Robin Hood: The Symbol
While there are no recorded reasons for why the Robin Hood legends may have begun, past entertainment purposes, the modifications made have specific reasonings behind them.
Once the Robin Hood legends became popular, modifications made my minstrels were common. Since many people were familiar with the Robin Hood tales, if not more so than we are today, it was a natural step to make the stories more pleasing.
Robin Hood being a hero for the under-dog was popular, since the stories already created a mystical air for the Robin Hood name. The addition of him being justice for the common-folk showed the people's need for a hero. In the time when the Robin Hood tales were most popular, peasants felt there was much injustice in their villages.
They felt much economical strain from the king's taxes and unfair sherrifs who unjustly punished them, often pocketing more taxes than the king already demanded in order to keep the profits for themselves. It should be noted that Robin Hood presiding in the woods was also symbolic, since most woods belonged to the king and other aristocrats exclusively. So starving peasants could not hunt in them for food without severe punishment.
The legend of a heroic Robin Hood showed a people's yearning for a new kind of justic that represented them.
Just as theories about the Robin Hood stories are numerous, there are even more theories pertaining to the existence of a real Robin Hood.
Real Robin Hood?