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Originally Posted by Lalwendė
Does this add to the 'Englishness' of this mythology?
What does the following mean in the context of the interweaving of English legends/folklore into the legendarium?
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How would you define 'Englishness' in this context? Norman English with a touch of Frankish culture or Anglo-Saxon English? Robin Hood was after all an English tale set in the High Medieval Era where Christianity has already established strong roots in those lands and the culture of the island was increasingly, if not continental European in nature.
I am of the opinion that mythical folklore arose from pre-civilizational (i.e. bloc cultural identification we use today) times and existed before, during and after the great attributes that group people into said civilizations come into effect. As such these folklores have a very localized and distinct favor pertaining to the place they originate from. That is what makes these myths so enjoyable - its exoticness that is quite unlike anything they exists today or from near history.
Robin Hood was an English product, but was it really distinctive enough in nature to be considered an England only myth? If we were to substitute Robin with say an Otto, Philippe or Leon, skill with the bow to unparalled swordsmanship and a corrupted king and his sheriff into emperor and his senechal, the tale of Robin Hood would fit well into any other parts of Europe and indeed the rest of the world.