Tam Lin

It used to be that when a story for the purposes of entertainment was written, before the story was what the storyteller would call the Argument. This was, naturally enough, to warn away any that didn’t care for that sort of thing, and to explain or even defend the story as either truth or allegory. This, then, is my Argument.

Let me begin my appeal by saying that this story is fantastical, and set in an ancient age. Society placed different and sometimes cruel values on people and things; women, in particular, and young women especially, were at the focus of this. This strikes nearer my point. In what follows, please note then that although the name of this Legend is Tam Lin, and not Brave Janet, the story’s dynamic centers around the female protagonist, and not the object of her affections. This is important for two reasons. One, it is rare to see an old myth that takes a woman as anything other than Plot Token, and two, even though some of this tale is sad, and even terrifying(!), it tells of an important ideal- to stand by who and what you hold dear.This is a part of the holiday we call St. Valentine’s Day that I think is a little overshadowed by all the candy hearts and chocolate cherubs. Lastly, I may not take credit for anything other than two very small additions I have made to this story- it is an ancient Scottish legend, and therefore beyond my rights to claim. I assure you that this tale is as true as I can make it. Please make yourself comfortable while I offer for your consideration,

In present day Scotland, the casual visitor can see, and even climb upon, a relic of Empire, called Hadrian’s Wall. This was built, perversely enough, not to keep anyone out of Scotland, but to keep the Scots out of the new province of Rome. The Scots were something out of the ordinary for the invaders: somewhat primitive, semi-nomadic- and unafraid of Romans. The Romans, on their newly-conquered island, probably didn’t like the looks of a map of their fresh real estate with a large blank spot to the north called Scotland, which they named Caledonia. For their part, the Caledonians cared little for the visitors from the banks of the Tiber, and went so far as to pour out of Scotland to attack the cold and homesick Legionnaires numerous times. They even wiped out an entire Legion (the ninth) so completely that to this day no trace of them or their equipment can be found. Rome decided that it had seen enough of the cold moors and highlands, and Emperor Hadrian ordered a wall erected to keep the blue-painted barbarians on their best behavior. About all Rome adopted from the Caledonians was the Torque- a bit of jewelry still worn today. But enough about History.

This courage displayed by their ancestors still ran strong in Scottish blood long after Roman influence was gone, and the Scots have many legends about the fearlessness of one member of their race or another. This is the tale of not the least brave.

Not too long after St. Columba fled Ireland for Scotland, and within sight of the Old Wall of Hadrian, lived a very beautiful young woman, named Janet (which seems an unlikely name for a seventh- or eighth-century Scotswoman, but there’s legend for you), who, as a girl, used to go to a place called Carterhaugh Wood with her mother, there to pick briar-roses for her father, the Earl of March. Janet’s mother warned her never to enter the Wood unescorted, however, because of the Elfin Guardian that haunted the place. Any young maiden who ventured to the well in the forest’s heart, the stories said, would surely be caught in the Elfin Knight’s embrace, and be robbed of her maidenhead. Janet and her mother went to the Wood often during the summer, never going far into the leafy boughs, and never catching sight of any living creature save the denizens of the wood.