森とForest

オックスフォードの学習英英辞典が歴史や伝説を基にした表現として以下のものを紹介していました。Timeとか読んでいてもちょくちょく見かけるものですね。

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Expressions from history and legend
Achilles heel
Cinderella
Herculean
Mephistophelian
Midas touch
narcissism
odyssey
Prince Charming
Procrustean
Promethean
Pyrrhic
Robin Hood
Scylla and Charybdis
Sleeping Beauty
Stygian
Titan

その中でRobin Hoodを見ていきます。



自分の世代ではブライアンアダムスの主題歌が印象に残っています。

‪ (Everything I Do) I Do It For You‬

オックスフォードもロングマンもとても丁寧に紹介してくれています。

（オックスフォード）
Robin Hood
a person who takes or steals money from rich people and gives it to poor people
He was seen as an educational Robin Hood with his proposal to take federal money out of the hands of schools and place it in the hands of students.
From the name of a character in traditional English stories who lived in a forest, robbing rich people and giving money to poor people.

Culture
Robin Hood is said to have lived in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham during the rule of King Richard I (1189-99). His companions (usually called his Merry Men) included Friar Tuck, Little John and Will Scarlet, and his lover was Maid Marian. Together they robbed rich people and gave money to poor people, and their enemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham. There is no evidence that Robin Hood ever existed but there are many stories about him and many films have been made about his adventures. In these he is often shown wearing clothes made of a material called Lincoln green, and holding a bow.


（ロングマン）
Robin Hood
in old English stories, a man who lived as an outlaw (=someone who does not obey the law and is hiding from the authorities) in Sherwood Forest in central England, with his followers, known as his "Merry Men". These include Friar Tuck, Little John, and Maid Marian. His enemy is the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, who is always trying to catch him. Robin Hood is usually shown dressed in green clothes, known as Lincoln green, and holding a bow. There have been many stories, films, and television programmes about his life and adventures. He is famous especially for robbing the rich and giving to the poor, and people use his name to describe a situation in which money is taken from rich people and given to poor people:
• a new higher-rate tax that will have a 'Robin Hood effect' on income distribution

ロビンフッドで連想するのがSherwood Forest。ブラインアダムスの曲でも森の中で撮影されています。



今回はこのイギリスの森に絡めたお話です。シェイクスピアの翻訳者として著名な松岡和子さんがイギリスの森は平地に広がっているので自分がどこにいるかわからず迷いやすい。日本の森林は山地であれば斜面に沿って降りれば迷うことはないが、平らだと迷いやすい。そのような森林の雰囲気がわかっていないと『お気に召すまま』や『夏の夜の夢』の感じがつかめないだろうとおっしゃっていました。まあ松岡さんの念頭にあったのは『お気に召すまま』のアーデンの森ですが。。。

Forestを単に「森林」と訳して、woodよりも大きい森を指すという理解だけだと、日本人はイギリスの森というものを想像できないかもしれません。といってもシェイクスピアの時代から森林伐採は進んでいたそうですが。。。こういうイメージの違いというのはなかなか座学だけだとわかりませんよね。



オックスフォードにIn these he is often shown wearing clothes made of a material called Lincoln green, and holding a bow.と書いてある通りの同じみの格好ですが、こういうのも含めてRobin Hoodの物語というのは後からいろいろ脚色が付け加わっていて１２世紀ごろのバラードとは内容がずいぶん異なっているようです。そのあたりを詳しく取り上げているサイトが以下です。

Wolfshead Through The Ages
So, you think you know Robin Hood?
You might be in for a surprise. The legend of Robin Hood has changed a lot over the years. "Classic" characters such as Maid Marian, Friar Tuck and Alan a Dale were all later additions to the greenwood folklore. So was the "steal from the rich and give to the poor" motif. The Robin Hood of the early ballads is very different from the Robin Hoods of Errol Flynn and Kevin Costner.
These pages explore the history of the bold outlaw of Nottingham, Barnsdale and Sherwood. They show how, when and why the story of Robin Hood evolved.