Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History

Captain Jonathan Wolverton (“Black Jack”) Randall – a Captain of His Majesty’s Eighth Dragoons and a minor knight in England during the time of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He played a part in quashing the rebellion, and was heavily financially supported by the Duke of Sandringham. Because the Starz series is contending with the very real and bloody 1746 Battle of Culloden rather than. And the most heart-stopping moment of Black Jack Randall’s demise? Jonathan Randall, commonly known as 'Black Jack', was a minor knight in England during the time of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He played a part in quashing the rebellion, and was heavily financially supported by the Duke of Sandringham. In 1746, Randall married Mary Hawkins, who bore him a son, Denys. OUTLANDER saw the death of Captain Black Jack Randall back in season 3 but there have been questions over whether the sadistic Redcoat was a real figure. Express.co.uk delves into the history.

1. Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History On This Day
2. Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History As A
3. Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History Summary
4. Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History Timeline

Outlander (published in the United Kingdom as Cross Stitch) is the first in a series of eight historical multi-genre novels by Diana Gabaldon. Published in 1991, it focuses on the Second World War-era nurse Claire Randall, who travels through time to 18th century Scotland and finds adventure and romance with the dashing Jamie Fraser. A mix of several genres, the Outlander series has elements of historical fiction, romance, adventure and fantasy. With 25 million copies sold, Outlander is one of the best-selling book series of all time. Outlander won the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Romance of 1991. A television adaptation of the Outlander series premiered on Starz in the US on August 9, 2014.

Plot summary[edit]

In 1946, after working apart during the Second World War, former British Army nurse Claire Randall and her husband Frank Randall, a history professor, go on a second honeymoon to Inverness, Scotland. Frank conducts research into his family history and Claire goes plant-gathering near standing stones on the hill of Craigh na Dun. Investigating a buzzing noise near the stones, she touches one and faints; upon waking, she encounters Frank's ancestor, Captain Jack Randall. Before Captain Randall can attack her, he is knocked unconscious by a highlander who takes Claire to his clansmen. As the Scots inexpertly attend their injured comrade Jamie, Claire uses her medical skill to set Jamie's dislocated shoulder. The men identify themselves as members of Clan MacKenzie, and Claire eventually concludes that she has traveled into the past. She represents herself as an English widow who is traveling to France to see her family. The Scots do not believe her and take her to Castle Leoch, where Claire searches for a way to return to her own time.

The highlanders of 1743 see Claire as a 'Sassenach', or 'Outlander', ignorant of Gaelic culture. Her medical skills eventually earn their respect; but the clan chieftain, Colum MacKenzie, suspects her of being an English spy. Colum sends her with his brother, Dougal, to collect rents; on the way he also solicits donations for the Jacobites, overseen by Ned Gowan, a lawyer from Edinburgh who is working for the Clan.

When chance again brings her to his attention, Captain Randall tells Dougal to bring Claire to him for questioning. There is suspicion that she is perhaps an English spy. To keep Claire from Randall, Dougal has her wed Jamie, which makes her a Scottish citizen. Torn between her attachment to Jamie and the thought of Frank, Claire tries to return to Craigh na Dun. However, she is captured by Randall's men, requiring Jamie to rescue her. Upon returning to Castle Leoch, Claire continues acting as the official healer, and befriends Geillis Duncan, the wife of a local official, who shares a knowledge of medicine. Eventually Claire and Geillis are charged with witchcraft while Jamie is away, but Jamie returns in time to save Claire. While imprisoned with Geillis, Claire learns that Geillis is part of the plot to restore King James to the Scottish throne along with Dougal and that she is also pregnant with his child. Just before their escape, Claire realizes that Geillis is, like herself, from the future, when she sees a smallpox vaccine scar on her arm. Geillis also sees Claire's scar.

