The Robin Hood legend is full of tales of his adventures and heroic bravado.

These tales have been told through the ages with the use of songs and ballads. A ballad is a poem song narrating a story in short stanzas. Written over hundreds of years, these ballads form the Robin Hood legend. Scenes from these tales have been used in many novels, movies and television shows.  

The earliest surviving text of a Robin Hood ballad is "Robin Hood and the Monk". It was written shortly after 1450 CE. It contains many of the themes still associated with Hood’s legend, from the setting in Nottingham to the rivalry between Robin and the local sheriff.

The main ballad dedicated to Robin’s legend is the “Gest of Robyn Hode”. It contains around 13,900 words making it not only the longest early Robin Hood story, but the longest English outlaw story of its day. It is one of the oldest surviving tales of Robin Hood and was written between 1492 and 1534. It is an extremely long tale, consisting of eight fyttes which are defined as sections of a poem. Musicians still perform the Robin Hood ballads.

Robin Hood Features in 37 of the 305 'Child Ballads', more then any other single person fictional or not. Some of these include: (Note: The number is the number of the ballad in the 'Child Ballds')

• 117. The Gest of Robyn Hode

• 118. Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne

• 119. Robin Hood and the Monk

• 120. Robin Hood's Death

• 125. Robin Hood and Little John

• 138. Robin Hood and Allen a Dale

• 145. Robin Hood and Queen Katherine

• 149. Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage

• 150. Robin Hood and Maid Marian

• 152. Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow

• 154. A True Tale of Robin Hood