Page 161 illustration in More English Fairy Tales

Tam (or Tamas) Lin (also called Tamlane, Tamlin, Tambling, Tomlin, Tam Lien, Tam-a-Line, Tam Lyn, or Tam Lane) is a character in a

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

ary

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

originating from the Scottish Borders. It is also associated with a

reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the en ...

of the same name, also known as the Glasgow Reel. The story revolves around the rescue of Tam Lin by his true love from the

Queen of the Fairies In folklore and literature, the Fairy Queen or Queen of the Fairies is a female ruler of the fairies, sometimes but not always paired with a king. Depending on the work, she may be named or unnamed; Titania and Mab are two frequently used nam ...

. The motif of winning a person by holding him through all forms of

transformation Transformation may refer to: Science and mathematics In biology and medicine * Metamorphosis, the biological process of changing physical form after birth or hatching * Malignant transformation, the process of cells becoming cancerous * Trans ...

is found throughout Europe in

folktale A folktale or folk tale is a folklore genre that typically consists of a story passed down from generation to generation orally. Folktale may also refer to: Categories of stories * Folkloric tale from oral tradition * Fable (written form of the a ...

s. The story has been adapted into numerous stories, songs and films. It is listed as the 39th

Child Ballad The Child Ballads are 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 of them were published as '' ...

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 (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...

Synopsis

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

virginity Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

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 () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

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. He reveals that he was a mortal man, who, falling from his horse, was caught and captured by the Queen of Fairies. Every seven years, the fairies give one of their people as a

teind In Scotland a teind () was a tithe derived from the produce of the land for the maintenance of the clergy. It is also an old lowland term for a tribute due to be paid by the fairies to the devil every seven years. Found in the story of Tam Lin as ...

(

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. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...

) to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

and Tam fears he will become the tithe that night, which is

Hallowe'en Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...

. He is to ride as part of a company of elven knights. Janet will recognise him by the white horse upon which he rides and by other signs. He instructs her to rescue him by pulling him down from the white horse, so Janet "catches" him this time, and holds 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 (; Ancient Greek: Πρωτεύς, ''Prōteus'') 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)''. ...

), but that he will do her no harm. When he is finally turned into a burning coal, she is to throw him into a well, whereupon he will reappear as a naked man, and she must hide him. Janet does as she is asked and wins her knight. The Queen of Fairies is angry but acknowledges 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 leas ...

, the Laird of

Foulis Foulis Castle is situated two miles south-west of Evanton in the parish of Kiltearn, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It is a white washed mansion that incorporates an old tower house with gun loops. The castle was held by the Clan Munro from the ...

, the

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

, 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 ''The Complaynt of Scotland'' is a Scottish book printed in 1549 as propaganda during the war of the Rough Wooing against the Kingdom of England, and is an important work of the Scots language. Context and authorship The book was part of the wa ...

'' 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 (1563 – 23 December 1631) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era. He died on 23 December 1631 in London. Early life Drayton was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothin ...

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

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairies in 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, Queen of the Fair ...

, King of the Fairies.

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

wrote a version of Tam Lin based on older versions of the ballad, which was printed in

James Johnson James Johnson may refer to: Artists, actors, authors, and musicians *James Austin Johnson (born 1989), American comedian & actor, ''Saturday Night Live'' cast member *James B. Johnson (born 1944), author of science nonfiction novels *James P. John ...

's ''

Scots Musical Museum The ''Scots Musical Museum'' was an influential collection of traditional folk music of Scotland published from 1787 to 1803. While it was not the first collection of Scottish folk songs and music, the six volumes with 100 songs in each collected ...

'' (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 Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was an Australian folklorist, translator, literary critic, social scientist, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore. Jacob ...

(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 of ...

collected fourteen traditional variants in ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'' in the nineteenth century. (Another Child ballad, ''

Burd Ellen and Young Tamlane Burd Ellen and Young Tamlane is Child ballad number 28. Despite similarity in names, it appears to have no connection with '' Tam Lin'', nor with the tale of Childe Rowland, though they both have characters named Burd Ellen; indeed, Francis James ...

'', 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 shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

precaution against mortals who could see fairies, in the tales of

fairy ointment Fairy Ointment or "The Fairy Nurse" is an English fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in his ''English Fairy Tales''. It has been told in many variants. Andrew Lang included one in ''The Lilac Fairy Book''. The ointment itself, as a substance ...

