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Time travel refers to the phenomenon of moving through time in a nonlinear fashion. The only known method of time travel in the Outlander series is traversing a certain geographic location, often indicated by a natural or man-made landmark.

Theory[]

A Practical Guide for Time Travelers[]

Brianna and Roger MacKenzie begin to record everything they know – or at least suspect – about time travel in a journal, which they jokingly refer to as the "Hitchhiker's Guide" for time travelers. The journal includes exposition on ley lines and geomagnetism as part of a series of working hypotheses on how time travel works.

Genetics[]

The evidence to hand regarding time travel as an inherited ability is the correlation between parents and offspring, with regard to demonstrated ability to pass through known time portals: Claire Fraser and her child, Brianna, have the ability; Geillis Duncan and her descendants (William Buccleigh MacKenzie, Jeremiah Walter MacKenzie, and Roger MacKenzie) all have the ability; and the children of Brianna and Roger, Jeremiah MacKenzie and Amanda MacKenzie, have the ability.

The Comte St. Germain, another traveler, also seems to be aware of the heritability of the time travel trait, as he actively seeks others with the "blue aura" – an observed but somewhat mysterious trait of time travelers – in order to procreate with them.

Observed Phenomena[]

Locations[]

Days of the Year[]

  • Beltane (May 1)
    • Claire, 1945
    • Geillis, 1968
    • Kenneth, 1968
    • Brianna, 1971
  • Summer solstice (June 20-22)[1]
    • Roger, 1971
    • Buck, c. 1781
  • Lughnasadh (August 1)
  • Autumnal equinox (September 21-24)[1]
  • Samhain (November 1)
    • Jeremiah, 1941
    • Claire, 1968
    • Brianna/Roger/Jem/Mandy, 1776
    • Roger/Buck, 1980
  • Winter solstice (December 20-22)[1]
    • Brianna/Jem/Mandy, 1980
  • Imbolc (February 1)
  • Vernal equinox (March 19-21)[1]

Aides to Travel[]

  • Gemstones
  • Fire
  • Blood

Special Abilities[]

  • Healing[2]
  • Extrasensory perception[3]

Testimony[]

Geillis's Grimoires[]

In October 1743, Claire looks at a volume in Geillis Duncan's attic room bearing the title L'Grimoire d'le Comte St. Germain.[4]

In late April of 1968, Claire steals Gillian Edgars' gray-covered notebook from the Institute for the Study of Highland Folklore and Antiquities. Claire recognizes it as not merely a collection of scholarly notes, but as a grimoire, and finds that the writing within is a mixture of myth and science, with sections headed by titles like "Observations", "Speculations", and "Conclusions".[5]

Three years later, when Roger realizes that Brianna has gone through the stones into the past, he asks Fiona about Gillian Edgars, and what there is to know about the stone circle on Craigh na Dun. Fiona admits that Gillian had left behind a book bound in green cloth and hands it over to Roger, who finds an account in Gillian's own hand. The book opens with, "This is the grimoire of the witch, Geillis." It goes on to describe the "Sun Feasts and Fire Feasts" and to document "Case Studies", or suspected instances of time travel as evidenced by disappearances and deaths in the vicinity of stone circles. The final section is headed by "Techniques and Preparations", concluded by the assertion that "sacrifice is required."[6]

Robert Springer's Journal[]

In 1772, when Young Ian returns from living among the Mohawk, he brings with him a journal written in Latin, given to him by an old Mohawk woman named Tewaktenyonh. Inside, Jamie and Claire find an account written by Robert Springer, also known as Ta'wineonawira or "Otter-Tooth". He describes his journey through a portal, recounts guidance he received from a man named Raymond about time travel, and lays out his mission to prevent the native peoples from trading and allying with the Europeans.

Raymond's Knowledge[]

Through a confused interview with Wendigo Donner, Claire and the others learn what a man named "Raymond" knew about the portals. According to Raymond, time portals tend to occur in groups, these existing all over the world: the Caribbean, the Northeast near Canada, the American southwest in Arizona and Mexico, and the British Isles to the French coast, possibly down into the Iberian peninsula.[7]

Known Time Travelers[]

Fraser-MacKenzie Family Group[]

The Montauk Five[]

  • Robert Springer
    • From 1968 to ca. 1720
  • Wendigo Donner
    • From 1968 to 1766
  • Jeremy – Journeys unknown[10]
  • Atta – Journeys unknown
  • Jojo – From 1968 to 1766, killed by the journey

Others[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 All solstice/equinox dates in this section are based on northern hemisphere.
  2. Raymond, Claire, and Hector McEwan have demonstrated healing abilities which resemble the pseudoscientific practice of reiki.
  3. Jem and Mandy can, from varying distances, sense the presence of each other as well as that of other family members.
  4. Outlander, chapter 24.
  5. Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 49.
  6. Drums of Autumn, chapter 32.
  7. A Breath of Snow and Ashes, chapter 55.
  8. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Estimate
  10. Robert Springer's journal lists his companions' names as Rains Hard, Talks With Spirits, Strong Walker, and Six Turtles.
  11. Voyager, chapter 60. Geillis says she'd been in the past five years when she met Claire in 1743.
  12. The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel
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