Gilbert Whitehand

Gilbert Whitehand (also Gilbert with the White Hand) is a member of Robin Hood's merry men[1] about whom next to nothing is known; it is possible that he is a character known from oral literature, with only allusions remaining in written literature.[2]

He is present twice in A Gest of Robyn Hode, an early Robin Hood ballad from the late medieval period, where he is the only one whose archery skills match those of Robin Hood.[3]

It is unknown why he was referred to as having 'white hands'. It is thought that Gilbert Of The Whitehand developed from Gilbert Wythehonde, a second name found in the Wakefield Court Rolls. Some have suggested it was because he had a withered hand, amongst other reasons. However this is speculation and it is not stated specifically why. Gilbert clearly had no physical hindrance—it is stated that he is Robin's equal in archery, and together they were the best archers in all England.

Other appearances

References

  1. Child, Francis James (2013). The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Courier. p. 139. ISBN 9780486152868.
  2. Gray, Douglas (2015). "Ballads". Simple Forms: Essays on Medieval English Popular Literature. OUP. p. 78. ISBN 9780191016295.
  3. Davis, John Paul (2016). Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar. Peter Owen. p. 46. ISBN 9780720618655.
  4. Phillips, Helen (2005). Robin Hood: Medieval and Post Medieval. Four Courts Press. p. 35. ISBN 9781851829316.
  5. Kaufman, Alex (7 October 2016). Gilbert with the White Hand and the Signifier of the Blank Canvas. Southeastern Medieval Association conference 2016. Knoxville, TN.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.