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 "Hind Etin" (Roudbr>33 Child 41) is a folk ballad existing in several variants. Synopsis Lady Margaret goes to the woods, and her breaking a branch is questioned by Hind Etin, who takes her with him into the forest. She bears him seven sons, but ...

" has verses identical to this for the first meeting between the hero and the heroine.

Field recordings

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

Eddie Butcher Eddie Butcher (8 May 1900 – 8 September 1980) was an Irish traditional singer, folk-song collector and songwriter from Magilligan, County Londonderry. He had an extensive repertoire of songs that he performed in a sturdy, earthy style. ...

Magilligan Magilligan () is a peninsula that lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle, within Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is an extensive coastal site, part British army firing range, part ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

knew a fragment of the ballad which can be heard via the

Irish Traditional Music Archive The Irish Traditional Music Archive (or ITMA; ga, Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann), operating as a charity, is a "national reference archive and resource centre for the traditional song, instrumental music and dance of Ireland". Focusing on Irish t ...

, and

Paddy Tunney Paddy Tunney (28 January 1921 – 7 December 2002) was an Irish traditional singer, poet, writer, raconteur, lilter and songwriter. He was affectionately known as the ''Man of Songs''. From Glasgow to Garvery Tunney was born in Glasgow to Ir ...

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 the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...

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

Duncan Williamson Duncan James Williamson (11 April 1928, Loch Fyneside, near Furnace, Argyll - 8 November 2007) was a Scottish storyteller and singer, and a member of the Scottish Traveller community. The Scottish poet and scholar Hamish Henderson once refe ...

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 King James V in 1517. There is ...

Fifeshire Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i.e ...

, William Whyte of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

and Betsy Johnston of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

all had traditional versions recorded, the latter two by

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

Popular recordings

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

Adaptations

Prose

John Myers Myers John Myers Myers (January 11, 1906 – October 30, 1988) was an American writer. He is known best for the fantasy novel '' Silverlock'' (1949), in which a man with a Master of Business Administration travels through a fantasy land, meeting dozens ...

tells a variant in ''

Silverlock ''Silverlock'' is a novel by John Myers Myers published in 1949. The novel's settings and characters, aside from the protagonist, are all drawn from history, mythology, and other works of literature. In 1981, ''The Moon's Fire-Eating Daughter' ...

'' (1949) *''

The Armourer's House ''The Armourer's House'' is a children's historical novel by Rosemary Sutcliff and first published in 1951. It is set primarily in London during the reign of King Henry VIII. It is Sutcliff's third book, and is acknowledged by her as being 'a l ...

'', by

Rosemary Sutcliff Rosemary Sutcliff (14 December 1920 – 23 July 1992) was an English novelist best known for children's books, especially historical fiction and retellings of myths and legends. Although she was primarily a children's author, some of her novel ...

(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 Barbara Ker Wilson (24 September 1929 – 10 September 2020) was an English-born Australian novelist. She is credited as the person who "discovered" Paddington Bear. She wrote over twenty books and collated collections of stories. She gained awar ...

(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 simultaneous increase in fr ...

'', 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 Dahlov Ipcar (née Zorach; November 12, 1917 – February 10, 2017) was an American painter, illustrator and author. She was best known for her colorful, kaleidoscopic-styled paintings featuring animals – primarily in either farm or wild settin ...

(1973) * '' The Perilous Gard'', by Elizabeth Marie Pope (1974) * ''

Fire and Hemlock ''Fire and Hemlock'' is a modern fantasy by British author Diana Wynne Jones, based largely on the Anglo-Scottish Border ballads "Tam Lin" and "Thomas the Rhymer". It was first published in 1984 in the United States by Greenwillow Books then i ...

'', by

Diana Wynne Jones Diana Wynne Jones (16 August 1934 – 26 March 2011) was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote fantasy and speculative fiction novels for children and young adults. Although usually d ...

(1985) * ''Tam Lin'' by Joan D. Vinge, in ''Imaginary Lands'' edited by

Robin McKinley Robin McKinley (born November 16, 1952) is an American author best known for her fantasy novels and fairy tale retellings. Her 1984 novel ''The Hero and the Crown'' won the Newbery Medal as the year's best new American children's book. In 2022 ...

(1986) * ''Nattens demon'' (translated from Norwegian as ''Demon of the Night''), by

Margit Sandemo Margit Sandemo (née Underdal, 23 April 1924 – 1 September 2018) was a Norwegian-Swedish historical fantasy author. She had been the best-selling author in the Nordic countries since the 1980s, when her novel series of 47 books, ''The Legend o ...

