Tam Lin Balladry

A website of folklore and discovery.

Tam Lin Analysis

Finding a Path Through the Story

Analysis

  • Minor Variations between versions of Tam Lin: names and places used, types of transformations, what to bring when rescuing your lover from the faeries.
  • Major Variations between versions of Tam Lin: Is Janet pregnant? Is Tam Lin Human? Does her family know?
  • Tam Lin translated: For Child's version 39A, an explanation of the Scottish terms used in the ballad.
  • Interpreting Tam Lin's symbols: To find what is really going on with red roses, white horses, green mantles, and eyes of wood.
  • Meta Version - a combination of the most common variants in the ballad.
  • Tracking the Storyline - what happens in which version of Tam Lin. Page is current up to site version #32, needs updating.
  • Phylogeny - what does analysis of the variations tell us about the relationship between versions of the ballad? Current up to site version #32, needs updating.

Articles

  • How long has Tam Lin been gone? What the variations tell us about how long Tam Lin has been away with the fairies and what are his reasons for leaving.
  • Is Tam Lin a rape story? The relationship between Janet and Tam Lin is definitely sexual, but is it consensual? How can we interpret the conflicting and sometimes troubling versions of the encounter in the story?