Tamlin (2023)

SPOILER WARNING: This article has important plot information. Caution is advised!

Tamlin (pronounced: Tam-lin^[2]) is a High Fae and High Lord of the Spring Court. He brings Feyre Archeron to his court in Prythian after Feyre kills his friend Andras. He is a close friend of Lucien.

History

Early Life

Tamlin was born in the Spring Court, the youngest of the three sons of the High Lord of the Spring Court and his mate. Tamlin's father was a friend and ally of the King of Hybern and Amarantha and often went on trips to Hybern sometimes bringing Tamlin with him, that was how he first met Amarantha and when she first decided that she desired him to be her lover but he never reciprocated her feelings.

During the war, Tamlin was too young to fight. He never expected – never wanted – his father's title. Tamlin's brothers would have never let him live to adolescence if they had suspected that he did. So the moment Tamlin was old enough, he joined his father's war band and trained so that he might someday serve his father, or whichever of his brothers inherited the title. In the war band, there were contests to see who could write the dirtiest limericks Tamlin didn't particularly enjoy losing, so he took it upon himself to become good at them. Tamlin realized from an early age that fighting and killing were about the only things he was good at.

During various court functions over the years, Tamlin and Rhysand, the heir to the Night Court got to know each other. Rhys being a half-breed Illyrian who had to prove himself and defend his power, saw what Tamlin was going through and befriended him. Rhys sought Tamlin out whenever he was able to get away from war-camps or court and taught him some Illyrian techniques. Rhysand's family disapproved, but Tamlin's father felt threatened by him, sensing Rhys's power and knowing that he would become the most powerful High Lord and that his court supported mortals. And because he was weaker than both Tamlin and Rhys, he wanted to prove to the world that he wasn't.

When Rhys told Tamlin that his mother and sister were going to camp alone and that he had plans to meet them but in the end he didn't go, Tamlin told his father. Tamlin's father, brothers, and Tamlin himself set out to the Illyrian wilderness and slaughtered his mother and sister. They put their heads in boxes and sent them down the river – to the nearest camp. Tamlin's father kept their wings as trophies pinned to the wall of his study.

When Rhys and his father heard, they winnowed to the edge of the Spring Court that night, then went the rest of the way on foot to the manor. When they got there, Rhys slew Tamlin's brothers on sight. However, when he got to the High Lord's bedroom, he found the High Lord and his wife dead, killed by his father, even after he had promised not to touch her. Then the High Lord of Night went for Tamlin's room. Rhys tried to stop him, but his father didn't listen. He was going to kill Tamlin too, but Rhysand couldn't let his father do it. So he stopped his father before the door. But when his father tried to go through him, Tamlin opened the door, saw them – smelled the blood spilled from his father's room, and killed Rhys' father in one blow.

Moments later, the powers from the two deceased High Lords shifted to both of them respectively, crowning them both as the new High Lords of their court. After that, Rhys ran from the Spring Court, and they had a deep hatred for each other ever since.

At some point, shortly after the murders, Tamlin burned the wings of Rhysand's mother and sister.

Most High Lords are trained from birth in manners and laws and court warfare but Tamlin was never intended to become High Lord so when he inherited his father's title, many of the late High Lord's courtiers defected to other courts rather than "have a warrior-beast snarling at them".

After Beron Vanserra the High Lord of the Autumn Court killed his youngest son's lover, Lucien cursed his father, abandoned his title and the Autumn Court leaving for the Spring Court. Without his title protecting him, Lucien's brothers thought to eliminate one more contender to the High Lord's crown. Three of them went out to kill him. They crossed into the Spring Court territory, Tamlin, now High Lord could do what he wanted with trespassers threatening the peace of his lands so Lucien killed one and Tamlin killed another, only one returned home. He claimed Lucien as his own – named him emissary of the Spring Court since he'd already made many friends across the courts and had always been good at talking to people, something that Tamlin found difficult.