(1987) * ''Tam Lin: An Old Ballad'', by

Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 350 books, of which the best known is '' The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. H ...

, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak (1990) * ''Hold Me Fast, Don't Let Me Pass'', by

Alice Munro Alice Ann Munro (; ; born 10 July 1931) is a Canadian short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Munro's work has been described as revolutionizing the architecture of short stories, especially in its tendency to move f ...

, in '' Friend of My Youth'' (1990) * ''Tam Lin'' by

Susan Cooper Susan Mary Cooper (born 23 May 1935) is an English author of children's books. She is best known for '' The Dark Is Rising'', a contemporary fantasy series set in England and Wales, which incorporates British mythology such as the Arthurian le ...

, illustrated by

Warwick Hutton Warwick Hutton (17 July 1939 – 28 September 1994) was a British painter, glass engraver, illustrator, and children's author. He is most widely known for elegant pen and ink and watercolor illustrations for children’s books. His subjec ...

(1991) * ''

Tam Lin Tam (or Tamas) Lin (also called Tamlane, Tamlin, Tambling, Tomlin, Tam Lien, Tam-a-Line, Tam Lyn, or Tam Lane) is a character in a legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders. It is also associated with a reel of the same name, also ...

'', 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'', based on the Child Ballad of the same name, in which the Scottish fairy story is set on a midwestern ...

(1991) * ''Tam Lin'', in the graphic novel series ''Ballads and Sagas'' edited by

Charles Vess Charles Vess (born June 10, 1951) is an American fantasy artist and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau pain ...

(1995) * '' Winter Rose'', by

Patricia McKillip Patricia Anne McKillip (February 29, 1948 – May 6, 2022) was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. She has been called "one of the most accomplished prose stylists in the fantasy genre", and wrote predominantly standalone fantasy n ...

(1996) * ''Never Let Go'', by

Geraldine McCaughrean Geraldine McCaughrean ( ; born 6 June 1951) is a British children's novelist. She has written more than 170 books, including ''Peter Pan in Scarlet'' (2004), the official sequel to ''Peter Pan'' commissioned by Great Ormond Street Hospital, t ...

, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft (1999) * ''Burd Janet'', by

, in '' Not One Damsel in Distress'' (2000) * "Cotillion", by

Delia Sherman Cordelia Caroline Sherman (born 1951, Tokyo, Japan), known professionally as Delia Sherman, is an American fantasy writer and editor. Her novel ''The Porcelain Dove'' won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Background Sherman attended The Chapin Scho ...

, in ''

Firebirds Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures * Bennu, Egyptian firebird * Huma bird, Persian firebird * Firebird (Slavic folklore) Bird species ''Various sp ...

'', edited by

Sharyn November Sharyn November is an American writer and an editor of books for children and teenagers. Until March 2016 she was Senior Editor for Viking Children's Books and Editorial Director of Firebird Books, which is a mainly paperback (reprint) imprint p ...

(2003) * '' The Dogs of Babel'' (UK edition: ''Lorelei's Secret''), by

Carolyn Parkhurst Carolyn Parkhurst (born January 18, 1971, Manchester, New Hampshire) is an American author who has published five books. Her first, the 2003 best-seller '' The Dogs of Babel'' also known as ''Lorelei's Secret'' in the UK, was a ''New York Times'' ...

(2003) * '' Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale'' by

Holly Black Holly Black (''née'' Riggenbach; 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. ...

(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 '' Blood Books'' series, featuring detective Vicki Ne ...

, 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 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the 2008 Hugo A ...

(2006) * ''Summer's Lease'', by Eluki bes Shahar (

Rosemary Edghill Rosemary Edghill (born 1956) is an American writer and editor. Some of her work has appeared under her original name, eluki bes shahar (lower case intentional). Her primary genres are science fiction and fantasy, but she began by writing Rege ...

) * ''Roses and Rot'', by

Kat Howard Kat Howard is an American author and editor. Her stories have been published in the anthologies ''Stories'' (edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio), and ''Oz Reimagined'' (based on L. Frank Baum's characters). She is also a contributor to mag ...

(2016)

Theatre

*''The Thyme of the Season'' by

Duncan Pflaster Duncan Pflaster (born 1973) is an American Off-Off-Broadway playwright, composer and actor. His first play ''Wilder and Wilder'' (a transvestite adaptation of Alice in Wonderland), was produced in 1995 at Florida Playwrights' Theatre in Hol ...

