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Many writers later connected the legend to a variety of historical figures. The best-known example of this is the link that some writers made between the story of the outlaw and Robin of Locksley.<ref> Wright, Thomas. Essays on Subjects Connected with the Literature, Popular Superstitions, and History of England in the Middle Ages (London, 1846), vol. II, pp. 164-211 </ref> As a result, over time, what started as a story or a nickname came to be regarded as a real-life person. This is something that has regularly happened down the centuries in a variety of cultures.

Robin Hood is perhaps the most famous bandit of all time. However, it is highly likely that there was no single person known as Robin Hood. Robin Hood morphed into an alias in England in the 1300s-1600s. The name was a nickname or epitaph that eventually became synonymous with those who engaged in banditry in England in the Middle Ages and lived outside of the law. Balladeers and writers took up the legend, and they greatly embellished it. The stories about the Merrie Men, the Sherriff of Nottingham, and Maid Marion are just tales. There was no historical Robin Hood, but that does not mean that we cannot enjoy the characters' tales and stories.