Tavy and TamaraUpdated: July 28th, 2014
Created: October 2nd, 2005The Legend of Tamara
| Story Teller | Actors | |
| Long, long ago there lived a beautiful girl called Tamara. | Pause while Tamara dances around to show who she is. | |
| Her Father and Mother, | Pause while King and Queen take a bow | |
| the Earth King and Queen kept her always near them in the great underground palace beneath the moor for they loved her very much. | ||
| Also under ground live the Spriggans | They bow | |
| Knockers and | They bow | |
| Buccas | They bow | |
| Tamara, however was full of curiosity and, as she grew older, she liked to slip away and explore the maze of passages which branched out in all directions from the palace. | Tamara explores | |
| Usually she was guided back home by the Spriggans, Buccas or knockers | A couple of them guide her home | |
| One day not long after her 16th birthday, Tamara decided to do some more exploring | Tamara wanders further | |
| For a long time she followed a winding passage which was lit only at intervals by flaring torches. Eventually it opened out into a large cavern and Tamara, Examining its walls, she spied a stairway, roughly hewn out of the rock, which disappeared into the gloom somewhere above her. | ||
| " I wonder where that leads", she said to herself and taking one of the torches from its bracket, she stared to climb upwards. She climbed and climbed until she was quite out of breath . | Tamara does what text says, takes torch, shows tiredness | |
| Finally she saw a brightness ahead of her and then she sensed a warm breeze blowing. In a few moments she was standing out on the open moor for the first time in her life. The sun was shining ,the birds were singing and Tamara gazed about her in wonder. | ||
| Her eyes sparkled and, enchanted by the sense of freedom, she began to laugh and dance with joy. | Tamara Laughs | |
| Now unknown to Tamara, a huge Giant called Tavy was Sitting behind some nearby granite boulders. When he heard Tamara&rsquos rippling laughter he cautiously peered round the rock. He was immediately captivated by her beauty, but not wishing to frighten her, he approached her very slowly and spoke to her as softly as he was able. | ||
| To his delight she continued to dance and skip all round him | Tamara, dances around giant, as text | |
| Then wanting to know more about this magical place, she settled down with him on the springy moorland turf. As the gentle giant and the princess talked together their hearts were filled with love for each other. | ||
| Far away underground the spriggans buccas and knockers had seen Tamara begin to climb the stairway | They follow Tamara only to the top of the stairs. | |
| Because they hated the sunshine they did not wish to follow her and so they hurried back to tell the Earth King. | "Tarmara has gone upground" they say |
|
| The King was very angry and ordered them to go back and fetch Tamara. Very nervously they climbed up to the open air and peeped out. To their astonishment they saw Tamara gazing at Tavy with a look that could only mean love. The spriggans, buccas and knockers were very frightened of the huge giant and did not dare go near. | Do as text | |
| Very scared of the light and Giant, again they hurried back to the earth king and recounted what they had seen. | "Tamara is in love with the Giant" they blurt out | |
| The King is very angry with Tamara and his anger overflows as he casts a spell on Tamara | "Curses" and "May all the world be in a quiver as I turn Tamara into a river" Some of the little people hide, behind a waving sheet. |
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| His thunderous voice made the very ground tremble. Having turned Tamara into a river and knowing that he would never see her again he was overcome with grief and his heart turned to stone within him. | Use sheet of tin, steel, to make thunder. | |
| Tavy too was filled with grief as Tamara turned to water in his arms and flowed away from him down the hillside. | ||
| He began to weep and his huge tears fell, they formed a pool and then a stream. His sorrow was so great and he wept so hard that he gradually melted away in his own tears soon the tears became a river. | other little People form a pool, circle around Tavy and then they wander in a wave | |
| Because of the strength of Tavy's love for Tamara the river formed by his tears ran to join the beautiful River Tamar | The Tavy riiver tears meet up with the Tamara sheet and wander off together | |
| To this day, the waters of the two rivers mingle and flow eternally together to the sea. And those who stand very quietly on the riverbank may even catch a glimpse of &rsquos sparkling eyes and hear the ripple of her laughter | Distant laughter. |
The above is a common version played out on May-day @ Calstock. Another version has Tamara playing with two brothers, Tavy and Tor. Tor also turns to tears but as he is rejected by Tamara he looses his way and wanders of to the North coast, the river Torridge and doesn't meet up with Tamara again.
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