Years later Amarantha still desired Tamlin but even though Tamlin rejected her she kept insisting so she attacked Lucien, gouging out his eye and leaving his face full of scars. Enraged, Tamlin taunted her by telling her that not even her sister wanted her, that she had preferred a human over to her. Later, Amarantha invited the Spring Court to a masquerade as a peace offering, and the reason it was a masquerade was so that Lucien could hide his scarred face. The entire court went and during the party Amarantha cursed them to never take off their masks and told Tamlin that she gave him seven times out of seven years to find a human who hated Fae but would love him. If that happened the curse would be lifted and they could take off their masks and be free, otherwise Tamlin would be her lover and his entire Court would live as prisoners in her court Under the Mountain.

Tamlin sent his men to the other side of the Wall every day to see if they could find a human with a hatred for the Fae in her heart to love him, but after many years of not finding her, he had given up hope.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Nearing the end of the forty-nine years set by Amarantha, he sends his friend Andras over the wall in the form of a wolf, and he is killed by a girl named Feyre, who hates faeries because of her upbringing.

The next day, Tamlin goes looking for her in his beast form, a bear-like body, wolf head, and elk horns. He destroys her cottage's door and storms into it, asking who killed the wolf. When Feyre confesses it was her and asks the beast what the price is, he replies "a life for a life". When Feyre requests the beast not to end her life there but do it outside, so that her family does not have to clean her blood from the floor, the beast tells her that she could fulfill her debt by spending the rest of her life in Prythian. Feyre's father encourages her to do it and never come back. She leaves with the beast but for the few minutes they move through the woods, she looks for a way to run away or kill the beast. She is then knocked out by the beast with magic and kept unconscious throughout the whole trip.

The beast goes back to the cottage and glamours Feyre's family to think she left to take care of a sick aunt and her father's ships were found across the sea. The beast, Tamlin, sends them gold and jewels to ensure their well-being after he takes Feyre, who is their only source of food.

Feyre regains consciousness in the Spring Court and arrives at a nice, seemingly empty, manor. She is taken into a dining room by the beast who with a flash of light transforms into a blonde, young man with a mask, Tamlin. Tamlin offers her food, which she refuses. He sends her to have a bath and come back. When she returns, she still refuses to eat, believing that she will be spelled. They are joined only by Lucien who initially starts mocking her for being human and looking starved. Tamlin tries to get her interest by telling her she looks cleaned and well-dressed, which she dismisses as pathetic flirting. Due to her continued distrust he magically chains her to the seat and promises not to release her until she eats, Feyre obliges and is sent to her room and not a cell, to her surprise.

Although they had a rocky start eventually he gains Feyre's trust and interest. He continuously leaves the manor to take care of problems within his land, sometimes taking her for strolls.

The night of the Calanmai, when Tamlin returns from the celebration and is drunk with magic, he finds Feyre on her way to the kitchen. He starts seducing her and bites her neck. Feyre slaps his face and tells him she is not a second plate. After these events, the interest between them becomes more obvious.

One morning while having lunch, Rhysand enters the manor. Before he gets to the dining room, Lucien glamours Feyre to not be visible to him. Rhysand comes to the Spring Court to pass a message from an unknown woman, later revealed to be Amarantha. Before Rhysand leaves, he notices the extra plate on the table and recognizes Feyre's smell. He destroys the glamour and using his powers, reads and grabs Feyre's mind, hurting her and scaring Tamlin. He threatens to tell Amarantha about her existence.

After this, Tamlin decides that Feyre will be safer with her family in the Mortal Lands. The night before she leaves he goes to see her in her room and they end up making love and before she leaves he tells her that he loves her.

After Feyre's departure, Amarantha attacks the Spring Court and all of its residents, including Tamlin, are taken to Under the Mountain. Learning that something is wrong in Prythian, Feyre returns and goes Under the Mountain to rescue them, confessing her love for Tamlin. Amarantha agrees if Feyre survives three trials. Tamlin is silent and unmoved throughout the whole interaction between the ladies and following trials so that Amaranthat would not know how much he loved Feyre, otherwise she would do the impossible to kill her.

