Tam Lin, also known as Tamas-Lin, Tamlane, Tamlene, Tamlin, Tambling, Tomlin, Tam-Lien, Tam-a-Line, Tam-Lyn or Tam-Lane, is a character in the

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

ary

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

originating from the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

History

The story of Tam Lin revolves around the rescue of Tam Lin by his true love from the Queen of the Fairies. The motif of winning a person (or subduing an enemy) by holding him through all forms of transformation is found throughout Europe in folktales. The story has been adapted into numerous stories, songs, and films. It is also associated with a reel of the same name, which is also known as the ''Glasgow Reel''. Tam Lin is listed as the 39th

Child Ballad The Child Ballads are List of the Child Ballads, 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies ...

and number 35 in the

Roud Folk Song Index The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud. Roud's Index is a combination of the Broadsid ...

Synopsis

Most variants begin with the warning that Tam Lin collects either a possession or the

virginity Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereo ...

of any maiden who passes through the forest of Carterhaugh. When a young woman, usually called Janet or Margaret, goes to Carterhaugh and plucks a double rose, Tam appears and asks her why she has come without his leave and taken what is his. She states that she owns Carterhaugh because her father has given it to her. In most variants, Janet then goes home and discovers that she is pregnant; some variants pick up the story at this point. When asked about her condition, she declares that her baby's father is an

elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...

whom she will not forsake. In some versions, she is informed of a herb that will induce abortion; in all the variants, when she returns to Carterhaugh and picks a plant, either the same roses as on her earlier visit or the herb, Tam reappears and challenges her action. She asks him whether he was ever human, either after that reappearance or, in some versions, immediately after their first meeting resulted in her pregnancy. Tam Lin reveals that, though he was once a mortal man, he was imprisoned in Carterhaugh by the Queen of Faeries after she kidnapped him by catching him when he fell from his horse. He goes on to tell Janet that the fairies give one of their people as a teind (

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

) to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

at midnight on every seventh Hallowe'en. He asks Janet for her help in freeing him, and receives her agreement; he then instructs her to come to the forest at the time of the tithe, during which he'll be in the company of numerous faerie knights -- he tells her that she'll recognize him by his white horse. Janet must pull him down from his horse, thus making her the one to "catch" him this time, and hold him tightly: he warns her that the fairies will attempt to make her drop him by turning him into all manner of beasts (see

Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus ( ; ) is an early prophetic sea god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" (''hálios gérôn''). Some who ascribe a specific domain to Prote ...

), but states that none of these forms will actually cause her harm. Tam Lin will eventually take the shape of burning coal; when this occurs, Janet is to throw him into a well, whereupon he will reappear as a naked mortal man whom Janet must hide. She does as she is asked and wins her knight; though her success angers the Queen of Faeries, the latter accepts her defeat. In different variations, Tam Lin is reportedly the grandson of the Laird of

Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at lea ...

, the Laird of Foulis, the

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

, or the Earl of Murray. His name also varies between versions (Tam Lin being the most common) as Tom Line, Tomlin, Young Tambling, Tam-a-line and Tamlane. Tam Lin opening verses

Early versions

The ballad dates to at least as early as 1549 (the publication date of '' The Complaynt of Scotland'' that mentions "The Tayl of the Ȝong Tamlene" ('The Tale of the Young Tamelene') among a long list of medieval romances).

Michael Drayton Michael Drayton ( – ) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era, continuing to write through the reign of James I and into the reign of Charles I. Many of his works consisted of historical poetry. He was also the fir ...

's narrative poem ''Nimphidia'' (1627) includes a character called Tomalin who is a vassal and kinsman of

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...

, King of the Fairies.

