Saltash Cramleigh March 2015 Winter 2014 | Page 14

Saltash History The Legend of Tamara

The legend behind the name involves
a nymph by the name of Tamara,
who lived in the underworld. Tamara
wanted to wander freely in the mortal
world, against the advice of her
parents.
One day, wandering in Dartmoor, she
happened to meet two giants called
Tavy and Torridge (or Tawradge).
Both giants became smitten with
Tamara and vied for her affections.
Tamara led the giants on a dance,
but never let them touch her, instead
darting out of reach whenever they
came too close.
Tamara’s father, who had been out
looking for her, located her just as
the giants finally caught up with her
near Morwenstow. He flew into a
rage and used a spell to put Tavy
and Tawradge into a deep sleep. This
infuriated Tamara, who subsequently
refused to return to the underworld
with her father. He became even
more enraged and cast a spell on
Tamara, turning her into a bubbling
spring, which produced the Tamar
river and flowed all the way to the
sea.
Tawradge awoke to find his beloved
had become a river; in despair, he
sought the advice of a magician,
who turned him into a river (the
River Torridge and the River Taw) so
that he could hope to reunite with
Tamara. Tawradge was never able
to find and merge with his beloved
Tamara, instead turning north toward
Bideford and the Bristol Channel and
is still said to mourn his love, the
Tamar. This legend explains why the
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River Torridge, which rises only 500
meters from the Tamar, veers away
from the Tamar and forms a huge arc,
eventually flowing to the North Devon
coast.
The other giant, Tavy, also awoke
in despair and sought the aid of his
own father, also a powerful magician.
His father turned Tavy into a river as
well, and the Tavy set off in search
of the Tamar, eventually finding her
and merging with her into a wide and
beautiful estuary.

Article courtesy of Bruce Hunt,
Saltash Heritage.

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