| Go Tell the Bees That... This page may contain MAJOR SPOILERS about Ulysses from the latest book in the Outlander series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. Read at your own peril! |
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| SPOILER WARNING This page contains MAJOR SPOILERS about Ulysses from the Outlander book series, which may not yet have aired in the TV series. Read at your own peril! |
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Ulysses is a formerly enslaved man who served as Jocasta Cameron's butler at River Run. He later served under Lord Dunmore during the American Revolutionary War, in exchange for freedom from enslavement.
Personal History[]
Born to a free farmer and named Joseph at birth,[3] Ulysses' life changed at age six when his father died and his mother, unable to work the farm, sold herself into slavery. She put the money with a carpenter so that Ulysses could learn a useful trade when he grew older, but when she died as well, the carpenter claimed that, since Ulysses "was the child of a slave, [he] was by law a slave" himself, and the carpenter sold him to a traveling schoolmaster.[4]
From the schoolmaster, Ulysses learned to read and write, and to read Greek and Latin. The schoolmaster was the one who named him Ulysses. When Ulysses was about twenty, the schoolmaster died and he was bought by Hector Cameron, who learned of Ulysses' talents and valued them. Cameron taught Ulysses to play chess, sing, play the harpsichord, and eventually to serve his wife, Jocasta Cameron, who was losing her sight.[4]
Outlander series[]
Drums of Autumn[]
The Fiery Cross[]
A Breath of Snow and Ashes[]
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone[]
Personality[]
Physical Appearance[]
Relationships[]
- Jocasta Cameron: Ulysses had a romantic relationship with Jocasta for about twenty years, beginning long before her husband, Hector Cameron, had died. According to Ulysses, Jocasta wrote papers for his manumission and gave them to him, insisting that "she could not bear to think that [he] came to her bed only because [he] must."[3] In effect, with these papers, Ulysses could have left at any time. However, he loved Jocasta and decided to stay with her, choosing not to have his papers legally approved by the Assembly, as doing so would have put him at risk of re-enslavement so long as he remained in North Carolina.[3]
Name[]
- Joseph comes from Ioseph, the Latin form of Greek Ιωσηφ (Ioseph), which was from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning "he will add".[5]
- Ulysses is the Latin form of the Greek name Odysseus, which was perhaps derived from Greek οδυσσομαι (odyssomai) "to hate". In Greek legend Odysseus was one of the Greek heroes who fought in the Trojan War.[6][7]
Trivia[]
TV Series[]
English actor Colin McFarlane portrays Ulysses in the Outlander television adaptation.[2]
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ In A Breath of Snow and Ashes, Ulysses stated his intention to join Lord Dunsmore's troops, as that man had promised freedom to any slave who joined his army. Ulysses' fate after leaving Fraser's Ridge is unknown.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Outlander: Look who's joining Aunt Jocasta at River Run – January 5, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Breath of Snow and Ashes, chapter 110.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Drums of Autumn, chapter 55.
- ↑ Behind the Name: Joseph. Accessed 5 January 2018.
- ↑ Behind the Name: Ulysses. Accessed 5 January 2018.
- ↑ Behind the Name: Odysseus. Accessed 5 January 2018.