(incorporates elements and allusions to the story)

Film

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

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...

, and starring

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

Novels

* In

'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. * In ''

The House of the Scorpion ''The House of the Scorpion'' is a 2002 science fiction young adult novel by Nancy Farmer. It is set in the future and mostly takes place in Opium, a country which separates Aztlán (formerly Mexico) and the United States. The main character Matteo ...

'', a novel by

Nancy Farmer Nancy Farmer is an American author of children's and young adult books and science fiction. She has written three Newbery Honor Books and won the U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature for ''The House of the Scorpion'', publish ...

, Tam Lin is the bodyguard of the protagonist, the clone of Matteo Alacrán. * The multi-faceted novel ''

'' by

can be read as a subtle reworking of the ballad. * In the fantasy novel ''

The Battle of Evernight ''The Battle of Evernight'' is a fantasy novel written by Australian author Cecilia Dart-Thornton, published in 2003 by Warner Aspect Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company ...

'' by

Cecilia Dart-Thornton Cecilia Dart-Thornton is an Australian author of fantasy novels, notably the '' Bitterbynde'' Trilogy. Dart-Thornton was educated at Monash University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in sociology. Published works ''The Bitte ...

, 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 ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and ''Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri, in 1971. He ...

's novel

Cold Days ''Cold Days'' is a 2012 bestselling novel by Jim Butcher and the 14th book in the ongoing ''The Dresden Files'' series. The book was first published on November 27, 2012 through Roc Hardcover and continues the adventures of wizard detective Har ...

Tam Lin is referenced as a former Knight of the Winter Court * ''

A Court of Thorns and Roses ''A Court of Thorns and Roses'' is a new adult fantasy novel series by American author Sarah J. Maas, beginning with the novel of the same name, released in May 2015. The story follows the journey of mortal Feyre Archeron after she is brought in ...

'' by

Sarah J. Maas Sarah Janet Maas (born March 5, 1986) is an American fantasy author known for her fantasy series '' Throne of Glass'' and '' A Court of Thorns and Roses''. As of 2022, she has sold over twelve million copies of her books and her work has been ...

(2015) has a fairy character named Tamlin whom the protagonist saves from an evil fairy queen, but the novel's plot is actually based on "

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

." This Tamlin is a fairy monarch himself who was never human, and actually becomes an antagonist after the first book.

Other

* ''Tam-Lin'', a

closet drama A closet drama is a play that is not intended to be performed onstage, but read by a solitary reader or sometimes out loud in a large group. The contrast between closet drama and classic "stage" dramas dates back to the late eighteenth century. Al ...

written by

Elaine Lee Elaine Lee is an American actress, playwright, producer, and writer, who specializes in 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 been illust ...

and illustrated by

, 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 where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

comic book, ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral ...

'', 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 GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

, 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 mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has ...

'', ''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. * The story was also inserted in

's last book of the Bitterbynd trilogy, ''

''. * 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 "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed and publishe ...

'' 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 Vernon W. Hill II (born August 18, 1945) is an American businessman, the founder and former chairman of Metro Bank, a UK retail bank with 77 stores, and assets of £7.4b ($10.6b). He was also the founder, former chairman, president and CEO of ...

. * ''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 Seanan McGuire (pronounced SHAWN-in; born January 5, 1978 in Martinez, California) is an American author and filker. McGuire is known for her urban fantasy novels. She uses the pseudonym Mira Grant to write science fiction/ horror and the pseudon ...

'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 Alastair White (born 1988) is a Scottish-New Zealand composer and writer. His work is characterised by a lyrical complexity which draws influence from technology, science, politics and materialist philosophy. Operas The fashion-opera cycle ...

's fashion-opera ''WOAD'' adapts the ballad to explore the implications of multiverse theory.

References

External links

A website devoted to Tam Lin

{{Authority control 16th century in Scotland Border ballads Middle Scots poems Child Ballads Fairies Legendary Scottish people Medieval Scottish literature Narrative poems Scottish ballads Scottish folklore Sexuality in fiction Shapeshifting Traditional Celtic fiddle tunes Yarrow Valley 1549 in Europe Halloween fiction

Synopsis

Early versions

Motifs

Field recordings

Popular recordings

Adaptations

Prose

Theatre

Film

Novels

Other

See also

References

External links