Claire tells Jamie her real story, and he takes her to Craigh na Dun. When he offers her the chance to stay or go, she decides to stay. Jamie takes her to his home of Lallybroch, where they meet Jamie's sister Jenny and her husband, Ian. Though Jamie is still a fugitive from the British, he reclaims his position as Laird of Lallybroch, until one of his tenants betrays him and he is taken to Wentworth Prison. Claire and the MacKenzie clansmen attempt to rescue him, but they fail, and Claire is captured by Randall, who threatens to have her raped. Jamie offers himself in Claire's place, and Randall frees Claire into the woods. Claire tells Randall that she is a witch and tells him the exact day of his death, which she knows from Frank's family history. Thereafter Claire is befriended by Sir Marcus MacRannoch, a former suitor of Jamie's mother. While MacRannoch's men distract Wentworth's guards, the clansmen drive a herd of cattle through the underground halls, trampling a man. They rescue Jamie, who has been assaulted physically and sexually by Randall, and take him to MacRannoch's stronghold, where Claire tends Jamie's wounds. As soon as Jamie is able, they and Jamie's godfather, Murtagh, escape to Saint Anne de Beaupre's monastery in France, where another of Jamie's uncles is abbot. As she and Jamie emerge from a sacred hot spring under the Abbey, Claire reveals that she is pregnant.^[2]

Main characters[edit]

• Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser: A warm, practical and independent former combat nurse who inadvertently travels back in time to the Scottish Highlands in the mid-18th century. Though married to Frank Randall in the 20th century, she falls for Jamie Fraser in the 18th century. A gifted natural physician and an amateur botanist, Claire is an only child and orphan, raised by her archaeologist uncle.
• James 'Jamie' MacKenzie Fraser (aka Jamie MacTavish): A strapping young Scottish redhead with a complicated past and disarming sense of humor. Jamie is intelligent, principled, and, by 18th century standards, educated and worldly. He picks up languages very easily, and after initial conflict he falls in love with the mysterious Claire. Though he does not always know what she is doing, Jamie usually trusts Claire.
• Frank Wolverton Randall: Claire's husband in the 20th century and a history professor with a deep interest in his genealogy and heritage. He worked for MI6 during the Second World War as an intelligence agent.
• Jonathan Randall (aka 'Black Jack' Randall): The primary villain of the story and Frank Randall's ancestor, a British army officer. According to Jamie, the “Black” refers to the color of his soul. Jack physically resembles his descendant Frank, but has a sadistic sexual obsession with Jamie.
• Callum (Colum) MacKenzie: Chief of the MacKenzie clan and Jamie's maternal uncle, who shelters Jamie and Claire from the English. He suffers from Toulouse-Lautrec Syndrome.
• Dougal MacKenzie: Callum's younger Jacobite brother, who leads the clan in battle because his older brother is disabled. It is hinted that he might be the biological father of Callum's son, Hamish. He also took Jamie as a foster son for a time as a teen. Dougal has four daughters with his wife, and a son with Geillis Duncan.
• Geillis/Geilie Duncan: The wife of the procurator fiscal, who believes that she is a witch, and has knowledge of herbs and plants. Geillis is pregnant with Dougal MacKenzie’s child when imprisoned for witchcraft, which wins her a brief reprieve of her death sentence. She murders her husband, Arthur Duncan. Ultimately Claire realizes that she is a time-traveler from the 1960s.
• Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser: Jamie's godfather, who is taciturn, quiet and brave, and very loyal to Jamie, whom he cares for as a son. At first he does not accept Claire, but changes his mind when he sees how much Jamie loves her.
• Laoghaire MacKenzie: A young girl of sixteen who is attracted to Jamie. She sends Claire to Geillis Duncan just prior to the witch trial because she 'loves' Jamie and wants him back.

Development and inspiration[edit]

Diana Gabaldon planned to write a historical novel 'for practice', but did not have a specific setting in mind until she happened to watch The War Games, a classic Doctor Who serial, on PBS.^[3] Her eye was caught by the character Jamie McCrimmon, a young Scot from 1745 played by actor Frazer Hines.^[3] The image of the young man in the kilt stayed with her, and she decided to set her novel in 18th century Scotland.^[3] She named her male protagonist 'Jamie' after the Doctor Who character (however, the surname 'Fraser' was not taken from actor Frazer Hines, since the PBS station cut off the programme's credits).^[3]

Gabaldon's initial plan was to write a 'straight historical novel', but as she began to write the character of Claire, she says the character 'promptly took over the story and began telling it herself, making smart-ass modern remarks about everything.'^[4] Gabaldon decided to make the character a modern woman and determine how she came to be in 18th century Scotland later.^[4]

Gabaldon acknowledged a date discrepancy between the American version of the novel, the plot of which begins in 1945, and the British version, which begins in 1946.^[5] She explained, 'Reay Tannahill, a Scot who kindly proofread the novel before it was published in the UK, said that 1946 would have been a more accurate representation of conditions as I described them in Scotland.'^[5] Gabaldon was able to rework all of the dates for the UK edition, but the American version was too far along in production to change.^[5]