Only the night before the third trial Tamlin approaches Feyre when she is left alone. He takes her to a room behind the throne and starts kissing her.

After the third trial is over, Amarantha is enraged when Feyre manages to find the strength to stab Tamlin in the heart, realizing that he had a heart of stone and therefore the stab would not kill him. Amarantha tries to kill her by breaking all the bones in her body and when Feyre gives her the correct answer to the riddle that she had posed before the first trial, Tamlin's curse disappears and he kills Amarantha. In order to save Feyre's life, Tamlin along with the other High Lords, Made her a High Fae.

Tamlin then returns to the Spring Court with Feyre, Lucien, and the rest of his court.

A Court of Mist and Fury

Three months after the events Under the Mountain, Tamlin and Feyre are battling with the traumatic events that marked them. Tamlin decides to ignore the issues they are having, pretending nothing has happened. Feyre's physical and mental health continued to deteriorate, and Tamlin refused to let her leave the manor alone if she did she had to be surrounded by sentries as he believed they would try to capture her to get to him. He spends most of the day out of the manor and when he comes back at night he has sex with Feyre and then goes to sleep in his room, since he doesn't share a room with her. Tamlin became very possessive and controlling, as well as easily angered.

He assigns the High Priestess, Ianthe, to help Feyre with the wedding. Ianthe spends the majority of the day with Feyre advising her on how to dress and behave as the High Lord's wife. According to Ianthe and Tamlin, Feyre's responsibilities are to bear children to ensure Tamlin's bloodline's survival and plan parties. She is to behave according to his desires to send the "right message" to the remaining courts. Tamlin confesses to Feyre that she will be a consort only, never a High Lady.

He also reinstates the Tithe in his domain and is adamant about those who couldn't pay it, telling them that if they don't pay double in compensation next month they will be hunted down.

On the day of the wedding, Feyre is not sure she wants to marry him as he has become very cold and distant, however, she could barely speak and only stopped walking down the aisle. Tamlin realizes what is happening and tries to grab her and pull her towards him. Suddenly Rhysand appears to take Feyre away to the Night Court, calling in the bargain she made with him Under the Mountain. Rhysand takes Feyre away despite Tamlin's refusal. Tamlin warns him not to hurt her. Later it is revealed that he couldn't fight for her because fighting a bargain is considered a really harmful and dangerous act. It can result in the death of the person who fights the bargain or it can kill someone he deeply cares about.

This event infuriates Tamlin and in a tantrum, destroys part of the manor. When Feyre returns to the Spring Court, Tamlin asks her to tell him everything she heard and saw in Rhysand's territory, he tries to use her as a spy to gather all possible information about the Night Court and Rhysand. He then tells her that he will find a way to keep her from having to return.

During the Tithe, a tax collection which Tamlin decides to reinstate, he assembles for all members of his lands. Feyre helps a water-wraith pay her debt, a fact that infuriates Tamlin. When they start arguing about it, Feyre confesses that she feels controlled and overwhelmed by him. Out of fury, Tamlin destroys his study. Feyre protects herself by creating a wall of air around her body. She immediately forgives Tamlin for what happened.

When Rhysand comes to get Feyre a second time, Tamlin tries to kick him out. However, his mood changes from demanding to pleading. He offers Rhysand anything in exchange for ending the bargain, an offer Rhysand refuses.

When Feyre returns he takes her to the room where she paints and shows her he bought her a briefcase so she can paint things in the garden and when he sees that she does not like the gift since she no longer paints, he becomes enraged and destroys the entire room. He later tells her that there is a threat on one of the shores of his territory and leaves the house with Lucien, leaving her locked up with magic wards. This is the straw that broke the camel's back and Feyre has a panic attack begging for someone to rescue her. Rhysand sends his cousin Morrigan to fetch her in order to not give Tamlin an excuse to attack his court.

