Tam Lin and Janet

Scottish Ballad, Retold by The Legendary Connection

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Long ago in the green hills of Scotland, there was a forest called Carterhaugh. The trees were ancient and tall, and the air always smelled of wild roses. People in the nearby villages said fairies lived there. They warned, “Never pick a rose beneath the thorn tree. If you do, the fairies might do something strange to you.”

But Janet didn’t believe in spooky tales. Although she was the daughter of a nobleman, she didn’t enjoy sitting still or wearing fancy clothes. She was smart, strong, and curious. She loved to explore, and Carterhaugh was her favorite place to roam.

She often rode her horse through the woods, wearing her green cloak, listening to the birds and wind. One spring morning, she spotted a bright red rose blooming beneath the thorn tree. Without hesitation, she picked it.

Suddenly, a voice spoke. “Why are you taking what belongs to the Queen of Elfland?”

Janet turned and saw a young man standing beneath the tree. His eyes were kind but sad, as if he remembered something he’d lost.

“My name is Tam Lin,” he said. “I used to live in your world. But years ago, I was taken by the Fairy Queen. Now I’m trapped in her realm unless someone brave enough breaks the spell.”

Instead of being scared, Janet sat down and listened. She returned many times after that, and each time, Tam Lin appeared. He told her stories about the beauty and danger of the fairy world and how much he missed his old life.

He explained that he was once a knight, raised in her father’s home. One summer evening while hunting, he had passed too close to Carterhaugh and vanished in a swirl of fairy wind. The Fairy Queen gave him treasures, fine clothes, and swift horses, but he felt like a shadow of who he had once been.

Janet listened carefully. Tam Lin had become a dear friend. She admired his courage and kindness. She wanted to help him, not just because of his story, but because she cared deeply about him. So she asked him, “Is there any way we can break this spell?”

“There’s only one chance,” he said one evening, as golden light filtered through the trees. “Every year on Halloween, the Fairy Court rides through the forest. That night, the spell weakens. If someone pulls me from my horse and refuses to let go, no matter what shape I turn into. They must hold on through it all, until I turn into a burning coal. Then they must throw me into the well at Miles Cross and cover me. Then the spell will be broken and I will be able to join the human world again.”

Janet made up her mind. She would be the one to free him.

When Halloween arrived, the night was cold and still. A mist rolled over the fields. Janet put on her green cloak and carried with her a silver cross and a small bottle of holy water, just in case.

She rode alone to the well at Miles Cross, where the Fairy Court would pass. Then she heard it, hoofbeats echoing through the fog.

Out of the mist came the Fairy Riders: shining horses with golden bridles, riders wearing glowing cloaks, and creatures that looked both beautiful and terrifying. The Fairy Queen led them. She was tall and radiant, with eyes that shined like stars.

And then came Tam Lin. He rode a white horse, his head bowed, looking worn and distant.

Quickly, Janet stepped out of the shadows and pulled him from the saddle.

At that moment, the fairy magic began. Tam Lin changed instantly.

First, he turned into a snake. His body twisted and hissed in her arms. But Janet held on.

Then he became a wolf, growling and thrashing, his fur bristling. She tightened her grip.

Next, he turned into a roaring lion, heavy and strong. Janet’s arms shook, but she refused to let go.

And finally, he became a burning coal, blazing hot, so bright that it lit the woods around them in red. The fire scorched her hands, and smoke curled around her. Janet gasped, nearly dropping it.

But then she remembered the well behind her, and with all her strength, she threw the burning coal into the well. Steam hissed and rose into the air. She pulled off her green cloak and threw it over the well’s edge.

“Be still now,” she whispered, voice trembling. “Be safe.”

A sudden silence fell.

The wind stopped. The air grew still.

Janet lifted the cloak, and there, lying at the bottom of the well’s stone rim, was Tam Lin, whole again, breathing heavily, human once more.

He looked up at her, eyes wide with disbelief and gratitude. “You did it,” he whispered. “You saved me.”

Janet smiled, breathless and sore. “I told you I wouldn’t let go.”

From the woods, the Fairy Queen screamed with anger. “If I’d known she was so clever, I’d have turned him to stone!” But the enchantment was broken.

They walked home together under the stars. Tam Lin, finally free. Janet, his rescuer and friend. In the days that followed, their bond grew even stronger. They laughed, they talked, and they lived without fear.

In time, friendship turned to love, not because of fairy magic, but because they trusted and believed in each other.

And so their story was told for generations: of a brave girl who stood against fairy magic, and of a friendship so strong it broke a powerful spell and became something even more magical.

Story adapted from: More English Fairy Tales. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1894.; Carnegie. Stories to Tell to Children. E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY, 1916.