|
 Robin Hood became almost a mythological figure through his
association with the May Games. The first record of a Robin Hood
play is from Exeter, only a few years after the city's first
recorded May Games .
Professor Lorraine Stock notes that Exeter Cathedral is filled
with "Green Man" imagery, the human head with foliage growing out of
his mouth. The Green Man, like Robin, has ties to the virgin Mary.
The chapter house of Southwell Minster once in the heart of
Sherwood Forest also is home to numerous Green Man carvings. Stock
feels that the traditions of the Green Man and the Wild Man
influenced the growth of the Robin Hood legend.
Today: May Games = King Johns Morris dancers, find them on the
net. |
