Into the Greenwood

In the center of Nottingham juts a massive promontory rust-colored stone. In the middle ages this was the site of Nottingham Castle and is thusly known to this day as "The Castle Rock". But it wasn't just the castle that was constructed upon a bedrock of sandstone. This soft stone can be found throughout the area and it's relatively soft composition provides for easy tunneling....

*SPOILER WARNING* Since this is our second episode looking at Robin of Sherwood, we jump right into spoiler territory as we review the sixth episode of the series, 'The King's Fool'. Joining us for the discussion is 'Forest Lord' author Steven A. McKay. Following our review of the episode, Rick and I undertake what might well be the most controversial Robin Hood ranking we...

In episode 55, author Amy S Kaufman joins me in the Greenwood to discuss her work studying medievalisms, especially how they can be used for nefarious ends, and a brand new medievalism of her own making, the brand new novel 'The Traitor of Sherwood Forest' which will be available from Penguin Books on April 29th 2025. For more from Amy S Kaufman and her new novel go to: www.amyskaufman.c...

Dr. Lucy Barnhouse from Arkansas State University joins me in the Greenwood for a fascinating and joyful discussion about using disability studies to examine the middle ages and how it relates to Robin Hood adaptations. Further readings: Disability and Medieval (In)Justice in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Robin of Sherwood (1984) Good People, Poor Sick: The social identities of lepers in...

It's a Papke Family roundtable with Richard Hopkins-Lutz (Rick), Maryanne Papke (Momo), Name Redacted Papke (Theo), Roger Papke (Marcus), and Jeff Massie (Uncle Max) as we discuss George Segal's questionable turn as the hero(?) of Sherwood Forest. Is this a long lost masterpiece of cinema? No. Not really. Did we enjoy it anyway? We sure did. Does it weirdly feel like the first draft to &...

To this day the false notion exists that men can’t be considered manly and heroic and tough if they’re homosexual. This has led to great deal of spilled ink and consternation when evidence has indicated that one of England’s great warrior kings, Richard the Lionheart, may well have enjoyed the company of other men. Was King Richard the first what we might now identify as queer? And perhaps more im...

We've finally made it to the 1980s! And with the 80s we are introduced to a take on Robin Hood that is genuinely different from any we've seen before, and not just on account of that luscious feathery 80s hair! For this episode Rick and Thaddeus joined by Robin Hood author and "Eos Fan" of Robin of Sherwood, J. Tullos Hennig. We are especially looking at 'Robin Hood and th...

We've made it to 50 episodes!!! To celebrate, we're taking advantage of the episode releasing in December to discuss Saint Nicholas! The only figure to come from the middle ages that outstrips Robin Hood in terms of international fame and a reputation for charitable giving! Joining me is Benito Cereno, author and co-host of Apocrypals . For more from Benito, including his writings on Chr...

The 1970s was an interesting period for Robin Hood films. It saw the bouncy and raucous animated Disney film which remains a beloved classic for newer generations. There were the austere British productions like 'Wolfshead' and 'The Legend of Robin Hood' that sought to showcase the potential hardscrabble realities of what it would be like to live as an outlaw in the middle ages...

Earlier this year GMT Games released a two-player board game called 'A Gest of Robin Hood'. I sat down with the game's designer to discuss how this game functions as a sort of introduction to the hobby of historical wargaming, the depth of research that went into the game, and what he's hoping people can get out of the game as well. You can follow Fred Serval on Blue Sky with @...

This episode is releasing on the cusp of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election. By the time you listen to it, the United States may have elected its first female president (coincidentally the 47th president to go with ItG's 47th episode). That looming election and the way attacks on Kamala Harris mirror the attacks made on politically savvy women of centuries past gets a few brief mentions in t...

What do you get when you combine a body builder known for playing Hercules, some martial arts action, and spaghetti westerns with an Alexandre Dumas novel? Why a Robin Hood movie, of course!!! This was easily the strangest Robin Hood movie that we've seen to date, but a fascinating film to consider in the context of the other films coming out at the same time. With Richard Hopkins-Lutz and An...

