Tam Lin

Have you ever heard the story of Tam Lin? It's a cool story from Scotland. Here's my version. Jane Yolen retold it in a lovely book called Tam Lin. I've added lots of details.

Tam Lin

Once upon a time, in the north of Scotland, there lived a man and his wife in the clan of MacLean--or some clan up there. They had an only daughter, Jennet, who was always going places she wasn't supposed to. Lady MacLean was always gossiping with the other women...like this:

"That Jennet! What am I going to do?--for as soon as my back is turned, she'll likely be headed to the old abandoned castle--through the woods where the fey are supposed to live."

Oh, Lady MacLean had made one mistake talking like that--for Jennet was sitting by the fire, carressing her sprained ankle and thinking deep thoughts for an eleven-year-old. Forgetting that children should be seen and not heard, she cried: "Fey folk? They live in the woods here?!" Indeed, if it hadn't been for her sprained ankle, she might've been off at once. Lady MacLean slapped her forehead at her own idiocy. Had it not been for Jennet's careful nurse, the girl might have started out as soon as her ankle was better.

But her nurse told her stories of the horrors of the fey, especially the one about the fact that the queen would take a favorite from humans and keep him for--oh, hundreds upon thousands of years! But when she tired of him he would become a sacrifice...to what, the nurse didn't know.

Years passed, and Jennet grew to be a fine young woman. On the night of her sixteenth birthday, she felt annoyed by all the partying and realized 'twould be a fine night to see the abandoned castle. For you see, Lady MacLean's words had sunk in; Jennet would have no rest 'til she saw the castle. And this was almost her death.

So she flung a cloak on and slipped out the door. She hurried through the woods until she reached the castle--oh, the sounds she heard scared her to death--and it wasn't much of a sight. It was covered in dead brambles and 'live brambles, but all that lay on the dark greens and brown was a wee rose. The sight of it drew Jennet quite, until she finally reached out and plucked it.

"Hey!" she heard a voice behind her and screamed. Perhaps not the best thing to do, but every fear she had squashed down inside of her rose to the surface in that scream. Whatever it had accomplished, the voice softened a bit.

"Who are you who dared to call me at this hour? I don't even know you!"

"Um...I'm Jennet MacLean. I heard that it--that this castle belonged to my ancestors. But it kind of fell into disrepair after a friend who courted my great-great-great aunt (her name was Janet MacLean--I was named for her) disappeared. Everyone fled, and--well, I guess this great wood grew about it. Are you fey?"

"Well, you never did answer my question, Jennet MacLean--but I will answer. I live with the fey. They were like to think that I was fey--that is, until the queen found a new favorite."

"You are human?! Why!--I never thought there was much truth in those stories, then."

"Yes, I am the queen's favorite--doomed to be sacrificed on midsummer night when--"

"But that's terrible!"

"Yes--but it must be done."

"Can no one save you?"

"I suppose...your great great great aunt, Janet." he paused, then added: "MacLean. And you, Jennet MacLean, must be going. There's the path. Don't worry--I will tell the fey not to touch you if the need arises."

And so Jennet went home. 'Twas a long way 'til midsummer night, anyway. She felt a slight need to save this young man and decided to see if Janet MacLean was still alive.

She feigned interest in her aunt's crocheting of doilies to find her, but, doilies and all--she was dead. Jennet was horrified. Meantimes, she still sometimes saw Tam Lin--the young man she'd met--when she walked in the forest. Walking in the forest was a good pastime when the forest was safe. Finally, the day before midsummer night, she told him that she had searched for her great great great aunt and found she was dead. Suddenly she felt desparately anguished.

"Can no one save you?" she cried. "What's so special about Janet MacLean, anyway?!?"

Tam Lin smiled, but it wasn't a very happy one. "Jennet MacLean, there is nothing special about Janet...MacLean. She was my true love, and I was the one that disappeared. All that have loved me are gone, and my true love--she is the only one who can save me."

Suddenly Jennet had an idea. "I love you! I will save you! Only..." she thought a minute. "Tell me what I must do."

Tam Lin turned sharply--they had not been walking side by side, and he wasn't looking at her anyway. But he slowly smiled. "You must persist. That's most important. Take some dirt from the graveyard--near the gravestone is best--and some water...no, no, no, Jennet, not well water!" Jennet looked puzzled, but then she nodded. "Easier said than done, but I'll do it. What do I do with the supplies?"

"You'll know. I don't."

"Sure, and you're a big help."

A flicker of a smile crossed his face. "It's been done before, but each time it's different."

Midsummer night, Jennet was heading out with a pocketful of dirt (her nurse was very angry) and a bottle of precious water she had begged to get. She pulled her cloak tight about her, worried as anything. She went to an old well, Tam Lin had told her about. Soon a parade of horses came by. First came a black horse with a fairy man on it--a warrior. His face filled Jennet with fear. Next, on a brown horse, came a young man fair of face, and obviously human. Jennet did not know who he was. Next rode the queen on a silver horse, and her hair was braided in a million silver braids. Next came a man on a white horse--Tam Lin! Jennet ran to him. He swung off his horse. Jennet stood between him and the queen.

The queen wheeled around and scowled. "Who are you, human one, to stand in the way of what must be done?"

Jennet was silent. Words were useless. Then she gained her voice and knew what to say. "He is my true love and I will save him from your cruelty."

"You are an idiot. In fact--" the queen paused. "Who are you?"

"Jennet MacLean."

"Well, Jennet MacLean, do you hold on to him now?"

Where Tam Lin had been, a fearsome lion now was. He roared and pounced on her. Jennet was frightened, but she forced herself to look into its eyes. She flung her arms around it, and her fear subsided.

"Jennet MacLean!" the queen yelled above the roaring and the chattering of excited fey, "Do you hold on to him now?"

The lion turned into a snake, mouth open to bite. Jennet stared into the evil yellow eyes and held it more tightly.

"Do you hold on to him now, Jennet MacLean?" the queen asked. The snake turned into a brand of fire, ready to burn the woman's hand. Jennet looked fiercely at the queen. Then she went and dropped the brand into the pool, sprinkling precious water over it.

"No, I don't!" she yelled, but then added, as Tam Lin, his clothing burned away--but unharmed, emerged: "But now I do. To Tam Lin she said: "Cover yourself with the cloak and...augh!" The fey were angry and rushing at them.

"The dirt, Jennet! The dirt!" Tam Lin hissed at her. Jennet reached into her pocket and sprinkled dirt 'round her and Tam Lin. The queen gave a howl of rage and anguish; her power was broken. And then she and the fey disappeared. Only Tam Lin and Jennet were left. Both breathed a sigh of relief.

"You," Jennet said, "need some clothes."

Tam Lin laughed. "You need to remember everything you keep in your pockets."

So they went to the castle of the MacLeans and Jennet announced that she'd found a husband and none else need to worry about finding one for her. And they were married in a beautiful ceremony--with only one mar; Lady MacLean was heard to mutter, "What am I going to do with that Jennet?"