When Tamlin comes back to the manor and doesn't find Feyre he guesses what has happened and for that reason he starts looking for a way to get her back. He later sends Lucien, along with his sentries Hart and Bron to look for her in the Illyrian Mountains, with orders to take her by force if she refuses to return. When they return without her he allies himself with the King of Hybern so that he will break Feyre's bond with Rhysand in exchange for allowing him to use his court as a gateway for his army to enter Prythian to destroy the wall with the power of the Cauldron and thus dominate mortals.

When Feyre, Morrigan, Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel are in Hybern to nullify the Cauldron's power with the Book of Breathings and are captured, Tamlin shows his alliance with the King and tries to take Feyre by force. She refuses and the King realizes the mating bond between her and Rhysand, as they are mates, something that shocks Tamlin, but still he wants to take her. When Feyre, in an attempt to make her friends flee, pretends that Rhysand has bewitched her into thinking she loves him instead of Tamlin, Tamlin asks the King to break her bond with the High Lord of the Night Court and he does, but without knowing he has broken the bond they had established when they made their bargain Under the Mountain, not the mating bond nor the one that unites them as rulers of the Night Court. They then return to the Spring Court, Tamlin does not suspect he is letting into his home the High Lady of the Night Court, who has a direct line of thought with Rhysand and will tell him everything that is going on at court and their plans.

A Court of Wings and Ruin

Once again at the Spring Court, Tamlin accompanied by Feyre, Lucien and Ianthe, are part of the welcome to the Hybern delegation made up of Jurian and the twin nephews of the King: the princes Dagdan and Brannagh.

They come with the supposed mission of inspecting the weaknesses in the wall, but later it is revealed that since they arrived they are poisoning the residents of the manor with faebane in small doses so it wouldn't be noticed but the effect is cumulative.

Feyre begins to collect all the information that can be useful to her, from plans to number of troops and locations of attacks. During her stay she tries to make Tamlin and Ianthe jealous by being close to Lucien and causing him to lose his faith in Tamlin by allowing the latter to hurt her during one of his fits of anger. She also sows discord among the residents of the manor, especially the sentries, by showing them that Tamlin will always side with Ianthe, and through her daemati powers, implants in them the idea that, after killing Dagdan and Brannagh she had to flee because Tamlin did nothing to stop them from trying to kill her. The news spread through the court and an internal rebellion takes place that gives way to the forces of Hybern having no resistance when it came to invading them.

When the High Lords agree to hold a meeting the event is at the Dawn Court Palace, the residence of Thesan, the High Lord of the Dawn Court, as it is the place closest to the Middle. The meeting is attended by the seven High Lords with their delegations and after several discussions and altercations regarding Tamlin's true allegiance they agree to join forces against Hybern, with the exception of the Autumn Court who leaves after Feyre shows that when she was revived each of the High Lords gave her a bit of their power unknowingly.

During the second day of the meeting they hear a great noise and Nesta Archeron, who has a connection to the Cauldron, tells them that the King has used it to destroy the wall.

Tarquin offers Tamlin shelter for the citizens of his court in his territories because since he is working with Hybern, the enemy army invaded the Summer Court through the border with the Spring Court.

After the battle that occurred in the Winter Court, while in the war camp, the Cauldron tricks Elain Archeron, Feyre's sister, by posing as her ex-fiancé Graysen, and brings her to Hybern's camp, from where she is rescued, along with Briar, by Feyre and Azriel with the help of Jurian (who shows he has never really been on Hybern's side but is a spy) and Tamlin, who also happens to be a spy.

When they learn that the final battle will take place in the Mortal Lands of the south of the island, the High Lords agree to transfer to Adriata as many mortals as possible to save their lives. After that, the armies march to the battlefield, where the Bone Carver and Bryaxis (recruited by Feyre) and Stryga, the Weaver, (recruited by Rhys) also arrive to aid them in battle. A short time later they are joined by the forces of the Spring Court led by Tamlin and the Autumn Court (Beron had to be threatened by Tamlin) as well as an army of mortals led by Jurian and Graysen.

