Characters - Little John

Little John

In one of the most well-known of the Robin Hood adventures, Little John was a petty outlaw who held dominion over a small bridge across a ford. Robin Hood, arrogantly confident in his mastery of the greenwood, refused to pay poll-tax to cross Little John's bridge. Robin instead challenged him to a duel with staffs. In some versions Little John lands in the water finally, and in some it is Robin, but in all versions Robin acknowledges Little John's skill with a staff and invites him to join the Merry Men. It is here that Little John's name originates; his birth-name was John Little, but as a joke the Merry Men named him Little John.

Little John was tall, heavily built (though not quite so heavily as Friar Tuck), and never used a sword and rarely a bow, preferring his stout staff, which he was adept at using.

Little John takes part in almost all of Robin's adventures, although rarely taking a large role, except in one. To fulfill a promise Robin made to the Sherrif of Nottingham to "have him for dinner", he had to lure him out of the protection of his men. Little John was assigned to infriltrate the castle by posing as a wandering man skilled at staff and bow, called Reynold Greenleaf. Entering a staff competition at the fair, Little John performed so well he was immediately called into the service of the Sherrif. Once he had secured enough information from him over a few months, he pretended to be sick and let the Sherrif go hunting with a small party of men. Little John meanwhile let Robin and some fellow Merry Men into the castle, stole the precious casket of silverware, and ambushed the Sherrif on the road.

Like most of the Merry Men, little is said of Little John's latter days after the return of King Richard, but one version proposes that he received a small plot of land on the borders of Sherwood, where he lived out his days.

	Little John In one of the most well-known of the Robin Hood adventures, Little John was a petty outlaw who held dominion over a small bridge across a ford. Robin Hood, arrogantly confident in his mastery of the greenwood, refused to pay poll-tax to cross Little John's bridge. Robin instead challenged him to a duel with staffs. In some versions Little John lands in the water finally, and in some it is Robin, but in all versions Robin acknowledges Little John's skill with a staff and invites him to join the Merry Men. It is here that Little John's name originates; his birth-name was John Little, but as a joke the Merry Men named him Little John. Little John was tall, heavily built (though not quite so heavily as Friar Tuck), and never used a sword and rarely a bow, preferring his stout staff, which he was adept at using. Little John takes part in almost all of Robin's adventures, although rarely taking a large role, except in one. To fulfill a promise Robin made to the Sherrif of Nottingham to "have him for dinner", he had to lure him out of the protection of his men. Little John was assigned to infriltrate the castle by posing as a wandering man skilled at staff and bow, called Reynold Greenleaf. Entering a staff competition at the fair, Little John performed so well he was immediately called into the service of the Sherrif. Once he had secured enough information from him over a few months, he pretended to be sick and let the Sherrif go hunting with a small party of men. Little John meanwhile let Robin and some fellow Merry Men into the castle, stole the precious casket of silverware, and ambushed the Sherrif on the road. Like most of the Merry Men, little is said of Little John's latter days after the return of King Richard, but one version proposes that he received a small plot of land on the borders of Sherwood, where he lived out his days.

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