How did people in the middle ages perceive the figure of Robin Hood? Did social class or occupation affect those perceptions? How violent were the early stories? Where did the idea come from that Robin Hood wears green? Historian and Robin Hood scholar Will Hoff and I sit down to discuss how Robin Hood was viewed and how he was utilized between the 14th-16th centuries. Thanks for listening! For mo...

Join us as we delve into this Italian film that loosely adapts a French novel that is itself an adaptation of an English story. We never quite figured out how Ivanhoe entered the narrative, but we did get to see one of the most brazen moves from any film version of Robin Hood ever! With Richard Hopkins-Lutz and Leah Kahn. Into the Greenwood is produced by Thaddeus Papke  Theme music is by Plastic3...

While much of my interview with Rob James includes information about visiting the annual Robin Hood Festival in Sherwood Forest, if you don't anticipate being able to make that particular trip, the episode also includes discussion about promoting wildlife diversity in Sherwood, the importance of the Robin Hood legend for the local community, and more! To learn more about the Robin Hood Festiv...

Robin and Marian is pretty much unquestionably the most complex and thought-provoking Robin Hood film ever made. It has moments of lush cinematography and genuine insights about the human condition and explores the complexities of the relationships we have with our loved ones and with our own sense of identity. At times it is also shockingly daft and distractingly bizarre costuming and directorial...

As of the recording of this episode, there are well over a dozen Robin Hood adaptations that have been examined as part of our Splitting Arrows series, a similar task could easily be undertaken for adaptations of the Story of Hong Gildong, the immensely popular bandit figure from Korea. Thanks to the translation of that story available now through Penguin Classics, the exploits of Hong Gildong are...

I'm joined by Richard Hopkins-Lutz and Mike Nichols (with a special guest cameo by Allen Wright) to discuss the six part mini series "The Legend of Robin Hood" from 1975, a series that forced us to have a reckoning with just how we've been reviewing and discussing the Robin Hood media we've encountered up until this point! We'll also get into a surprising amount of Bl...

This week I'm joined by a fiction writer who has delved deeply into the world of Robin Hood fiction through her work on the Robin of Sherwood audio dramas as well as the world of medieval outlaws through her academic studies and the Folville Chronicles, a historical fiction series centered around the very real Folville gang of the 14th century. Jennifer Ash's most recent release, though,...

Jumping back in time to cover an overlooked short film from 1951. Since 'Tales of Robin Hood' is supposedly composed of episodes from a proposed television show, we brought back Ben Curley who had joined us for episode 32 when we covered Wolfshead, another attempted television show that saw a brief second life with a limited theatrical release. The two would-be shows turned films are exc...

Robin Hood has been a popular subject for plays dating back for at least 600 years and the production put on last year by Actor's Theater of Columbus exemplifies how modern authors continue to find ways to keep these characters and themes relevant, and entertaining, for audiences today. This episode includes my interview with playwright and director Philip Hickman and actors Adrianna Quinones...

The literal translation of this film's title is "The Archer of Fire", but it was released in English as "Long Live Robin Hood" and later had a VHS release with the title "The Scalawag Bunch". Towards the end of this episode we grapple with this film's strange identity crisis. Which is appropriate as the main character seems to be having a bit of an identity...

As an author, blogger, and podcaster, Icy Sedgwick has been making a name for herself with all things folklore-related across the internet. Her recent book, Rebel Folklore, from DK Press with vivid illustrations by Melissa Jarram, is a journey around the globe to look at folk heroes, terrifying monsters, agents of death, and all manner of beings that wouldn't quite fit in at your average soci...

How does Robin Hood fall in with a group of pirates? Will the pirates One Eye and Hook find love? Where exactly is Sherwood supposed to be anyway? How will the international film star and war hero known as "Sexy Lexy" fall in our ranking of Robin Hoods? Listen to the episode to find the answers to some of those questions! With Richard Hopkins-Lutz and Theodore Papke Into the Greenwood is...

February of 2024 saw the release of a brand new Robin Hood-centric computer game developed with the Unreal Engine and released on Steam. It is an open world role playing game, which means that your character gains new skills and abilities as you navigate them through an explorable digital world. Additionally, the game utilizes base building and crafting elements that encourage you to create your o...