Knowing that the only way to win is for Amren to be released in her true form to kill all the remaining Hybern soldiers who are still fighting even though their King is dead, she goes into the Cauldron and Feyre reads the spell from the Book of Breathings to release her. During Amren's release the Cauldron explodes and she emerges in her true form of fire and light and kills all remaining enemies.

As the world is connected to the Cauldron, a void is beginning to be created around its remains, as a way to save the world they know, Feyre and Rhysand unite their powers to reforge it. So much effort is required that Rhysand dies during the process and after Feyre begs them, the other High Lords (including Tamlin, who after a moment of hesitation just tells her to be happy) gave him the kernels of power necessary to revive him as they had done with Feyre in Under the Mountain.

At the end of the war he attends the meeting called by Feyre in the ruins of the Archeron's Estate to renegotiate a new Treaty between faeries and mortals, after which he quickly left.

A Court of Frost and Starlight

After the end of the War with Hybern Tamlin is devastated. His manor is in ruins and he lives alone in it since his servants have left and his subjects still believe everything Feyre had made them believe during her previous stay at court.

Lucien goes to see him several times out of pity but stops doing so at Tamlin's request after Rhysand visits him and is brutally honest with him. He is practically dead in life and does not even bother to protect his territory from foreign invasions. He knows that Beron covets the Mortal Lands south of Prythian but has no sentries to guard his borders. He refuses to let Rhysand lead his Illyrians into his territory but agrees to Summer Court soldiers be sent by Tarquin.

He is sorry for everything he had put Feyre through and when he asks Rhysand if she will forgive him, he tells her that he is not the one to answer that question.

A Court of Silver Flames

Unable to overcome his guilt and grief Tamlin has been staying in his beast form, his estate, once lovely has fallen in despair. Rhysand has been visiting Tamlin regularly trying to bring him back, and making sure he was on the side of the Night Court and capable of leading the Spring Court as the Night Court might need his forces.

Appearance

Tamlin is described as strikingly handsome and young in appearance (he looks like a man in his late twenties), he is tall with tanned skin and a warrior’s build, honed to perfection over several hundred years of training. He is first seen in his Fae form wearing an exquisite golden mask embedded with emeralds shaped like whorls of leaves that covered his nose, cheeks, and brows. He has long golden blond hair and deep green eyes flecked with gold. He tends to wear warrior's clothes, preferring practicality to finery.

His beast form is a horse-sized creature with a bear-like body that moved with a feline fluidity, a distinctively lupine head, and massive elk-like antlers. But lion or hound or elk, there was no doubting the damage his black, dagger-like claws and yellow fangs could inflict. In his beast form, Tamlin maintains his green eyes.

Personality

Tamlin is initially a very strong, quiet person describing himself as not very good at making friends or talking to people. He believes he is only good at war and killing people, aside from his skills at playing the fiddle. He repeatedly refuses Amarantha's advances and does his best to keep his Court safe from her after his father dies, even though he never wanted to be High Lord. Tamlin has always shown kindness to humans and refused to harm them after what his father and brother did to them, having always sympathized with them.

Tamlin was shown to have a short and explosive temper. After the events that happened Under the Mountain Tamlin becomes obsessive towards Feyre, ignoring her needs so he can feel she's safe, and goes far enough to lock her in the manor as if she was a prisoner. When she leaves him, his obsession and anger grows, he sends his sentries after her and when she refuses to return he destroys her bedroom. He even allies himself with the King of Hybern, someone he considered a monster in exchange for having Feyre back.

Powers and Abilities

Tamlin is known for his immense brute strength and the ability to shape-shift. He can change his own shape into that of a horse-sized beast with a bear-like body and the head of a wolf. He has been known to grow claws when his temper rises. He can also change the shape of others and turned many members of his court into wolves when he sent them across the wall in the hope of breaking his curse.

