Little John

For other uses, see Little John (disambiguation).

"Robin Hood and Little John", Illustration by Louis Rhead to Bold Robin Hood and His Outlaw Band: Their Famous Exploits in Sherwood Forest

John Little (Robin Hood changed his name into Little John) was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood. He was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men. The sobriquet "Little" is a form of irony, as he is usually depicted as a gigantic, seven-foot-tall warrior of the British forests, skilled with bow and quarterstaff.

Folklore

Little John appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories, and in the earliest chronicle references to Robin Hood, by Andrew of Wyntoun in about 1420 and by Walter Bower in about 1440, neither of which refer to any other of the Merry Men. In the early tales, Little John is shown to be intelligent and highly capable. In A Gest of Robyn Hode, he captures the sorrowful knight and, when Robin Hood decides to pay the knight's mortgage for him, accompanies him as a servant. In Robin Hood's Death, he is the only one of the Merry Men that Robin takes with him. In the 15th-century ballad commonly called "Robin Hood and the Monk", Little John leaves in anger after a dispute with Robin. When Robin Hood is captured, it is Little John who plans his leader's rescue. In thanks, Robin offers Little John leadership of the band, but John refuses. Later depictions of Little John portray him as less cunning.

The earliest ballads do not feature an origin story for this character; but according to a 17th-century ballad, he was a giant of a man (at least seven feet tall), and introduced when he tried to prevent Robin from crossing a narrow bridge, whereupon they fought with quarterstaves, and Robin was overcome. Despite having won the duel, John agreed to join his band and fight alongside him. He was then called Little John, in whimsical reference to his size and in a play that reversed his first and last names (as his proper name was John Little). This scene is almost always re-enacted in film and television versions of the story. In some modern film versions, Little John loses the duel to Robin.

Little John's grave in St Michael's Church graveyard, Hathersage.

Starting from the ballad tradition, Little John is commonly shown to be the only Merry Man present at Robin Hood's death.

Despite a lack of historical evidence for his existence, Little John is reputed to be buried in a churchyard in the village of Hathersage, Derbyshire. A modern tombstone marks the supposed location of his grave, which lies under an old yew tree. This grave was owned by the Nailor (Naylor) family, and sometimes some variation of "Nailer" is given as John's surname. In other versions of the legends his name is given as John Little, enhancing the irony of his nickname.

In Dublin, there is a local legend that suggests that Little John visited the city in the 12th century and perhaps was even hanged there.

Little John was also a figure in the Robin Hood plays or games during the 15th to 17th centuries, particularly those held in Scotland.

There are many historical figures named Little John and John Little, but it is debatable which – if any – are the inspiration for the legendary character.

Appearances in other media

Alan Hale, Sr. played the role of Little John in three movies. He first played Little John as a young squire in 1922's Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. He reprised the role opposite Errol Flynn's Robin in 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood. And finally, he played an older Little John opposite John Derek, as Robin's son, in Rogues of Sherwood Forest from 1951.

Other notable film and TV Little Johns include Archie Duncan in the 1950s TV series, Nicol Williamson in Robin and Marian, Clive Mantle in the 1980s TV series Robin of Sherwood, Phil Harris as the voice of Little John the Bear in the 1973 Disney animated film Robin Hood, David Morrissey in Robin Hood and Nick Brimble in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - both in 1991, and Eric Allan Kramer in 1993's Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Kevin Durand plays John in 2010's Robin Hood. In this incarnation, he was a Scottish Foot Soldier in the Crusades and fought Robin over a lost bet, claiming he was cheating, then joined Robin, Will, and Alan when the King was killed. His quarterstaff has a blade fixed to one end, similar to a splitting maul.

In the BBC's Robin Hood, Little John is played by Gordon Kennedy. John meets Robin when his band of outlaws steal from Robin's band. He dislikes Robin immediately, but later comes to agree with him. John also has a wife, Alice and a son, both of whom believe he is dead until late in the first series. John is the oldest of the outlaws, and fights with a quarterstaff.

Jamie Foxx will be portraying John in the upcoming movie Robin Hood: Origins.

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Qpid", Little John is portrayed by Commander William Riker (himself represented by Jonathan Frakes), as part of Q's recreated fantasy of Robin Hood.

In the Dick King-Smith novel Dragon Boy, looking at the adventures of a boy called John as he is raised by dragons after the death of his parents, it is implied that John – whose full name is John Little — will become the Little John of the Robin Hood mythos, the novel noting at one point that 'Little John' will become a giant of a man in future thanks to his healthy meals at the dragons' table.

In the Netflix series House of Cards, when main character Francis Underwood becomes Vice President he is given the code name "Little John" by the Secret Service.

He was portrayed by Rusty Goffe in the Doctor Who Series 8 episode, Robot of Sherwood. He is here presented as a Dwarf, who originally appears out from behind a large, stereotypical portrayal of the character.

Other references

"Little John" used as term of endearment, typically denoting kindness, compassion, empathy, and a certain level of optimism, a bit hard headed at times. It also functions as an ironic name in this case, due to John being physically enormous.

See also

• Musashibō Benkei

Bibliography

• .

External links

• with additional information]
• , information presented before a 15th-century Robin Hood ballad that features Little John in a prominent role.

Disputed/alleged burial locations

• .
• .