Voyager: Part Five

Chapter 23: Craigh na Dun

© Diana Gabaldon 1994

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The mist of early morning obscures the standing stones at Craigh na Dun, but doesn’t lessen the forbidding impact of the monoliths as Claire leaves the hired taxi, and begins her ascent towards her destiny. With gold and silver in her hidden pocket, Claire feels the impact of what she is about to do, and wonders whether she’ll have the strength to complete the task.

At the top of the hill, and with the stones standing stark against the crystal sky, Claire is startled to see Brianna and Roger, standing together in front of the stone circle. Speechless with astonishment, Claire laughs at the vision of Brianna in a lime green Jessica Gutenburg dress, complete with plastic adornments. It lightens the mood, but does not divert from the real focus of the mission, which is to say goodbye to Claire. Realising that her mother is afraid and unsure, Brianna admits that she and Roger can hear the stones, and offers to go in Claire’s place -

"I don’t know whether I could find Jamie Fraser or not; maybe only you can. But if you won’t try, then I will”
“We owe it to him Mama”, she said softly “Somebody has to find him and tell him” Her hands touched my face, briefly. “Tell him I was born”

With a voice so choked she can hardly speak, Claire looks into Brianna’s blue Fraser eyes, so like her father's, and accepts the gift Brianna is offering her.... “He gave you to me” she said, so low I could hardly hear her. “Now I have to give you back to him Mama”

With Brianna’s kiss for her father imprinted on her lips, and urged by Brianna to “Go, Mama,” Claire hears the call of the stones, steps through time......

....and disappears –


• Was there any possibility of Claire NOT going through the stones, and how realistic would it have been for Brianna to go in her place?
• The impact of the stones doesn’t lessen with time – imagine how Roger and Brianna must feel, knowing that they too can hear the pull of the stones.
• The first time Claire went unintentionally through the stones, this time it’s by design - is she better prepared enough for this passage through time?
• How do you imagine it would feel to go through the stones, and more importantly – would you?


This piece of music conjures up the stones at Craigh na Dun....it's entitled DIVENIRE and means "to come " -

Ludovico Einaudi

–it comes courtesy of Ludovico Einaudi at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010. Bear with it- the clip is about 8 minutes long – but close your eyes, and imagine Jamie on the other side of forever.

I love this scene. It is so deep with emotion and yet understated.
Question #1
I think Claire had some doubt she could do it. The trip through the first time was horrifying. I don't remember right off that much was said about the second. To face it knowing what was coming would have been difficult enough but leaving your child behind on the slight chance you might survive and find what you are looking for must have been next to impossible. But....this is Claire we are talking about. She always does seem to find that extra measure of bravery and determination when she needs it most. And she would risk anything for Jamie, even her own life. She did it before.

Great summary. I recently listened to this part on the audio.
Q1 - As Thistle said, Claire was torn. It was dangerous and she was leaving her daughter behind, presumably forever. What a choice to make! Sure she was having a hard time with it. But I think in the end, she would have gone through. She wouldn't let Bree take the risk.

Q2 - I think she is better prepared - she has been acquiring some funds, knows what to expect and where to start. The first time, she didn't even know such a thing was possible. She is now as ready as she can be.

Q3 - I don't know if I would go. I think so, if the reasons were strong enough and I sort of think true and eternal love might just do the trick.

Sassenach, Thank you for the beautiful review and for the touching accompaniment. I loved it!

• Was there any possibility of Claire NOT going through the stones, and how realistic would it have been for Brianna to go in her place?
I would hope not. Although hesitance, certainly.
• The impact of the stones doesn’t lessen with time – imagine how Roger and Brianna must feel, knowing that they too can hear the pull of the stones.
They must admire Claire for her courage. But then, Brianna's offer at least matches that courage!
• The first time Claire went unintentionally through the stones, this time it’s by design - is she better prepared enough for this passage through time?
She is certainly better prepared in a material sense. I was surprised that she didn't bring more clothing, a shift, even a second gown (a la Heidi). But then, we know that Claire does not put great stock in material possessions. The first time was totally unexpected and without preparation. The second time was an emergency. This time she had time to think about the passage and dread it. She was certainly courageous. I would have liked for their research to find out more about Jamie after her projected arrival to be assured that she would find him. I suppose that the limited historical knowledge just made that impossible.
• How do you imagine it would feel to go through the stones, and more importantly – would you?
Without sharing her love for Jamie, I don't think that I can answer that question. I will play the coward and not try.

I was surprised at the secrets revealed in this chapter. Claire told Roger the night before that she planned to leave Brianna forever without saying good-bye. In the meantime, how long had Brianna been planning her "replacement act" - mentally preparing for this most important occasion in her life, buying the dress, other preparations (?), and getting to Craigh na Dun ahead of Claire. Did Brianna's preparations begin when they were hunting for the old coins? What role did Roger play in both of these deceptions? Surely, he discussed Brianna's plans with her in depth? Is this the reason that he was so amenable to Claire's plan to not say farewell in person? Is this intended as a comic relief to Claire's departure? What do you think of these secrets and how DG reveals them?

At a minimum, this effort impressed me with Brianna's maturation since the first disclosure of Jamie as her father. Does she impress you with her courage (like her father) to take this step, knowing how the trip frightened her mother and hearing the stones when Gillian Edgar disappeared?

(Sassenach, I apologize for stealing your thread.)

