Did Colum suspect Claire could get mixed up in the witch trials?
Did Colum know Claire would likely be with Geillis on Outlander?
After saving the life of a horse and a newborn foal, Colum gave Claire the gift of a rosary in the first Outlander book. Is it possible there was more to this rosary knowing what he was going to do.
We now know that Colum was the one to arrange Geillis’s arrest as a witch. He needed a way to deal with her due to the baby. However, Colum wasn’t blind or stupid. He knew that Claire would often be seen with Geillis. After all, both worked with herbs and were both outsiders in the town. It made some sense that they connected with each other.
Could this have been the reason for the rosary? He knew what he was going to do and suspected that Claire might be caught up in the middle of it? Could he have thought the rosary would have been something to protect her just in case?
Jamie used the rosary in Claire’s defense
Something that wasn’t used on Outlander Season 1 was the gift of the rosary. This is a book plot that I admittedly had forgotten about until a recent reread. Colum giving the gift happened in Chapter 24 and it was used in Chapter 25.
Jamie took the rosary to look after it. When Jamie came to save Claire at the witch trials, he placed the rosary around Claire’s neck. This helped to prove she wasn’t a witch in two ways: jet (the material of the rosary) would burn a witch’s skin and Jamie suspected the cross would also.
While Claire was never officially cleared of the charges, it was a good argument. Maybe had Claire had the rosary with her at the time and used it to pray, she could have avoided the whole thing. A witch wouldn’t pray to the Lord. At least, one of their witches wouldn’t pray to the Lord. We all know the “witches” of the past we just the Bibical versions of witches, but I won’t get into that!
Colum didn’t do anything to save Claire. Is that because he didn’t think the examiners would find her guilty? Or maybe he would have stepped in had she been found guilty.
Or maybe the rosary was just a gift for the sake of a gift. But this is Colum, and I always suspect he has other motives.
Next. 9 places every Outlander fan should travel when able. dark
Why do you think Colum gave Claire this specific rosary? What was the significance of it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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