As a High Lord he has numerous magical abilities that include glamour magic that can be used to make people see and think things he wants, he demonstrated the ability when he glamoured Feyre's family into believing that she went to live with a wealthy and elderly aunt, however, this glamour didn't affect Nesta and her steel mind. He can winnow himself across vast distances and during the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin he showed some skill in air manipulation.

Relationships

Feyre Archeron

In the commencing period of A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre is bound to Tamlin due to the Treaty between their lands. Tamlin takes her to his court, the Spring Court, where she is free to roam but forbidden to escape. As the story progresses, her feelings for Tamlin blend from bitter cold to a burning passion. Eventually, Feyre and Tamlin fall in love. Towards the end, after sending Feyre back to her home to keep her safe, Tamlin is taken to Under the Mountain because of the fact that he was unable to break the curse put on him by Amarantha. Feyre, unable to control her love for him, ventures out to Under the Mountain. There she has to face either three trials waiting to be completed and/or a riddle to be solved to claim her love, Tamlin. After successfully completing them Amarantha goes against her word of giving Feyre, Tamlin, and the rest of the people of Prythian's lands freedom. She attempts to kill Feyre and succeeds but is shredded to ribbons by Tamlin after.

Tamlin with the help of the High Lords of the courts brings Feyre back to life making her an immortal High Fae. They leave Under The Mountain to return to the Spring Court, their home.

It is revealed that Tamlin had grown controlling and obsessive, seeing Feyre suffering Under The Mountain led him to believe that she needed protecting. He forbade her to leave the grounds and refused to take notice that Feyre had essentially lost her will to live and was painfully thin. Eventually, he went so far as to lock her in the house. After she was rescued by the Night Court, Tamlin made a bargain with the King of Hybern to get her back, and Feyre feigned being under Rhysand's mind control and pretended to love Tamlin again to save her friends. Tamlin took Feyre back to the Spring Court, unaware he had just led a very dangerous fox into the chicken coop.

Family

Tamlin had a rocky relationship with his family, save his mother, whom he cared for deeply, and mourned her death.

Lucien Vanserra

Tamlin has been close friends with Lucien since he fled his home in the Autumn Court and joined the Spring Court. Lucien is Tamlin's right-hand man and emissary. They could usually be seen eating together and chatting animatedly with each other. After the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin, Tamlin and Lucien share a strained and difficult relationship.

Amarantha

When Tamlin was younger he knew Amarantha. However, after the war, she left those shores, and when she returned Tamlin didn't trust her. Amarantha cursed Tamlin during a masquerade ball, every member of the Spring Court who attended her party Under the Mountain would be unable to remove its mask until a human woman who hated the faerie kind was willing to love Tamlin. She did this because Amarantha wanted to make Tamlin her lover but after Amarantha had gouged out Lucien's eye, he refused. Tamlin also told her he'd rather bed and marry a human woman.

Trivia

• Feyre says in A Court of Thorns and Roses that Tamlin has a crisp, rain, and earthen scent.
• He has a fiddle that he likes to play from time to time as when he was young he planned to run away with a traveling company to play music.
• The bloodline of the High Lord of the Spring court possesses five crowns.Tamlinwears a golden crown molded into a wreath of spring's first flowers, crafted with emerald, sapphires, and amethyst.
• When he is holding court Tamlin sits on a giant throne of carved roses.
• He often wears a leather bandolier that contains Illyrian's daggers.
• Tamlin is lightly based on Beast from Beauty and the Beast.
• Tamlin and Feyre's love story is loosely based on the ballad Tam Lin. The story revolves around the rescue of Tam Lin by his true love from the Queen of the Fairies.
• Sarah J. Maas stated in an interview that Tamlin would be sorted into Gryffindor if he attended Hogwarts.

References