OUTLANDER Links, Part I: Culloden

Fraser clan stone
The clan stones were large boulders of gray granite, rounded by weather and blotched with lichens. They sat on patches of smooth grass, widely scattered near the edge of the moor. Each one bore a single name, the carving so faded by weather as to be nearly illegible in some cases. MacGillivray. MacDonald. Fraser. Grant. Chisolm. MacKenzie.

(From Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 4 ("Culloden"). Copyright© 1992 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
And here is a video of a Culloden re-enactment. I like the song playing in the background (performed by Isla Grant) very much. Thanks to Kristin Sanderson -- aka "Woogie" -- for the link!



Of course I can't let a mention of Culloden pass without noting that Jamie Fraser was there as well:
"Ye looked fair wild, man, for there was blood runnin' doon your face and your hair was loose on the wind. Ye'd sheathed your sword to carry me, but ye pulled it again as ye turned away. I didna think I should see ye again, for if ever I saw a man set to meet his death..."

He shook his head, his eyes half-closed, as though he saw not the sober, stalwart man before him, not the Fraser of Fraser's Ridge--but Red Jamie, the young warrior who had not gone back from gallantry, but because he sought to throw his life away, feeling it a burden--because he had lost me.

(From The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 7 ("Shrapnel"). Copyright© 2001 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
Here's the link to the Culloden Battlefield site in Scotland. Diana Gabaldon was there earlier this year (on the anniversary of the battle of Culloden that took place on April 16, 1746) to attend the dedication of their new Visitor's Centre. Go here to read her impressions of that visit. Some of you may already have seen this account on Diana's blog or on Compuserve, but if you haven't read it before, I highly recommend it! <g> Nothing like reading a firsthand description of what the area looks like, in Diana's own words.

If you find these links interesting, check out my other "OUTLANDER Links" blog entries:

OUTLANDER Links, Part 14: 18th Century Clothing
OUTLANDER Links, Part 13: Plants and Herbs
OUTLANDER Links, Part 12: Standing Stones
OUTLANDER Links, Part 11: Science and Technology
OUTLANDER Links, Part 10: Weaponry
OUTLANDER Links, Part 9: Historical Events
OUTLANDER Links, Part 8: 18th Century Medicine
OUTLANDER Links, Part VII: Gemstones
OUTLANDER Links, Part VI: Wildlife
OUTLANDER Links, Part V: Castles and Palaces
OUTLANDER Links, Part IV: Native Americans
OUTLANDER Links, Part III: All Things Scottish
OUTLANDER Links, Part II: Colonial North Carolina
What Do These Things Look Like?

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