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

wrote a version of Tam Lin based on older versions of the ballad, which was printed in James Johnson's '' Scots Musical Museum'' (1796). The story featured in several nineteenth century books of fairy tales under different titles : * "Elphin Irving, the Fairies' Cupbearer" in ''Traditional Tales of the English and Scottish Peasantry'' by Allan Cunningham (1822) * "Wild Robin" in ''Little Prudy's Fairy Book'' by Sophie May (1866). * "Tamlane" in ''More English Fairy Tales'' by Joseph Jacobs (1893).

Francis James Child Francis James Child (February 1, 1825 – September 11, 1896) was an American scholar, educator, and folklorist, best known today for his collection of English and Scottish ballads now known as the Child Ballads. Child was Boylston professor ...

collected fourteen traditional variants in ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'' in the nineteenth century. (Another Child ballad, '' Burd Ellen and Young Tamlane'', has no connection with this ballad except for the similarity of the heroes' names.)

Motifs

Child took the threat to take out Tam Lin's eyes as a common

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

precaution against mortals who could see fairies, in the tales of fairy ointment. Joseph Jacobs interpreted it as rather a reversal of the usual practice; the Queen of Faeries would have kept him from seeing the human woman who rescued him. In some variants, " Hind Etin" has verses identical to this for the first meeting between the hero and the heroine.

Influences

Field recordings

The ballad has been recorded several times from Scottish and Northern Irish people who learned it in the oral tradition. Eddie Butcher of Magilligan,

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

knew a fragment of the ballad which can be heard via the Irish Traditional Music Archive, and Paddy Tunney of Mollybreen,

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...

sang a version to Hugh Shields in 1968. In Scotland, Duncan Williamson of

Auchtermuchty Auchtermuchty ( ; , 'upland of the pigs/boar') is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is beside Pitlour Hill and north of Glenrothes. History Until 1975 Auchtermuchty was a royal burgh, established under charter of James V of Scotland, King Jame ...

, Fifeshire, William Whyte of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

and Betsy Johnston of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

all had traditional versions recorded, the latter two by

Hamish Henderson (James) Hamish Scott Henderson (11 November 1919 – 9 March 2002) was a Scotland, Scottish poet, songwriter, communist, intellectual and soldier. Henderson was a catalyst for the folk revival in Scotland. He was also an accomplished folk s ...

Popular recordings of the ballad

Following are some of the notable recordings of the ballad, including their artists, titles, albums, and years:

Benjamin Zephaniah Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (15 April 1958 – 7 December 2023) was a British writer, dub poet, actor, musician and professor of poetry and creative writing. Over his lifetime, he was awarded 20 honorary doctorates in recognition of his c ...

was awarded Best Original Song in the Hancocks 2008, Talkawhile Awards for Folk Music (as voted by members of Talkawhile.co.uk) for '' Tam Lyn Retold''. He collected the award at The Cambridge Folk Festival on 2 August 2008.

Popular instrumental recordings

Following are some of the notable instrumental recordings, including their artists, titles, albums, and years:

Adaptations

Prose

* John Myers Myers tells a variant in '' Silverlock'' (1949) *'' The Armourer's House'', by Rosemary Sutcliff (1951) -- includes a telling of the Tam Lin tale, which parallels the novel's theme of a girl struggling to obtain her dreams. * ''Scottish Folk-Tales and Legends'', by Barbara Ker Wilson (1954) * ''Thursday'', by Catherine Storr (1971) * ''

Red Shift In physics, a redshift is an increase in the wavelength, and corresponding decrease in the frequency and photon energy, of electromagnetic radiation (such as light). The opposite change, a decrease in wavelength and increase in frequency and e ...

'', by

Alan Garner Alan Garner (born 17 October 1934) is an English novelist best known for his children's fantasy novels and his retellings of traditional British folk tales. Much of his work is rooted in the landscape, history and folklore of his native count ...

