Why is Henri-Christian a dwarf in Outlander?

Henri-Christian is born a dwarf in Outlander Season 6, Episode 2. There are a lot of comments about demons, but what is the real reason?

There were a lot of superstitions around dwarfism in the past. That’s something that will come up in the series, and we’re expecting to see some of it come up in the next episode. Two of the biggest superstitions is that Henri-Christian is a demon and that Marsali had some sort of relationship with the devil.

However, we know now that none of this is true. There are actually 14 different types of dwarfism, but it’s not clear right now which type Henri-Christian has.

The big question for Marsali, Fergus, and others is why Henri-Christian is a dwarf. Is it something that Marsali did or something that happened to her? The truth we know now is that it’s simply genetics.

Claire will need to explain genetic mutations in Outlander

Claire will want to help Fergus understand what dwarfism really is. While he knows what could be in store for his son in the future, he also currently blames himself. He thinks that this happened because of Marsali being attacked. He thinks that if he could have stopped that, the baby would have been born average.

Claire knows that’s not the case. Dwarfism is a genetic mutation. Sometimes it’s in the sperm and sometimes it’s in the egg. Nobody really knows why this genetic mutation happens (and why it doesn’t happen in every child from the same couple), but it’s got nothing to do with what happened to Marsali.

If Marsali was in the 20th century, she would have known about Henri-Christian before his birth. It’s something picked up on scans and through other testing. Claire wouldn’t have even considered checking for it as things seemed normal in the womb.

Of course, not everyone on the Ridge is going to understand or believe that. Fergus may not even care. After all, this isn’t always about why it’s happened but about what’s to come, and Fergus fears for his son’s future.

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