I'm listening to the music as I read through the thread and type this. Lovely.

Some really good summary and comments, everyone.

I understand Claire's fear and hesitation - knowing how it is going through the stones and having to leave Brianna behind, but ultimately, she is Claire and it's Jamie she is going to find, so she was bound to go, I think. And, I certainly can't imagine that she would let Bree go instead (maybe together she'd consider it?). But, I respected Brianna for having made preparations and making the offer to go in her place. I think Bree guessed that Claire would be having second thoughts about leaving her (as she herself had had about being without her mother as expressed to Roger in the previous chapter) and knew that she had to make sure the trip happened for her mother's sake, as well as for Jamie's, so he'd know about her. I think Roger must have known about all of Brianna's preparations and I understand why he kept that information from Claire. I think the horrible color of the dress was the only comic relief, but overall, this was a very somber scene, since of course, none of them knew for sure that Claire would make it through, and to the right time and how would Bree and Roger find out? Claire would become almost like a missing soldier whose family wouldn't know if s/he was alive or dead or where.

I think Claire was much better prepared this time, with all the knowledge she had about what she would be facing, and just knowing about the time traveling. Plus, she had money, appropriate attire, food and whatever else she carried. If it weren't for the fact that she had to leave Bree behind, I think she would have been very prepared for this.

And, wimp that I am, I'm not sure I would have the courage to face going through the stones, knowing what the experience would be like, but I suppose if there was Jamie and I had the relationship with him that Claire did, that might be different.

[This post feels very disjointed, but I don't have a lot of time at the moment to fix it. Sorry.]

My hesitation in going back through the stones, if I were Claire, would be knowing that I would likely never see my daughter again. Bree is more than capable of taking care of herself and there is Roger now who loves her and is supportive of "the mission". Yet I would be devastated to willingly leave my child. Bree was brave and selfless enough to force the issue, thereby relieving Claire of any implied guilt trip.

My fear in going through the stones would be that I would end up at the wrong time or stranded on the North Pole, etc. and still miss out on finding Jamie. My longing for him would make me risk it anyway.

What a beautiful summary, and accompanying music clip - a great match, Sassenach!
• Was there any possibility of Claire NOT going through the stones, and how realistic would it have been for Brianna to go in her place?
Great question! I went back yes/no over and over before deciding no, there was no possibility of her not going back...how sure could they be that they could pick up Jamie's whereabouts again? It was a difficult thing to weigh, knowing she'd have to leave Bree, but agree with Repoman on the maturity she'd developed, actually being willing to go in Claire's place in case she decided not to go...which I think she was pretty sure Claire wouldn't be able to do.

• The impact of the stones doesn’t lessen with time – imagine how Roger and Brianna must feel, knowing that they too can hear the pull of the stones.
It must have been pretty scary, and opened up possibilities at the same time. It must have been the only reason Bree would have even dared attempting to put forward a plan of her own to go, if Claire couldn't.

• The first time Claire went unintentionally through the stones, this time it’s by design - is she better prepared enough for this passage through time?
Absolutely better prepared, pb&j and all! Knowing how far a journey she'd have to make to even reach Jamie, her money, dress, and snack were all ready for what she was pretty sure she'd encounter once she made it back. It was interesting that she left the zipper in the dress, knowing they hadn't yet been invented...given the suspicions of witchcraft and worse, that might have been the first thing to be replaced with buttons, but maybe there wasn't enough time.
• How do you imagine it would feel to go through the stones, and more importantly – would you?
It would be scary beyond belief - but if my "Jamie" were on the other side, and I knew it, I sure would, but I'd take my kids with me, assuming they both could make the journey...

I think it's interesting how Claire played through all the contingencies in her mind on the way to Craigh na Dun -- should she have the cab wait? What if she couldn't go through with it? But my impression was that this was more of a way for her to distract herself and keep herself calm on the way up the hill, knowing just how terrifying the stones are to her and yet knowing deep within herself that she couldn't not try to reach Jamie. Her voyage is just so beautiful to me. I would hope that I'd have the courage to do the same, in her shoes, but realistically, I'm not sure how many people would take that leap of faith.

I have to wonder whether Brianna would really have gone in Claire's place. Perhaps because of her strong bond with Claire, she knew Claire would need that extra encouragement to take the final step. If Claire had any doubts about what she was doing, getting that ultimatum (loving as it was) from Brianna would have been enough to push her past her fears.

I love that Roger was there as well. The scene was so nicely set up. Claire could go on her journey seeing both Brianna's strength and Roger's support for Brianna, enabling her to move forward toward Jamie without fear for her daughter's well-being.

I do wonder why none of the three of them discussed finding a way for Claire to leave them a message somehow, in a way that would be preserved through time, so that they'd know she made it safely. (Trying hard to observe the spoiler policy here and not refer to events in future books which are relevant).

I'm so happy to be rereading this book! Thank you all for the thought-provoking comments -- this is so much fun!

While Claire had a lot to be anxious over, I have to echo Aquagirl (pun intended) that the difficult issue here is the separation of Claire and Brianna. To say goodby to your only child forever for the possibility of finding a lost soulmate has to tear her heart in two. Brianna gives her the courage but I almost expect her to jump in right after her. She lost her father and now her mother. However noble the cause, I'm not sure that I could have made the same decision that Claire made. Brianna was here and real; Jamie was possibly somewhere, some time.