(1973) * ''The Queen of Spells'', by Dahlov Ipcar (1973) * '' The Perilous Gard'', by Elizabeth Marie Pope (1974) * '' Fire and Hemlock'', by Diana Wynne Jones (1985) * ''Tam Lin'' by Joan D. Vinge, in ''Imaginary Lands'' edited by Robin McKinley (1986) * ''Nattens demon'' (translated from Norwegian as ''Demon of the Night''), by Margit Sandemo (1987) * ''Tam Lin: An Old Ballad'', by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak (1990) * ''Hold Me Fast, Don't Let Me Pass'', by

Alice Munro Alice Ann Munro ( ; ; 10 July 1931 – 13 May 2024) was a Canadian short story writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Her work tends to move forward and backward in time, with integrated short story cycles. Munro's ...

, in '' Friend of My Youth'' (1990) * ''Tam Lin'' by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Warwick Hutton (1991) * ''

Tam Lin Tam Lin, also known as Tamas-Lin, Tamlane, Tamlene, Tamlin, Tambling, Tomlin, Tam-Lien, Tam-a-Line, Tam-Lyn or Tam-Lane, is a character in the legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders. History The story of Tam Lin revolves around ...

'', by

Pamela Dean Pamela Collins Dean Dyer-Bennet (born 1953), better known as Pamela Dean, is an American fantasy author whose best-known book is ''Tam Lin (novel), Tam Lin'', based on the Child Ballads, Child Ballad of the Tam Lin, same name, in which the Scott ...

(1991) * ''Tam Lin'', in the graphic novel series ''Ballads and Sagas'' edited by Charles Vess (1995) * '' Winter Rose'', by Patricia McKillip (1996) * ''Never Let Go'', by

Geraldine McCaughrean Geraldine McCaughrean ( ; born 6 June 1951) is a British children's literature, children's novelist. She has written more than 170 books, including ''Peter Pan in Scarlet'' (2004), the official sequel to ''Peter and Wendy, Peter Pan'' commissi ...

, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft (1999) * ''Burd Janet'', by Jane Yolen, in ''Not One Damsel in Distress'' (2000) * ''Tam Lin'' (a version in Scots), by Ian MacFadyen, in ''The Eildon Tree'', Special Double Issue 4-5: Winter 2001, edited by Tom Bryan * "Cotillion", by Delia Sherman, in ''

Firebirds Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures ** Fenghuang, sometimes called Chinese phoenix * Vermilion bird, one of the four symbols of the Chinese constella ...

'', edited by Sharyn November (2003) * '' The Dogs of Babel'' (UK edition: ''Lorelei's Secret''), by Carolyn Parkhurst (2003) * '' Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale'' by

Holly Black Holly Black (; born November 10, 1971) is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult ''Folk of the Air'' series. She is also well kn ...

(2004) * "He Said, Sidhe Said" by

Tanya Huff Tanya Sue Huff (born 1957) is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science fiction series. One of these, her ''Tanya Huff bibliography#Blood series, Blood Books'' ...

, in ''Faerie Tales'' ed. Russell Davis and Martin H. Greenberg (2004) * ''An Earthly Knight'', by Janet McNaughton (2005) * ''Blood and Iron'', by

Elizabeth Bear Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky (born September 22, 1971) is an American author who works primarily in speculative fiction genres, writing under the name Elizabeth Bear. She won the 2005 Astounding Award for Best New Writer, John W. Campbell Awar ...

(2006) * ''Summer's Lease'', by Eluki bes Shahar ( Rosemary Edghill) * "The Lady and the Fox," by Kelly Link, in ''My True Love Gave to Me'', ed. Stephanie Perkins (2014) * ''

A Court of Thorns and Roses ''A Court of Thorns and Roses'' is a fantasy romance series by American author Sarah J. Maas, which follows the journey of 19-year-old Feyre Archeron after she is brought into the faerie lands of Prythian. The first book of the series, ''A Court ...