Reception and awards[edit]

Publishers Weekly said of Outlander, 'Absorbing and heartwarming, this first novel lavishly evokes the land and lore of Scotland, quickening both with realistic characters and a feisty, likable heroine.'^[6] With 25 million copies sold, Outlander is one of the best-selling book series of all time.^[7] The novel won the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Romance of 1991.^[8]

Television series[edit]

In June 2013, Starz ordered 16 episodes of a television adaptation, and production began in October 2013 in Scotland.^[9] The series premiered in the US on August 9, 2014.^[10] It was picked up for a second season on August 15, 2014,^[11] and for a third and fourth season on June 1, 2016.^[12] On May 9, 2018, Starz renewed the series for a fifth and sixth season.^[13]

Other adaptations[edit]

In 2010 Gabaldon adapted the first third of Outlander into The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel, illustrated by Hoang Nguyen.^[14][15][16] The same year, a 14-song cycle based on Outlander was released under the title Outlander: The Musical.^[17][18][19]

References[edit]

1. ^Reese, Jennifer (November 27, 2007). 'Book Review: Lord John and the Hand of Devils (2007)'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
2. ^Gabaldon, Diana (1991). Outlander. New York: Dell. ISBN0-440-21256-1.
3. ^ ^abcdGabaldon, Diana. 'FAQ: About the Books: Scotland'. DianaGabaldon.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
4. ^ ^abGabaldon, Diana. 'FAQ: About the Books: Idea'. DianaGabaldon.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
5. ^ ^abcGabaldon, Diana. 'FAQ: About the Books: Discrepancy'. DianaGabaldon.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
6. ^'Fiction Book Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon'. PublishersWeekly.com. June 3, 1991. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
7. ^Hughes, Sarah (August 24, 2014). 'Outlander: Is this the new Game of Thrones?'. The Independent. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017.
8. ^'RITA Awards: Past Winners'. Romance Writers of America. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
9. ^Andreeva, Nellie (June 1, 2013). 'Outlander Greenlighted To Series By Starz'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
10. ^Ng, Philiana (May 8, 2014). 'Starz's Outlander Gets First Poster, Premiere Date'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
11. ^Hibberd, James (August 15, 2014). 'Outlander renewed for second season'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
12. ^Prudom, Laura (June 1, 2016). 'Outlander Renewed for Seasons 3 and 4'. Variety. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
13. ^Roots, Kimberly (May 9, 2018). 'Outlander Renewed for Seasons 5 and 6, Plus: See First Season 4 Photos'. TVLine. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
14. ^Brienza, Casey (September 21, 2010). 'The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel'. GraphicNovelReporter.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
15. ^'Fiction Book Review: The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel'. Publishers Weekly. August 23, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
16. ^'Official site: The Exile (graphic novel)'. DianaGabaldon.com. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
17. ^'PROGRESS! OUTLANDER:The Musical now on Amazon!'. DianaGabaldon.com. September 26, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
18. ^'Outlander the Musical'. DianaGabaldon.com. October 26, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
19. ^'Stage Tube: First Listen of Jill Santoriello's Outlander Musical'. BroadwayWorld.com. July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2014.

External links[edit]

• 'An Outlander Family Tree (Official)'. Random House. 2014.

Below are some answers to commonly-asked questions about Diana’s OUTLANDER-series characters. (Read carefully, as some questions contain 'spoilers.')

All answers are from Diana, either written for this FAQ or are quotes from interviews, articles or her posts online:

How do you develop your characters? Do you keep charts or index cards to keep track of them?

Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History On This Day

No, I don’t keep charts of characters–I don’t write down anything much but the text of the book, and I don’t even write that in a straight line. I write in scenes; lots of little pieces that eventually get glued together.

In the later books, I do have to sort of count back and see what month of what year it is when a given scene takes place, so I’ll know what the weather should be like, but that’s about as far as it goes. I don’t forget the characters, because I can 'see' them.

As for where the characters come from:

There’s a local group of fans here in Phoenix who took me out to tea every spring for years. There’s a resort that does a full formal English tea, with scones and clotted cream and finger sandwiches and all kinds of goodies–we all have a good time and they get to pick my brains about the book in progress.

