The outlaw king

On page, stage or screen, the story of Robin Hood has captivated audiences for centuries. But was he real? Ahead of a major Hollywood film, Graeme Green goes in search of the legend of Locksley

- Graeme Green is a writer and photographer who has spent over 25 years travelling the world for international publications.

Deep within Sherwood Forest, calmness reigns. The towering silver birches lining the pathways are coming into leaf, but many of the other trees, from gnarly ancient oaks to ash, are still bare. Despite the many naked branches, the forest is so thick and tangled in places that I can barely see 20 metres from the trail - perfect conditions for any bandits hiding out from the law.

On a crisp spring morning, I'm almost alone, walking on the Wildwood Trail. Long-tailed tits and nuthatches flutter from tree to tree. But there's a notable absence of whizzing arrows or clashing swords, and certainly no men in tights.

Sherwood Forest is one of the world's most famous woodlands, known across the generations as the home and hideout of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, including Little John and Friar Tuck. The heroic figure, who famously "robbed from the rich to give to the poor", has featured in centuries of stories, poems, novels, comics and songs, not to mention TV series and films, played by big names from Kermit the Frog to Kevin Costner - and now Hugh Jackman.

The Death of Robin Hood, out in UK cinemas in September, is a darker, grittier take. Adapted from the 17th-century ballad 'Robin Hood's Death', it sees Jackman playing Robin as an old, grey-bearded, battle-weary figure grappling with the crime and murder of his past, with the tagline: 'He was no hero'.

Who was Robin Hood? Was he real or a fictional creation? "These are questions scholars and others have been trying to answer for decades - centuries even," says Dr Lesley Coote, Emeritus Fellow of the University of Hull and author of Storyworlds of Robin Hood. "There have been lots of different 'answers', but nothing has been convincingly proven.