Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow is Child ballad 152.
[edit] Synopsis
The sheriff of Nottingham complains to King Richard of Robin Hood. The king declares that the sheriff is his sheriff and must catch him. The sheriff decides to trap him with an archery contest, where the prizes would be arrows with golden and silver heads. Robin decides to compete, despite a warning from David of Doncaster that it's a trap. Robin goes in disguise and wins. At Little John's advice, a letter is written to the sheriff and shot into his hall, telling the truth.
[edit] See also
There are many archery contests in the legends of Robin Hood, but many of them are clearly derived from this source, as in Howard Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Other variants are more closely related to the older contest included in A Gest of Robyn Hode, where they are recognized and must fight free.