Anyway, at one of these teas, the readers got onto Jack Randall, and what a horrible, terrible, nasty, loathsome, repellent….etc. he was. And all the time, I was sitting there, quietly sipping my tea, and thinking, 'You really don’t have any notion that you’re talking to Black Jack Randall, do you?' Just bear that in mind.

Image at upper right: Black Jack Randall (actor Tobias Menzies) shows his evil side as he whips Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), from the Starz Outlander TV series.

Are any of the fictional characters based on real historical figures?

There’s a 'real' female witch (late 16th century) named Geilis Duncane in Daemonologie, a treatise on witches by King James of Scotland (later James I of England….)–the book is about the trial of a coven of witches whom James believed tried to assassinate him via black magic. (You know how women are always teaming up with the devil to do things like that…). I figured anybody up on Scottish witchcraft would know the name, and for anyone who wasn’t, it didn’t matter.

It is, of course, not the OUTLANDER witch’s real name–we meet her in DRAGONFLY under (what we suppose is) her original name of Gillian–she took Geillis deliberately as a name, because of the original, whom she of course was familiar with, owing to her researches into witchcraft.

Image at right: Geillis Duncan in the Outlander TV series, portrayed by Lotte Verbeek.

Jack Randall is not real–so far as I know. I add that proviso, because quite frequently in the writing of these books, I’ve written someone, presumably out of my head–and then found them, in the historical record. Mildly eerie when it happens, but it always reassures me that I’m on the right track.

Now, Mother Hildegarde was a real historical person, though she lived in the 12th century, rather than the 18th. Likewise, M. Forez, the hangman of DRAGONFLY, was a real public hangman in the Paris of the 18th century. Bonnie Prince Charlie and many of the Jacobite lords were naturally real people {cough}, as were Benedict Arnold, General Burgoyne, and George III. But most of the historical people are treated as historical people; i.e., I haven’t messed around with the facts of their lives or personalities—with one minor exception. Simon, Lord Lovat, aka “The Old Fox” was certainly a real person, and a very colorful one, too. I made no alterations to his life or persona, save for grafting an illegitimate and totally fictional branch onto his family tree by making him Jamie Fraser’s grandfather. Given Old Simon’s persona as recorded, attributing an illegitimate son to him would in no way be character assassination.

In the fullness of time, we’ll have THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION, Part II, which will include a complete listing and brief description of historical characters, as well as the overall Cast of Characters listing for the series.

(Links: Read the full text of Daemonologie online or download it for free.)

How is Geillis’ name pronounced?

Well. <cough> I don’t know. FWIW, the reader on the abridged audiobooks (Geraldine James) called her GAY-liss or GAY-lee, and the reader on the unabridged audiobooks (Davina Porter) calls her (I think) GUY-liss or GUY-lee–and I’ve also heard GEE-liss/GEE-lie (with a soft 'g').

Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History As A

Watch a Starz video on YouTube which explains the pronunciations of 'Geillis' and 'Loaghaire' as used in the Outlander TV series.

Who is the ghost in OUTLANDER? (SPOILER)

The ghost is Jamie–but as for how it fits into the story, All Will Be Explained–in the last book.

How is 'Sassenach' pronounced?

SASS-uh-nak. It’s actually a little guttural on the end, a bit like the German “ach”, but not quite so throaty. That’s close, though.

Watch a Starz Youtube video which demonstrates how to pronounce 'Sassenach.'

When is Jamie’s birthday?

May 1. I had one reader argue with me about this, insisting that he had to be a Leo, but I assure you he isn’t. My husband and kids are all Tauruses, and I know what they’re like. May 1 it is.

Is the story true about the Dunbonnet and the laird who hid for seven years?

Leap o’ the Cask is real–so is the story of the laird who hid in the cave for seven years, whose tenants called him the Dunbonnet, and his servant, who brought the ale to him in hiding. His name? Ah…..James Fraser. Really.

Who/What is Master Raymond? What is his significance? (SPOILER)

Well, he’s a prehistoric time traveler. I think he came from somewhere about 400 BC or perhaps a bit earlier (not technically “prehistoric,” but they certainly weren’t using written records where he started out), and the 18th century is not his first stop.

He is–or was–a shaman, born with the ability to heal through empathy. He sees auras plainly; those with his power all have the blue light he has–born warriors, on the other hand, are red (so yes, “the red man” is iconic). He has a rather strong aversion to Vikings, owing to events that happened in his own time; hence his nervousness when he sees Jamie. He’s afraid of them, but he also realizes just what a strong life-force they have–that’s why he makes Claire invoke it (using the sexual and emotional link between her and Jamie) to heal her.

