Jemmy says that he’s feeding the nuckelavee in Outlander Season 7, Episode 4. Who is he really feeding? What’s going on around Lallybroch?
When Bree realizes that snacks are missing, she turns to the children to find out what’s going on. What’s when Jemmy shares that there’s a nuckelavee on the grounds. Bree has never heard of that creature, but Roger has, and this is what has him confused. The nuckelavee is a creature from lore from the Scottish Isles and not the Highlands. Where has Jemmy heard it from?
How about the story coming from the real nuckelavee that is on the grounds? With the missing snacks, it’s clear that Jemmy and Mandy are feeding someone. What is going on, and who could be following the MacKenzies?
We will get into book spoilers at the end of this post. First, we’ll look at some theories for the show-first or show-only fans who don’t want to know the details.
Who is the nuckelavee in Outlander?
Let’s look at this knowing the series. There is sure to be someone on the grounds of Lallybroch, someone who doesn’t want Roger and Bree knowing they’re there. This could suggest that it’s someone after the gold.
Roger and Bree have found out that Jemmy knows something. We know that he knows the location of the cave, but not that there’s gold in there. Roger knows the legend of the missing Jacobite gold. What if others know it too and have overheard something about the letters? Ernie or Fiona could have been around when Bree and Roger were talking about it at first. Could Ernie be the nuckelavee?
That’s unlikely, but someone could be after that gold. Maybe someone had learned about the MacKenzies through time or heard about Roger and Bree leaving in the 1970s. Geillis knew about Claire a little (at least, she did in the books), so why wouldn’t others have tracked Bree and Roger?
Who is the ‘creature’ in the Outlander books?
We’ve met the nuckelavee before. The Outlander books tell us that there’s a time traveler around. It’s time for Roger to come face-to-face with Buck MacKenzie again. This is not going to be an easy storyline for him, and it makes sense why Buck would call himself a nuckelavee. He is a terrorizing demon for Roger.
No, Buck isn’t after the gold, though. He also looks to redeem himself a little.