The Brahan Seer, also known as Kenneth MacKenzie, was a legendary predictor of the future of 17th century Scotland.
Personal History[]
Outlander series[]
Voyager[]
During their mission to rescue Young Ian from Geillis Abernathy, Claire encounters the Reverend Archibald Campbell, who begins telling her about a prophecy made by the Brahan Seer, concerning the Frasers. According to Campbell, "the prophecy states that a new ruler of Scotland will spring from Lovat's lineage," and it will happen after "the eclipse of 'the kings of the white rose'", or the Stuart line.[1]
While in Geillis's plantation house, Claire sees a genealogical chart of the Frasers of Lovat, and notices the names of Jamie and his father, Brian, as an illegitimate branch stemming from Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat – Jamie's grandfather. This, together with the sight of Brianna's photograph – stolen by Geillis from Jamie's collection – having been burned in some sort of ritual, confirms that Geillis intends to travel through time again and find Brianna, whom she now believes to be the heir of Lovat's line.
Written in My Own Heart's Blood[]
In 1980, Brianna finds a letter hidden inside the old desk at Lallybroch, addressed to her from Frank Randall. In it he describes what he knows about Claire's story, and the research he conducted to find out if any of it could possibly be true. He explains that he found Jamie Fraser, and a whole lot more besides, including information about the Fraser Prophecy made by the Brahan Seer. He includes a chart he found (created by whom, he doesn't know, though he had intended to find out) showing the line of descent from Simon "the Old Fox" down to Brianna. Frank goes on to warn Brianna that if the wrong people were to find out about her ability to time travel, as well as her being descended from the Frasers of Lovat, she could be in danger.[2]
Name[]
Trivia[]
- Although the Brahan Seer is real in the sense that the legend exists outside of the Outlander series,[3] the lack of contemporaneous documentation regarding the existence of any person named Kenneth Mackenzie (or Coinneach Odhar "Dark Kenneth") during the 17th century has long cast doubt on whether he actually lived, or whether these predictions were simply born of oral tradition and/or based on events that had already happened, then ascribed ex post facto to a fictional prophet.
TV Series[]
In The Bakra, Geillis and the Reverend Campbell discuss a prophecy by the Brahan Seer which states that a seer must hold three sapphires at once, in order to learn "when the new Scottish king will rise." At the Governor's ball, Margaret Campbell holds the three sapphires and makes a prophecy:
- When twice twelve hundred moons have coursed
- 'Tween man's attack and woman's curse
- And when the issue is cut down
- Then will a Scotsman wear a crown
Archie Campbell interprets the words as meaning, "A new king will rise in Scotland upon the death of the child that is two hundred years old on the day of its birth."
After interrogating Claire in Eye of the Storm, Geillis connects the dots between the "two-hundred year old baby" and Claire and Jamie's daughter, Brianna.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Voyager, chapter 61.
- ↑ Written in My Own Heart's Blood, chapter 42.
- ↑ Mackenzie, Alexander; Macgregor, Alexander. The prophecies of the Brahan seer, Coinneach Odhar Fiosaiche. 1888. Accessed 12 June 2020.