

Matter of the Greenwood: Guy of Gisburne
Content note: violence including mutilation. Image: Paul Dickey as Sir Guy in the 1922 film Robin Hood. In modern times, Guy of Gisborne...
Hamlet's voyage
Content note: familial murder and attempted murder; bigamy. "Thus set it down," decrees Claudius of his wayward nephew in Hamlet: "he...
Some Scottish Red Weddings
The theme of sacrosanct hospitality being murderously abused looms large in Scottish history and legend. Content note: murder; spousal...
Matter of the Greenwood: The Silver Arrow
One of the most famous stories about Robin Hood, featured in almost every adaptation (at least, until recently), is that his enemies...
Matter of the Greenwood: Little John: Origins
From the very beginnings of the legend, one name is more inseparable from Robin Hood's than any other: Little John. But was there a real...


The Giant and the Dwarf
I investigate a story from Angus that may not be all it seems. Content note: kidnapping; slavery; objectification of disabled people....
Matter of the Greenwood: The Sheriff of Nottingham - Evolution
We’ve looked at the possible historical origins of Robin Hood’s archenemy. What about his evolution in fiction? N.B. this post has been...
Matter of the Greenwood: The Sheriff of Nottingham - Origins
Content note: murder of hostages. Robin Hood’s most famous enemy has always been the Sheriff of Nottingham. In early sources, he is never...


Old Tales Retold: Sprites and Goblins
I've finally published the first volume of Old Tales Retold. (Volume II, Here Be Dragons, should follow in 2017.) It didn't seem the...


Matter of the Greenwood: Friar Tuck - Origins
I examine the literary, folkloric, and perhaps historical origins of one of the most iconic characters in the Robin Hood mythos. Image: a...