Robin Hood Library No. 17: The Demon of the Forest

# Content Description

The Demon of the Forest, from the Aldine Robin Hood Library, presents a historical romance serial set in Norman-occupied England. Chapter 1, "The Crimes of Renault the Tax-Gatherer," establishes the conflict: Sir Evremond Renault, a cruel Norman tax-gatherer, leads armed men through the Saxon village in the New Forest. Upon discovering Arthur Lovedale's family and finding insufficient plunder, Renault burns their cottage and binds Lovedale's wife Agatha to a tree after she strikes him. Lovedale returns to find his home destroyed and vows vengeance against Renault. Chapter 2, "Lovedale Meets Robin Hood," introduces Robin Hood's outlaw band in the forest. Friar Tuck counsels Little John about a frightening creature he witnessed—a horned, wolf-like being—dismissing it as shadow-induced delusion. The text suggests Lovedale's quest for revenge will intersect with Robin Hood's activities, with additional complications involving wandering performers arriving in the forest.