phoenix.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Hello.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Today we're delving into the story of a legendary
figure whose name has beenimmortalized in books, movies
and folklore Robin Hood.
But who was Robin Hood and whatwas the reality behind the
legend?

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, first let's talk about the food.
How's that Smarticus?
Does that sound good?

Speaker 3 (01:03):
Sounds great to me.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
We're doing, or we did, a beef and potato stew Yep,
which is really quite lovely.
This version was as close as Icould get to an English stew.
It's not exactly like the JuliaChilds beef stew from France,
but starting your close, it hasspooze in it.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
Pretty good though, yeah.
So funny story.
Yeah, I thought I had red wine.
I did not.
I thought, for sure I had abottle of red wine in there.
I did not.
Well, I had a bottle of Moscato, but I didn't have a non,

(01:49):
because it said specifically anot sweet, and I had the Moscato
in there and that was all I had.
So, but I did have a bottle ofsake.
No, so I put the bottle of sakein there instead.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Oh my gosh, how's the taste.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
It is actually really good.
So I didn't put the whole thingin there, I just put because it
called out for a lot.
It called out for like fourcups, I think, of red wine.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
No, no, it's two cups of red wine, that's right.

Speaker 3 (02:25):
It was a four cups of the beef broth.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Y'all, it's the boosiest.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, my bad.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
You've ever had your life.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Two cups, yeah, two cups, but still that's a lot it
really is.
And but so I put I didn't evenput two cups in, I put maybe one
cup of sake in it because Iwasn't sure I was going to taste
.
I guess I didn't want to puttoo much.
I understand, but it's stillreally good.

(02:55):
And I put way more potatoes init than I probably should have.
I did that too, but I likepotatoes.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
So do I.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
And garlic.
There's that garlic in it.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
You should always measure garlic with your heart,
not with what the recipe tellsyou.

Speaker 3 (03:15):
Yeah, anyways, it's a beef stew, beef and potato stew
excuse me, yep and it's verydelicious.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
It's very.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
it's exactly what you would picture peasants from the
, the medieval period eatingaside from you know some booze,
yeah, and then so I always thinkthat that's kind of what
they're probably eating whenthey because it's not all that
different from you know porridge, what we saw, right, no, potage

(03:49):
, potage, potage.
I'm sorry, potage, not porridge.
Yeah, potage, it is verysimilar, and then that's kind of
what I imagined they'd you knowin shows and stuff.
You see, you know them cookingover the fire.
You know that's kind of what Iimagined they would be cooking
in there.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah, I did some research a while back about
stews and how the reason why youalways see it in the movies and
stuff like that is because inreality that was what they had,
because it was easy to extendover a long period, like, for
instance, a whole day.
You could just keep addingstuff to it throughout the day
and it fed everybody.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
Yep, and it was usually, I think a lot of times
it was made out of rabbit andrabbit meat and chicken meat,
because those were mostly whatthey had on hand, because
rabbits, well, they'reeverywhere, and chickens you
know what they say, aboutrabbits.
Yeah, they should be along infertility clinics.
And so I was watchingBozburgers of the Night and

(04:52):
there was an episode wherethey're at their dentist and the
dentist is Dr Yapp.
He's talking about his newreceptionist.
His new receptionist says, yeah, but I kind of wish I was still
at my other clinic because shehad rabbits in there.
And he's like, why does shehave rabbits?
Like that doesn't even makesense.
And he's like he said theyshould be at a fertility clinic.

(05:15):
And then Gene's like why wouldthat make sense?
He's like, well, becauserabbits have a lot of.
And then his mom's like, ok,that's enough.
No, no, that's funny yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
Well, not that we talked about our lovely food.
You should definitely have somemore stew.
Anyone who's listening therehappens to have some, and we'll
continue on with our story.
Yep, so to begin with, it'sworth noting that Robin Hood was
not a historical figure, but acharacter from English folklore
whose legend has been passeddown through generations.

(05:47):
The first written reference toRobin Hood dates back to the
late 14th century and acollection of ballads called
Robin Hood and the Monk.
From there, the story of RobinHood has evolved and grown from
century to century and sometimesdecade to decade.

Speaker 3 (06:02):
However, while there may not have been a real
pinpointed that's the guy whostole my ring, robin Hood there
was certainly real people whoinspired the legend.
Naturally, you, like us, arewondering who were these people
and what did they do that madethem the stuff of legend.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
Well, in order to answer that, we need to look
back to medieval England, a timeof great upheaval and social
inequality.
The 12th and 13th centuries sawthe rise of what is more
modernly called the Age ofFutilism in Europe, more
specifically, england.
It was a system of landownership in which lords held
vast estates and peasants workedland in return for protection

(06:39):
and share of the crops.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
Of course, we now commonly call this time the
Middle Ages.
While feudalism provided somemeasure of stability against the
Vikings and their attackagainst the common folk, it also
led to deep disparities ofwealth and power.
The lords lived in luxury whilethe peasants struggled to eke
out a living, and those who fellafoul of the law were punished
harshly, sometimes with death.
It was in this context thatRobin Hood emerged as a hero of

(07:02):
the people, a man who stood upto the corrupt authorities and
fought for the rights of thedowntrodden.
But the question must still beasked who inspired the legends,
as they all start with a grainof truth?