His descendants–a few of whom he meets now and then in his travels–have the blue light about them, too; in large degree or small, depending on their talents. So he knows Claire, when he sees her, as one of his great-great, etc. grand-daughters. And Gillian/Geillis is another–you notice she has Claire’s sense of plants, though she tends naturally to poison, rather than medicines.

We’ll see him again–though not in Jamie and Claire’s story, I don’t think. Master Raymond should get his own series of books, eventually. So in fact, we’ll see Claire, Jamie, and Geillis again, then– but as secondary characters in Master Raymond’s story (you recall, Geillis mentions having met “one other” (time-traveler) in Voyager, but doesn’t tell Claire who it is).

Heaven knows just when we’ll get to that–in about ten years, at this rate–but we will get to it. <grin>

Were Jonathan Randall and the Duke of Sandringham lovers?

No, the Duke and Randall weren’t lovers, though the Duke certainly understood Randall’s psychology, and no doubt used it to control him.

How is Laoghaire pronounced? Where did the name come from?

I got 'Laoghaire' off a map. And no, I had no idea how it was pronounced, though I had a guess. Since then, I’ve asked various Scots, and got answers ranging from 'L’heer' to 'Leera' to 'Leery.' 'Leery' seems to be the most common, though.

Watch a Starz video on YouTube which explains the pronunciations of 'Geillis' and 'Loaghaire' as used in the Outlander TV series.

Why doesn’t Jamie use the endearment 'mo duinne' in VOYAGER?

Er….well….<cough>. He doesn’t say 'mo duinne' in VOYAGER, because between DRAGONFLY IN AMBER and VOYAGER, I acquired the gracious assistance of a native speaker of Gaelic, one Iain MacKinnon Taylor (who kindly advised on all the Gaelic bits in Voyager). Mr. Taylor informed me that while 'mo duinne' had the right words for what I meant to convey, it wasn’t idiomatically correct–that is, the proper expression would be 'mo nighean donn'. So I used that in VOYAGER, wishing (as always) to be as accurate as possible.

Watch a Starz video to learn how to say 'mo nighean donn' from real Scotsmen and members of the Outlander TV series cast!

Who were the Paleolithic lovers in DRAGONFLY IN AMBER? What was their significance?

I didn’t really have anything specifically in mind about the Paleolithic lovers–they were simply a metaphor for the briefness of life and the importance of love–but then again, often I write something that I intend to be only colour, and it sort of turns into something else in later books.

There’s that ghost in Outlander, for instance….<g>

I got the lovers from The National Geographic, as a matter of fact. The original were a couple from Herculaneum (or possibly Pompeii) whose skeletons had been found during the excavation, lying the manner I described in Dragonfly–his arms around her, trying to protect her when the fire came down on them. One of the most touching and dramatic pictures I’ve ever seen. It’s stuck in my mind for years and years, so it was there when my subconscious needed it as an image of mortality and love. One reason why writers ought to read more than just their own genre (whatever that may be).

Note: See 'The Dead Do Tell Tales at Vesuvius,' by Rick Gore, in National Geographic, May, 1984, pp. 556-613 at a local library. Also, at right is a similar image of a neolithic couple found near Mantova, Italy. From a Reuters story posted on Feb. 7, 2007, “Eternal Embrace? Couple Still Hugging 5,000 Years On.

As a scientist what do you really think about the Loch Ness Monster?

The best answer I can give here, I think, is the one I gave to a sixth-grade student who wrote to ask me the same question (I include her very nice letter, as well).

Dear Dr. Gabaldon,
I am a sixth grade student at Falk School, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At school, we are working on a project called the I-Search. This involves doing a lot of research about a chosen topic and writing a paper. My topic is The Loch Ness Monster. I was hoping that you could answer a few questions about it, because I know that you write books about Scotland. My mother is a fan of them and said that you mentioned the Loch Ness Monster in one of your books.

If you could answer these questions, I would be very grateful. If not, it’s okay. I know you are very busy.

• Have you ever been to Loch Ness?
• Do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster?
• Why or why not?
• If so, what kind of being do you think he/she/it is?
• Do you know anyone who thinks they saw Nessie?
• If so, what did he/she/it look like?
• If not, what do imagine he/she/it looks like (If you believe)?
• What role did the Loch Ness Monster play in your book?
• What inspired you to include the Loch Ness Monster in your book?
• Do you think that scientists should continue to search for evidence of the Monster?

