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- LONDON - A leading English
literature professor said Sunday that England's legendary outlaw Robin
Hood was gay, preferring his "merrie men" to Maid Marian.
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- Stephen Knight, a professor at Cardiff University, told
The Sunday Times that he came to the conclusion that Robin Hood was gay
after studying 14th century ballads.
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- The ballads, which are the earliest record of the outlaw's
life, according to Knight contain a great deal of erotic imagery.
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- Knights says the green wood is a symbol of virility and
all that talk of arrows, quivers, and swords was a dead giveaway.
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- He also said the ballads prove that Maid Marian, supposedly
Robin's true love, never existed.
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- Knight believes that she was added to the historic tale
by 16th-century authors who wanted to make sure the man who robbed from
the rich and gave to the poor appealed to a heterosexual audience.
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- Barry Dobson, a professor of medieval history at the
University of Cambridge, agrees with Knights theory. He says that in the
12th century homosexuality was accepted, but by the 13th century society
became a lot less tolerant driving homosexuals underground.
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- The news that Robin Hood was a gay old merry man has
delighted some and angered others.
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- Peter Tatchell of the gay rights group Outrage said it's
about time people started acknowledging the contribution of famous homosexuals.
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- But Mary Chamberlain of the Robin Hood Society was just
plain outraged by the outing of Robin Hood. She told the Times that these
claims do a lot of damage especially considering children like to pretend
to be Robin.
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Commentary
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- From Rupert Chappelle
<rupert@pooky.myhouse.com 7-13-99
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- That is utter nonsense and piffle which just goes to
prove that some homosexuals are not merely gay but silly. I suppose that
he can "out" Hercules next, after all, wasn't he GREEK?
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- It is one thing (a pretty pathetic thing at a that)
to "out" an historical figure based on precious little if ANY
evidence without consideration of the social and cutlural context of the
time period and apparently NO awareness of the author's own bias due to
their own cultural and personal biases. It is quite another to "out"
a fictional or legendary character in order to shore up ones own lifestyle.
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- While one could reasonably argue that a fascination
with penetrating devices such as swords, knives and arrows could perhaps
be interpreted as a sublimation of homoerotic impulse, to argue it as a
metaphor for sexual preference and activity is not reasonable. Those weapons
and prowess with them was a practical interest to defend oneself and others
for the time. they were objects of pride and necessity as well as skill
in the use of them. Now does this mean that people who use or like guns
are secretly homosexual?
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- The Knights Templar were accused of homosexual acts and
were exterminated as a result. This is the social context at the time of
the birth of the Robin Hood legends.
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- Of the literature of the time, the only peice that i
can recall having ANYTHING to do with such a line of thought was "Berenger
Longbottom" in which a wronged woman gets her revenge by posing as
a knight and forcing the miscreant to kiss her/his bottom (being female,
she had the name long bottom - i suppose it had them reeling with laughter
back then). The butt of the joke was an object of ridicule but the actual
bottom was that of a female.
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- (For an example of the humor of the period, try deciphering
"dame siraz and the weeping bitch" - a parody of another popular
tale.)
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- As for love and lust, in differing contexts, it means
different things. love for king does not translate to be sexual desire,
nor does it for the love between companions at arms or friends. Lust does
not solely refer to sex as one could lustily eat and drink or for that
matter live life with the meaning of the word "gusto".
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- While i have no doubt that homosexuals existed at the
time, there is nothing that i know of that would place such a lifestyle
in the context of popular literature or culture of the period.
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- Now as for marijuana smoking, I would have to say yes,
as in - "O ignis spiritus" and "O vos radices" by
Hildegard von Bingen and "Fume Fumeux Fumee" by Solage of the
Parisian "Smokers Club" (founders of French satirical literature).
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- Perhaps Stephen Knight fell in lust with one of the many
incarnations of that group of men in tights as portrayed by Hollywood.
I would suggest he try those black and white gladiator movies - they didn't
even wear tights.
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- Rupert
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