Speaker 2 (07:12):
Thanks to historian and archivist Joseph Hunter, we
know that one such man was foundin a Yorkshire court register
from 1226.
The fugitive was written downby the name Robin Hood.
In 1262, there was a similarman written down in a Berkshire
register by the name WilliamRobod and a William son of
Robert Lefevre, member of a bandof outlaws, who was believed to

(07:36):
be the same person in anotheryear.
Regardless, what historianshave found are many records
attached to the name Robin Hoodthat most scholars agree are
probably not the same person oreven a single person.
So it would seem that themoniker was a rather common
alias used by bandits andoutlaws in various periods and
locations throughout England.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
It's worth noting that historical research was not
important in regards to RobinHood until after the publication
of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoein 1820.
It was set in 1194, during theEnglish Crusades, with one of
the featured characters havingthe same name of Loxley.
Loxley was later revealed to beRobin Hood, king of outlaws and
Prince of Good Fellows.
It was this portrayal of a goodand honorable man loyal to the

(08:15):
absent King Richard that hasinspired the modern stories we
have enjoyed throughoutcinematic history.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
I'm a huge fan of Kevin Costner's version.
Alan Rickman was a phenomenalsheriff of Nottingham.
But Alan Rickman was aphenomenal everything he was
yeah.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
Alright.
So did you know that the firstrecorded rebellion of Robin Hood
was during a 15th centuryballad called Robin Hood and the
Monk, as we mentioned earlier?
But there is no mention ofeveryone's favorite corrupt
sheriff of Nottingham.
Uh really, uh, yes, way.
And though it is the firstrecorded version of the setting
being in Sherwood Forest nearNottingham and featuring Little

(08:51):
John, there is no sheriff.
Instead, the antagonist is amonk who breaks the confessional
rules.
When he sees Robin Hood at masspraying to the Virgin Mary, he
does tell a sheriff, but that isnot Alan Rickman.
Shortly after, the monk setsout on the road to tell the king
about the capture of thenotorious outlaw, but he doesn't
make it because Little John andRobin's men murder the monk and

(09:15):
his page.
Then they turn around, pose asthe monk and page and get
pardons from the king in titlesbefore returning to Sherwood
Forest absolved.

Speaker 2 (09:25):
That's pretty dark when compared to some of our
more lighthearted versions inthe last couple decades.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
I know right, men and tights wasn't really looking to
kill Catholic clergy.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
But while the oral stories were on the lips of the
lowest of the low, you have toask who were the Ruffians that
paled around with the notoriousoutlaw?
I mean, one of the mostenduring aspects of the Robin
Hood legend is his band of merrymen, a group of the supposed
worst dregs of society on therun and cast out, who joined
forces with Robin Hood to fightagainst oppression and injustice
.
Who were these men and what didthey bring to the story?

Speaker 3 (09:57):
That is an excellent question, thank you.
The earliest ballads aboutRobin Hood mention a few of his
companions, such as Little John,william Scarlett and Fryer Tuck
.
Over time, more characters wereadded to the mix, including
Alan Adele, much the Smiller'sSon and Maid, marion.
Little John is often depictedas Robin Hood's second in
command, a skilled fighter whois fiercely loyal to his leader.

(10:19):
William Scarlet is usuallyportrayed as a hot-headed young
man who is always ready for afight.
Prior Tuck, on the other hand,is a man of the cloth who
becomes an unlikely ally ofRobin Hood.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
Alan Adele is a minstrel that joins Robin Hood's
band and helps to keep up theirspirits with his music, kind of
like.
Yasker Much, the Smiller's Sonis another of Robin Hood's loyal
followers, who is known for hisstrength and ability to carry
heavy loads.
Maid Marion is often portrayedas the love interest for Robin
Hood, a strong and independentwoman who shares his passion for

(10:50):
justice.
While the exact makeup of RobinHood's band of Merry Men varies
depending on the version of thestory, they all share a common
bond of loyalty, courage and adesire to right the wrongs of
the world.

Speaker 3 (11:02):
A true tale as old as time.
Of course, one of the mosticonic aspects of the Robin Hood
legend is his skill with a bowand arrow.
Robin Hood is often portrayedas the greatest archer in
England, capable of shooting hisarrows with deadly accuracy and
taking down his enemies from adistance.
But how accurate is hisportrayal Dead?
People really use bows andarrows in medieval England, and

(11:22):
could anyone really be asskilled as Robin Hood?

Speaker 2 (11:25):
The short answer is oh yeah.
The long answer is archery wasa hugely important skill in
medieval England, particularlyfor the everyday man, as snares
were not nearly as accurate aform of catching game as the bow
.
Then there was the nobilityKings and lords were expected to
be able to shoot a bow withgreat accuracy, and archery
contests were held throughoutthe country to test people's

(11:47):
skill.
You all remember that scene inDisney's Robin Hood.
Right, Sometimes they can berelatively accurate.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
While it's unlikely that anyone could have been as
skilled as Robin Hood isportrayed, it's certainly
possible that there were peoplewho were superb with a bow.
In fact, the longbow is one ofthe most fearsome weapons of its
time, capable of piercing,armor and taking down enemies
from a distance, not to mentionwhat it did to the bone
structure of the archers usingthem.
Archaeology of Yeoman duringthat time has found that their
arm bones grew stronger anddenser the longer they used the

(12:14):
longbows.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Of course, robin Hood's archery skills are just
one aspect of his legend.
Perhaps the most importantaspect is his unwavering
commitment to justice and hiswillingness to fight against
oppression and tyranny.
Throughout the centuries, robinHood has been seen as a symbol
of resistance and rebellion,someone who stands up to
authority and fights for thelittle guy.
He has been depicted as adefender of the poor, a champion

(12:37):
of freedom and a hero for alltime.
And in a world where inequalityand oppression still exists,
perhaps we need heroes likeRobin Hood now more than ever.

Speaker 3 (12:47):
We hope you've enjoyed learning about this
fascinating aspect of history.
Thank you for joining us forthis episode of Smarticus Tales
History.
If you enjoyed this episode,please subscribe and leave us a
review.
We'll be back with more storiesfrom the past.
Until then, keep exploring.