Thank you very much for your time. I hope to also become an author one day.

Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History Summary

Sincerely,
Olivia Perfetti

My answer:

Dear Olivia–

Well, let’s see…

Yes, I have been to Loch Ness. It’s huge! Very, very deep, and a dark blue color in good weather–almost black in bad weather, under the clouds.

Was Black Jack Randall A Real Person In History Timeline

I don’t know about the Loch Ness monster. On purely scientific grounds, then probably not–at least, not if the monster is as big as it’s been described; I’ve seen an analysis of the amount of biomass produced in the loch, and it isn’t great enough to sustain a population of creatures of that size (see, there can’t be just one monster, unless a) it’s immortal, and we don’t know of any immortal flesh-and-blood creatures, so you shouldn’t assume that one exists, a priori (that means, 'in advance of finding anything out'), or b) you have a situation in which the monster isn’t confined to the loch. Unless that’s the case, you have to have a population of a size to permit breeding; otherwise, they’d die out.

On the other hand…I don’t know how much your mother’s told you about my books, but the main thread of the story involves time-travel. Now, if you believe that time-travel is possible–and both Stephen Hawking and I think it is <g>— then you don’t have to have either a set quantity of biomass or a breeding population of monsters. All you need is a time-portal under Loch Ness, which would occasionally allow a prehistoric creature to pass through it.

OK, if this is the case, then the monster could quite easily be a plesiosaur, elasmosaur, or any other aquatic prehistoric reptile. Going just on the basis of the most popular published photo of the supposed monster, my guess would be plesiosaur.

I don’t know anyone personally who’s seen the monster, but I’ve met a lot of people in Scotland who believe it’s there.

In my books, there’s a scene in which the heroine (a WWII nurse who passes through a time-portal in a stone circle in the Highlands, and ends up in 1743) sees the Loch Ness monster when she goes down to get water from the loch. In a later book, when she’s talking to her daughter’s boyfriend, she tells him she thinks the creature she saw was a plesiosaur, and speculates that maybe it got there the same way she did–but through a portal under the water.

What made me include it? I’m tempted to say pure whimsy, because that certainly had something to do with it. However, there really is more to it than that. In Highland folklore, there’s a creature called a waterhorse; this is a supernatural thing that lives in bodies of water, and is rather dangerous; there are lots of stories about them. I did a lot of research on folklore, customs, etc. when writing these books, and so I saw a sort of tie-in between the notion of the Loch Ness monster, and the much older notion of the waterhorse. And when I began thinking about it in depth, I could see the poignancy of having this woman, thrown out of her own time, meeting a creature that might also be displaced–or might be an omen to her. You know, thematic stuff.

Well, I was a scientist before I began writing novels (I have a Ph.D. in ecology, a Master’s degree in Marine Biology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology), and I’m all in favor of scientists looking into anything they think is interesting. Still, there have been a number of studies of the loch, using radar, sonar, and so on, which have not found anything. But you can’t prove a negative (this is an axiom of the scientific method, btw; you have to have a falsifiable hypothesis. That means you have to have an idea that could theoretically be proved wrong. That’s why creationism isn’t science–it can’t be; you can’t prove that God doesn’t exist. Ergo, you don’t have a falsifiable hypothesis) in this case; there’s always a possibility that something is there, and we just haven’t found it yet. The odds are against it, but after all, you only need one monster. <g>

Good luck with your report! (Btw, there’s a Loch Ness Monster center at Drumnadrochit, on the shores of the loch. You might try Googling them and also visit their website.)

Best wishes,

–Diana

Images at upper right: 1)The famous 'Surgeon’s Photo' of the Loch Ness monster’s head and neck from 1934, now known to be a hoax; and 2) What scientists think plesiosaurs probably looked like. Photo credits: Wikipedia.

What kind of dinosaur is Nessie?

Well, the one Claire saw (in OUTLANDER) is probably a plesiosaur, as stated above. I have one of the British Museum models of it on my bookshelf. The model is blue…and so is Claire’s monster. <grin> The small details of appearance are based on a knowledge of basic reptilian anatomy, though.

This page was last updated on Friday, July 11, 2014 at 4:45 a.m. (PDT) by Loretta.