Both retellings include Prince John and King Richard, while some other tales do not. The world of cinema in filled with Robin Hood movies from silent films to current day, and I drew from all of them, particularly the Errol Flynn 1938 version while not ignoring the Disney animated classic. Anthony Munday depicted the inscrutable outlaw as the Earl of Huntington in his 1589 plays, but I have chosen to stay true to the most familiar version of Hood as the Earl of Loxley (or in my case, the Earl’s daughter). He is also referred to as “Robin of Locksley” by Sir Walter Scott in “Ivanhoe,” (1819), and has been known by that title ever since. The Sloan Manuscript written towards the end the sixteenth century states that “Robin Hood was born in Locksley in Yorkshire or after other in Nottinghamshire, in ye days of Henry II about ye yeare 1160, but lived tyll ye latter end of Richard Ye Fyrst”. Besides, in my retelling of the story, the circumstance of her femininity constitutes the very reason the name of Robin Hood was omitted from all official records. There existing no concrete evidence of a benevolent outlaw known as Robin Hood, it is not inconceivable that the person upon whom the legend is based could have been a woman in disguise. In the Medieval Period being male was a prerequisite to becoming a knight or skilled fighter (a few exceptions such as Joan of Arc not withstanding) however, throughout the ages there have been times when women disguised themselves as men in order to engage in unconventional behavior, such as fighting in a war. While he became older and more sophisticated with later accounts, historians often put more trust in the earliest manuscripts. But if there was a Robin Hood, would the character necessarily be a man? Some of the earliest Robin Hood stories describe him as a beardless youth, only 14 or 15 years of age. The latter made him a folk hero, whether or not he ever lived. Most versions agree that Sherwood Forest was his hang-out, and he robbed the rich to give to the poor. The British Museum preserves several antique manuscripts, each claiming to chronicle the famous outlaw’s life. The first literary reference to Robin Hood dates to 1377 and the various early tales place him in different centuries and hailing from varying locals. As a historian, I know well that most myths and legends are based on actual people and events that have since been exaggerated and romanticized, but whether male or female, was the enigmatic outlaw a real person? In preparing for writing the manuscript, I studied every Robin Hood story I could find, watched all the film versions, and carefully researched historical people and events that would have likely coincided with the hero had he (or she) truly lived. Heart of Sherwood is a gender-bent action-adventure-romance novel that places the Robin Hood legend in alignment with historical facts. Today we welcome Melodie Romero (writing as Edale Lane) to the blog to talk about her historical lesbian romance, Heart of Sherwood! Welcome, Melodie!

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