Robin spread his hands. "It rather depends on who you ask. The legend of Herne the Hunter calls him a god, but this I know he is not. He is a man, like you or I. Yet he speaks to a spirit, also called Herne, who is a part of the Great Forest in the old tradition. And I can tell you he wields great power, though it wanes as his life ebbs, and as people lose faith in the old ways." He smiled again, shaking his head. "My explanation does not help much, does it? I believe in one God, and in his Son; but I know the spirit of the Forest is there, for I too speak to it, though not as the Hunter."

He looked at Silas for a moment. "Brother Tuck, when confronted with Herne, used to say that mystery was the way of all faith. And that whatever power the forest held was granted it by God, that it was some aspect of the divine. I do not know if that helps, either."