The Sloane MS. tells us that Robin Hood was interred under a great stone between Halifax and Wakefield upon Calder. This stone, says Thomas Gent, the old historian of York, was placed by a certain knight as a hearthstone in his hall, but on the morning after its installation it was found to have been "turned aside". This phenomenon occurred three times and at length the monolith was returned to its original position. It was evidently capable of self-propulsion and miraculous motion, like some of the other stones to which I have referred. Or it could have been the ghost of Robin Hood of course. Either way, and however prehistoric the stone, it's got similar folklore, as he says. From 'The Minor Traditions of British Mythology', by Lewis Spence (1948. It's on p143 of the edition on Google Books).
(The 'Sloane Manuscripts' were collected in the mid to late 17th century, and are now held by the British Library)
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Posted by Rhiannon
21st June 2007ce
Edited 22nd June 2007ce
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