Tamlane

Dark and Twisty Tales: folk stories and fairy tales for the unafraid.

Childhood sweethearts Tamlane and Janet were all set until he 'disappeared' before their wedding day. He was off with the fairies (that's what you get for riding your horse 'widershins' around the hill), but it's OK, because she rescues him, by knocking him off his horse and holding on really tight while he changes into lots of things, then she chucks him in a pond. Perfect love story on so many levels.

The actual Scottish story is as deep and dark and twisty as you like with green kirtles being lifted and babies born of fairy fathers etc, but this version is the one from Joseph Jacobs 'English Fairy Tales', so apologies to all my Scottish friends.

As usual I improvised the melody over the verse, in this instance it was the Elfin Queen singing. If you want to listen to a classic rendition of this story in song, have a listen to Fairport Convention's Tam Lin.