Outlander history: Did Murtagh see Claire arrive through the stones?

On May 2 in the Outlander universe, Claire went through the stones and arrived in 1743. There are a lot of questions about whether Murtagh saw it happen.

There are debates within the Outlander fandom about whether Murtagh knew Claire was a time-traveler. It’s a great day to look at this, as on this day in Outlander history, Claire arrived through the stones in 1743.

May 2 is a big date in the fandom. It’s the date that Claire travels through the stones for the first time. It starts the story, bringing Claire to the past to meet her soulmate.

Before she meets Jamie, she comes across Black Jack Randall. Murtagh saves her. We’ll focus on the books for the purpose of this post. If you haven’t read the books or the graphic novel “Exile,” there are spoilers in the post.

Claire isn’t the first through the stones

While Claire is the only one to travel from 1945 (or 1946 depending on the book version), she isn’t the first to appear in 1743. Just a few hours ahead of her, Kenneth appears through the stones. Wait, Kenneth?

For those whose memory is a little hazy, Kenneth is Geillis’s co-conspirator. He travels at the same time as Geillis but lands in a completely different time. It gives you an idea that 202 years isn’t the standard for time-traveling and can explain who Geillis ends up travel from 1968 to sometime in the 1730s.

A few hours later, Claire steps through the stones from 1945. She has no idea what has happened, never planning to time travel.

Murtagh sees it all

In the graphic novel “Exile,” Murtagh sees the events play out. He watched Kenneth and then sees Claire a few hours later. With Claire being a woman, he knows that she needs more protection and ends up following her. This is how he just happens to be in the right place at the right time to protect her from Black Jack Randall.

However, he doesn’t think that she’s a witch or a time-traveler. Murtagh views her as a fairy. It’s an easy assumption to make considering the time and place.

It’s later that Jamie explains that Claire time travels. This isn’t something mentioned in the main books as we mostly see things from Claire’s point of view. However, Diana Gabaldon has mentioned in the past that Murtagh knew the truth. Some things just don’t make it to the main books.

Of course, Murtagh finds out the truth in a vastly different way during the TV series. He finds out in the second season when Jamie explains it while they’re in France. Murtagh has a lot of empathy for Claire, making a note that he’d never want to know the things she did. It’s a heavy burden.

Outlander Season 5 continues on STARZ.