In later centuries this touching story of tragic love inspired a great number of poets, writers and composers, the German composer Richard Wagner among them.

The literature of the Church was scholastic, moralistic, and it supported the feudal system. The books written in Latin by monks taught the common people that their sufferings on earth would be rewarded in heaven.

The Anglo-Saxons composed their own popular poetry. The main genres were the fabliaux – funny stories about townspeople, and the bestiaries – stories in which the characters were animals.

Popular ballads

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The 15th century is known in English literature as the century of folklore. Many songs, called ballads, were composed then by the common people of the country. The ballads were songs in verses of four lines, called quatrains; the second and fourth lines of the verse rhymed. Among them there were historical and legendary ballads. Some were humorous and others were lyrical.

A favourite legendary hero of the English people is Robin Hood. Some historians say that there really was such a person as Robin Hood, but that is not certain.

Here is a legend of how Robin Hood became an outlaw.

In the 12th century only the King of England could hunt in certain forests in England. If anybody killed a deer there, he was put to death. The men who guarded those forests were the King's foresters and the Head Forester was a very important person.

The beautiful Sherwood Forest was near the town of Nottingham. The Head Forester there had a little son, Robin; the boy was born in the town of Locksley and learned to draw the how and shoot an arrow when he was quite small. Later, Robin became a better archer than all his young friends.

His father had several enemies, among them the Sheriff of Nottingham. When Robin was nineteen, his father was unjustly thrown into prison by the Sheriff. His mother died of grief and his father died soon after.

Robin loved the life of the forest and he wanted to become one of the King's foresters. But he had a quarrel with the Head Forester, who had got his father's place. During the quarrel Robin killed the Head Forester. He had to hide, because the Sheriff of Nottingham was looking for him and had offered a large sum of money for his head. Robin hid in Sherwood Forest, which he knew well. At that time it was called the Greenwood. There were many yeomen already there. They were hiding from the Norman nobles, the rich tradesmen, the monks and the bishops. They were all outlaws. They all wore green clothes, to hide better in the Greenwood. Some of them knew Robin well. The outlaws had no chief and said to Robin: "In Nottingham there is a contest of archers. The archer who wins will get the golden arrow and will crown the prettiest girl of the country as queen of the day. If you win the arrow, you will be our chief.

Robin disguised himself as an old beggar and covered his head and most of his face with a hood, so as not to be recognized. He won the golden arrow, the Sheriff gave it to him and asked him, who he was. "I am Rob the Stroller, my lord Sheriff, he answered. He then took the arrow and went straight to the place where Maid Marian was sitting. They had known each other since childhood and Rob loved her very much. He gave her the golden arrow and made her queen of the day. Maid Marian smiled at him and said: "My thanks to you, Rob in the Hood", for she had recognized him. When Rob came back to the Greenwood the outlaws already knew about his victory; from that day they called him Robin Hood and made him their chief. He had many friends there. There was even a fat monk, Friar Tuck by name, among his merry men. He had run away from his bishop and was now an outlaw, too. Later on a fine young fellow, Allan-a-Dale by name, met Robin Hood in the forest and also joined the outlaws.

Robin Hood helped Allan to find his betrothed. A very old and very rich Norman knight had taken her away from young Allan, because he wanted to marry her himself. That very day Robin Hood went to the church, introduced himself as a musician, and said that he would play when the bride and bridegroom came.

Robin Hood's men came into the Church and seized the old knight's archers and the bride's angry brother. Robin asked the bride whom she wanted to marry. She smiled at Allan-a-Dale and gave him her hand. But the bishop was very angry and refused to marry them. So Robin Hood called Friar Tuck, who was with the outlaws, and told him to marry the young people which he did.

Popular ballads show Robin Hood as a tireless enemy of the Norman oppressors, of the Church and tradesmen. They sing about his courage, his readiness to help the poor and the needy. They tell about the love of the poor people for their legendary hero, and their deep gratitude to him.

These melodious ballads were sung from generation to generation, in the 18th century they were collected and printed for the first time. Thus they became part of the wealth of English literature.