Little John

## Origin

One of the earliest figures in the ballads of Robin Hood John was a large cunning man who joined Robin as an outlaw in the Greenwood after defeating him using his signature quarterstaff and witnessing Robin's generosity. John was the earliest named of the Merry Men. He had no wife nor children in the original tales but more modern stories have given him both.

## Name

John's surname was given variously as a variation on Nailer or Little. When John went undercover as a servant to the Sheriff of Nottinham he used the alias Reynold Greenlefe which was a name he borrowed from a fellow Merry Man who competed in the Archery Contest for the gold and silver arrows.

## Meeting Robin

Robin came upon John going the other way on a narrow bridge. As neither of them stood aside to give way to the other they ended up fighting in the middle of the bridge. The larger John defeated Robin with his favored weapon and sent the Nobleman into the river. Robin reacted by calling his Merry Men and inviting John into the band where he would become one of Robin's most loyal friends and one who had no problems questioning Robin's choices.

## Merry Men

John and Will Stutely were among the first named of Robin's gathered Merry Men, a band of outlaws including, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck, and in some cases Maid Marian and of which John was second in command, at least once being offered leadership of the Merry Men by Robin after John had saved his life. When the rightful King returned to England John was pardoned alongside all the rest of Robin's band although at least one legend has him being hung in Dublin in the 12th century.

## Appearances in Media

#### **Ballad:**

* A Gest of Robyn Hode
* Robin Hood's Death
* Robin Hood and the Monk
* Robin Hood and the Old Wife

#### **Literature:**

* 1883 *The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood* by Howard Pyle

#### **Board Games:**

* Sheriff of Nottingham, Merry Men Expansion (Arcane Wonders)

### Character Filmography

#### **Film:**

* 1912 *Robin Hood Outlawed*
* 1913 *In the Days of Robin Hood*
* 1922 *Robin Hood* played by Alan Hale, Sr.
* 1938 *The Adventures of Robin Hood* played by Alan Hale, Sr.
* 1948 *The Prince of Thieves*
* 1950 *Rogues of Sherwood Forest* played by Alan Hale, Sr.
* 1954 *The Men of Sherwood Forest*
* 1973 *Robin Hood* voiced by Phil Harris
* 1976 *Robin and Marian* played by Nicol Williamson
* 1991 *Robin Hood* played by David Morrissey
* 1991 *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* played by Nick Brimble
* Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) played by
* 2010 *Robin Hood* played by Kevin Durand
* 2018 *Robin Hood* played by Jamie Foxx

#### **Television:**

* 2014-2016 Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood (wiki) voiced by Jake Paque
* 2006-2009 BBC's Robin Hood (wiki) played by Gordon Kennedy
* 1997-1998 The New Adventures of Robin Hood played by Richard Ashton
* 1991-1992 Young Robin Hood voiced by Terrence Scammell
* 1984-1986 Robin of Sherwood played by Clive Mantle
* 1955-1959 The Adventures of Robin Hood played by Archie Duncan (106 episodes)

##### **Video Games:**

* 2002 Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood

## Gallery

Little John by Louis RheadNick Brimble as **Little John** in *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* (1991)Little John from the Typhoo Tea Paper Doll Card series of Robin Hood cutouts from 1928.Clive Mantle, Michael Praed, Phil Rose, Mark Ryan, Judi Trott, Peter Llewellyn Williams, and Ray Winstone in Robin of Sherwood (1984)Little John by Saeed Jalabi for the Sheriff of Nottingham board game Merry Men expansion pack (2016).Kevin Costner, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Nick Brimble, and Daniel Newman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)Jamie Foxx is **Little John** poster for *Robin Hood (2018)*.
## External links

* Once Upon a Time Wiki
* Wikipedia
* IMDB
* BBC's Robin Hood Wiki
* Disney Wiki
* ComicVine