Robin Hood vs. King Arthur; Part 1

Don't tell me you never wondered who would win. Ok, honestly, neither have I. But as I sit here and watch Russel Crowe's "resurrection" of Robin Hood and am reminded of Disney's attempt to make King Arthur relate-able or whatever, I have to wonder who's been dealt a crappier hand thus far. So let's see what happens when we pit the two legendary greats and their successes and failures in the media against each other.

Round 1: Literature!

Admittedly, I haven't read nearly as many Robin Hood books as I have King Arthur books, take from that what you will. King Arthur as we know him first showed up in Geoffrey of Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain," circa 1130AD. Lancelot's love triangle and the never-ending quest for the Holy Grail was thrown in later thanks to Chretien de Troyes in the 12 century (and not Monty Python, thank you very much). The most popular modern rendition of Arthur's legend probably belongs to T. H. White and his novel The Once and Future King. That said, myriad of spinoffs, retellings, spoofs, and parodies have been written to resurrect the fabled king, both good and terrible. Among the terrible: 

Looks promising, doesn't it?

Avalon High by Meg Cabot (yeah, the Princess Diaries Meg Cabot. Makes sense now, eh?), which tries so very hard to recreate the realm of King Arthur in a modern day highschool. The story is told from the perspective of a typical highschool girl heroine, a shy, softspoken, girl with self esteem issues who is supposed to be the reincarnation of the Lady of Shallot. Eventually, new Arthur's life can only be saved from new Mordred after the betrayal of new Guinevere and new Lancelot by the love offered by new Elaine of Shallot. In general, Meg Cabot surprised me with her attention to detail, finding ways to modernize every aspect of the original legend in a somewhat acceptable manner. At the very least, it was a book that both I and my tweenage-opposite-of-me-in-every-way sister could enjoy. Up until that last bit, the whole "Arthur needs to fall in love with the Lady in the Lake.....because I said so?" part. First of all, I don't think anyone ever suggested that Elaine of Shallot and the Lady of the Lake were the same person. In fact, I think most legends agree that the Lady was Morgan LeFay. So there. Second, the Lady of Shallot had a thing for Lancelot, or a knight that is generally believed to have been Lancelot, according to Tennyson's epic poem. But then again, it was Meg Cabot...(remember this for round 2!)

On the flip side, a less obvious reincarnation was skillfully done in "Tomorrow's Magic" by Pamela F. Service.

It was the two-headed dog that sold me

This one takes place in a post-apocalyptic England, during the slow receding of a nuclear winter. Turns out that history really can go in circles, as future England finds itself in the same kind of medieval warring state it was in the first time Arthur came along. Only instead of an arthurian re-birth, this book plays on the fact that enough mystery shrouds King Arthur's death to make whatever you want of it. In this case, Arthur has been recuperating for thousands of years from a near-mortal injury in Avalon, a place that doesn't follow a conventional time stream, of course! I liked this book better because I was much more willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of the story. Also, because Merlin shows up, and doggonit I'm a sucker for the old sorcerer. 

Now, for Robin's side of the story (hehehe, pun....oh, shut up!). In general, his story is more exciting. I mean he's deadly with a bow and arrow and robs from the rich to aid the poor (hey, he was the first Democrat! Bazinga!). Our favorite outlaw first showed up in various ballads and such around 1370AD. Robin Hood continued to appear in adventures of his own, the bulk of which turned into the collective tales of Robin Hood and his Band of Merry Men outwitting the Sheriff of Nottingham with the help of Friar Tuck that we all know today. However, after Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, nothing else really showed up. At least, nothing to compare to the onslaught of King Arthur stories. I have yet to see a modern day retelling...

Oh yeah...aside from him

Well, Robin Hood gets a DC Comic series and a trilogy of rather fantastic books by Stephen Lawhead, Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck (which offer a believable backstory and such), but other than that....nuthin. That said, I'm going to have to say that King Arthur wins the Success in Literature round. Sure, he has some really terrible stories, but he has just as many great ones, and overall, it's still more than poor Robin of Loxley can claim. Maybe he can pull forward next time in Round 2: Movies!