Tam Lin
A haunted forest, a fairy queen, and the brave maiden who won back her love
Page 1
In the green hills of Scotland stood a strong stone castle, home to a great lord and his fair daughter, Janet. From the highest tower, one could see the dark woods of Carterhaugh stretching for miles. Her father had forbidden any of the maidens of the castle from going there. "Old tales warn that the forest is enchanted," he would say, his hand on her shoulder. "They say a fairy knight named Tam Lin guards the woods, and claims whatever he finds there as his own." The other girls would shiver and stay inside, but Janet would look from the castle wall towards the dark, mysterious trees. She was not afraid of old tales, and she was tired of being told where she could not go. "A forest is just a forest," she told her ladies. "And I shall ride where I please."
Page 2
The very next morning, Janet put on her green riding cloak and rode straight for Carterhaugh. The woods were quiet and cool, filled with the smell of moss and damp earth. She came at last to a clearing where an ancient well stood, its stones covered in ivy. A wild rose bush grew beside it, covered in beautiful double red blossoms. The tales said these roses belonged to the fairy knight. "If this is his land, then let him show himself," Janet said to her horse, swinging down from the saddle. Then she declared to the silent woods, "This rose is the finest, and it shall be mine!" With a steady hand, she reached out and plucked the perfect flower from the bush.
Page 3
Before the rose was even in her hand, a knight appeared as if from the air itself. He was dressed all in green, and though he was the handsomest man she had ever seen, his eyes were full of a deep sadness. He stood blocking her path, his hand resting on the hilt of a slim sword. "Why do you come to my woods without my leave?" he asked, his voice low and quiet. "And why do you pick my rose? This place is mine." Janet, still holding the flower, looked down at him from her horse. She would not show any fear. "I will have you know," she said, her voice clear and strong, "that all of Carterhaugh belongs to my father. I shall pick any rose I please."
Page 4
The knight smiled at her courage. "You are brave, my lady," he said, leading her to the edge of the woods where the trees gave way to a view of the sunlit valley. "I am not your enemy." He began to speak, his voice full of longing. "My name is Tam Lin. I was once a mortal knight, but I fell from my horse by that well and the Queen of Fairies found me." He pointed down to the fields where men were working. "I remember that life," he said sadly. "But now I am her servant, bound to these woods forever." "Is there no escape?" Janet asked, her heart aching for him. "None that I know," he replied, his sad eyes looking out over a world he could no longer touch.
Page 5
When Janet returned to the castle, she was changed. The sparkle was gone from her eyes, and she was often pale, with a strange new sorrow. Her father saw it and grew worried. One evening in the great hall, he took her hands. "Daughter," he said gently, "you have not been yourself. Has one of my knights caused you this sadness?" He gestured to the men of his court. "Tell me his name, and I shall see him punished." But Janet shook her head, pulling her hands away. She stood straight and looked her father in the eye. "No knight of yours is to blame," she declared, her voice ringing in the hall. "My heart is not here. I have given it to Tam Lin, who lives in Carterhaugh."
Page 6
Janet would not leave Tam Lin to his fate. She loved him, and she would save him. She rode back into the deepening shadows of Carterhaugh, to a place of power where ancient oak trees grew in a circle. Standing in the center, she threw her head back and called out, her voice echoing through the silent woods. "Tam Lin!" she cried. "If you were ever a mortal man, show yourself!" She paused, listening to the silence. "You must tell me how I can win you back from the Fairy Queen! I am not afraid!" Her last words rang with a desperate courage, a challenge to the magic that held him captive.
Page 7
As the sun set, Tam Lin appeared. His face was pale and his expression urgent. "You are brave to return, Janet," he said, taking her hands. "But winning me back is a dangerous task. Are you sure your courage will not fail?" "It will not," she promised. "Tell me what I must do." He told her that Halloween was the next night, when the fairy court would ride into the mortal world. "Go to the crossroads at Miles Cross at midnight," he said, his grip tightening on her hands. "I will be on a milk-white horse. You must run to me, pull me from my saddle, and hold me fast. Do not let go, no matter what I become in your arms."
Page 8
The next night was Halloween, and a cold wind blew under a bright, full moon. Janet went to Miles Cross, where two old dirt roads met in the middle of the empty hills. She hid herself in the deep shadows of a thorny gorse bush, clutching a small flask of water from the well in Carterhaugh. The night grew darker and colder. For a long, silent time, there was only the sound of the wind howling across the moor. She shivered, but not just from the cold. Her heart pounded, but she held her fear in check. "I will not fail him," she whispered to the darkness, peering down the empty road. "I will hold fast, no matter what comes."
Page 9
Just at midnight, she heard the ringing of silver bells. The fairy court came riding out of the night, a shimmering procession on horses that seemed to float over the ground. As Tam Lin passed on his milk-white horse, Janet rushed out. She grabbed his belt, pulled him from the saddle, and wrapped her arms around him. The fairy court cried out in shock. The Queen reined in her horse, her face a mask of fury. "Treason!" she shrieked. "She has taken the finest knight in all my company!" In Janet's arms, Tam Lin changed—first a snake, then a bear. "Hold fast, my love!" cried his voice from the changing shape. She held on. At last, he became a glowing ember, and she plunged it into the well water.
Page 10
In an instant, the spell was broken. A human Tam Lin stood before her. The Queen of Fairies shrieked in fury, her voice echoing on the wind as her procession vanished. "Had I known, Tam Lin," she cried, "I would have taken your eyes and given you eyes of wood!" But she was powerless. As the last fairy bell faded, Janet took Tam Lin's hand. "It is over," she whispered. Hand in hand, they walked up the long hill to her father's castle. As the sun began to rise, they saw the gates swing open. "Janet!" cried her father's voice from the battlements. "You are safe!" They were weary and torn, but they were home.
About this story
- Audience: kids (ages 6–12)
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