'', by Sarah J. Maas (2015) * ''Roses and Rot'', by Kat Howard (2016)

Theatre

*''The Thyme of the Season'' by Duncan Pflaster (incorporates elements and allusions to the story) *''Tamlane'' by Edwin Stiven

Film

*'' Tam-Lin'' (1970 movie) directed by

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 3 October 1998) was a British-American actor whose career spanned over 270 screen and stage roles across over 60 years. Born in London, he began his acting career as a child in his n ...

, and starring

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' att ...

. *'' An Old Ballad'' (1988 animated film) directed by Valentyna Kostyleva, Kyїvnaukfilm.

Novels

* In Carolyn Parkhurst's novel '' The Dogs of Babel'' (also known as ''Lorelei's Secret'' in the UK), a section of Tam Lin plays a pivotal role in the story. In it the narrator, Paul Iverson, discovers that his recently deceased wife left an encrypted message to him in their bookshelf, quoting Tam Lin. * The multi-faceted novel ''

'' by

can be read as a subtle reworking of the ballad. * In the fantasy novel '' The Battle of Evernight'' by Cecilia Dart-Thornton, the story of Tam Lin is told as the story of Tamlain Conmor. * Tamlin appears in the fantasy novel ''Rumors of Spring'' by Richard Grant. * In

Jim Butcher Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary Fantasy literature, fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and ''Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, M ...

's novel Cold Days Tam Lin is referenced as a former Knight of the Winter Court * ''

'' by Sarah J. Maas (2015) has a fairy character named Tamlin whom the protagonist saves from an evil fairy queen, though the novel's plot resembles ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

.''

Comic books

* ''Tam-Lin'', a

closet drama A closet drama is a play (theatre), play that is not intended to be performed onstage, but read by a solitary reader. The earliest use of the term recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is in 1813. The literary historian Henry Augustin Beers, H ...

written by

Elaine Lee Elaine Lee is an American actress, playwright, producer, and writer, who specializes in Comic book, graphic novels. She has also received recognition and awards for her work as a creator and producer of audio books and dramas. Her comics have b ...

and illustrated by Charles Vess, appears in ''The Book of Ballads and Sagas'', Vess's collection of adaptations of traditional songs, mostly into comics form. * In the

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

comic book, ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...

'', Tam Lin died in the defence of the last stronghold of the Fables against the forces of the Adversary. He is claimed to be the knight loved by the queen of the faeries, who had a reputation of a scoundrel, but gave up his chance of freedom to his page. * In the Vertigo comic book series, '' The Sandman'' by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

, the notion that Faerie pays a sacrificial tithe to Hell is mentioned in the storyline "Season of Mists". * In the Vertigo comic book series ''

The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...

'', ''The Names of Magic'', and ''The Books of Faerie'', Tamlin is the father of the protagonist Timothy Hunter, potentially the greatest sorcerer in the world. In ''The Books of Faerie: The Widow's Tale'', the story of Tamlin's romance with Queen Titania of Faerie is revealed.

Other

* In the mobile game Fate/Grand Order, Tam Lin are used to refer to Fairy Knights in the English Translation of the game. * In the ''

Shin Megami Tensei ''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji Okada, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed ...

'' series of video games, Tam Lin is a recurring demon that can often be recruited relatively early and is one of the very few demons whose design share an exact model with another demon – its brother model being another northern European mythological hero, Cu Chulainn. * This ballad was one of 25 traditional works included in ''Ballads Weird and Wonderful'' (1912) and illustrated by Vernon Hill. * ''The Rose'', ''The Knight'', and ''The Faery Host'' are paintings by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law depicting various parts of the Tam Lin legend. * The

Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...

book ''Enchanted Kingdom'' has an ending in which the reader/player's character is rescued from the fairies by a girl whom the character has befriended, who has to hold onto the character through three transformations. * In Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, the poem is both spoken and referenced over the course of the series, and Janet is a character in some of the later books. The events of the poem occurred in universe. * Alastair White's fashion-opera ''WOAD'' adapts the ballad to explore the implications of multiverse theory.