Malva’s Mother as a Time-Traveler

Today’s post is an extension of a former one, in which I discussed the strong similarities between Geillis and Mona: Malva’s Mother and her Sister-In-Law Part 1. Some of these resemblances are the use of pentacles in rituals, and the fact that they are both femmes fatales. I also discussed the notion that Mona was probably from the Scottish Highlands. 

Of interest is the fact that Malva’s mother used to possess vitriol. Claire muses that the only reason for somebody from the eighteenth century to have this substance is for aggression. In An Echo in the Bone, two prominent details are given to readers.

1. Edgar, Tom Christie’s brother was poisoned and not burned (ch. 19).
2. Lord John remembers sending Claire large quantities of vitriol for the production of ether (ch. 71).

In regards to the second observation, it is probably mentioned somewhere in book 6 (it might have been just in front of me but I probably missed it). Furthermore, the reader is led to believe that sulphur (vitriol) is most likely used to burn somebody based on Claire’s observations. In fact, ether turns out to be extremely volatile at the end of book 6. What Claire never suspected is the possibility of somebody being able to develop ether or an ether-like substance in the past. Two possibilities must be considered at this stage:

1. Malva’s mother was intelligent enough and observant of chemical compounds to develop an ether-like substance that she could use.
2. Malva’s mother was a time-traveler with skills similar to Claire’s who successfully produced ether.

What matters at this stage is that Edgar’s death was probably “accidental” (similar to what happened to Aidan McCallum). There is simply no reason for Mona to kill him assuming they loved each other. It is also possible that after this “accident,” Edgar’s wife took advantage of the situation to have Mona accused of witchcraft. Of course, the possibility of Mona’s sister-in-law killing Edgar cannot be discarded.

If Edgar’s death was the result of ether, it might explain partially the behaviour of both Malva and Tom towards this substance.

• It will explain Malva’s fascination with ether not only because it gives her power but also because her mother used it.
• It will also explain Tom’s rejection towards its use even though his religious beliefs cannot be disregarded.

Malva reveals to Claire that her father sees the use of ether as unholy.

“I think I see why my faither says it’s devil’s work. Were he to see what it’s like” – she glanced at Bobby, who was beginning to stir – “he’d say no one but God has a right to do such things.” (An Echo in the Bone, ch. 42)

Of interest is the fact that Christie does allow Claire to fix his hands, a decision that collides with his religious beliefs. He basically makes the choice to be cured as opposed to being a victim of fate. This is contrasting to Hiram Crombie’s choice of not going to Claire in order to treat a snakebite. Of course, this is related to the fact that he thinks she is a witch. A similar case is the one in which Duncan Innes relates to Roger how a charmer (or more likely a time-traveler) fixed his cleft lip. Did Duncan’s mother make a choice to save him or was he destined to live? The answer lies in the flexibility of the person. Despite his abusive behaviour towards Malva, Tom is educated and he has a capability to see when somebody means to do good. That is why he considers Jamie’s sacrifice for taking the blame of carrying a piece of tartan a noble act even though their relationship is not in amicable terms. He is a conservative Presbyterian but with an open mind depending on the circumstances.

There is another piece of information that details the possibility of Mona being a time-traveller. It is related to the conversation Jamie is having with Malva in regards to Hiram not going to Claire to treat the snakebite:

“. . . Some say may be as your wife’s a witch, did ye ken that?

He felt an unpleasant tightness in his wame, though he was not surprised to hear it.

“She is a Sassenach,” he answered, calm. “Folk will always say such things of a stranger, especially a woman.” (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 48)

Jamie’s comment brings to mind the possibility of Mona being from the Highlands or / and from the future.

Thanks for reading. Next post will be available soon!

Update to this Post based on MOBY – January 12, 2016. 

Here is the addendum to this post, Revelation in MOBY: Malva’s Mother was an Apothecary. Here is a fragment of this addendum, which is relevant to this post. 

In regards to Edgar’s death, it is mentioned in An Echo in the Bone that he was poisoned and not burned. What this detail brings to a reader’s mind is the event in which Claire had to resuscitate Aidan McCallum in A Breath of Snow and Ashes. Was Edgar killed with a substance similar to ether? How would somebody know that Edgar was actually poisoned especially back in the eighteenth century when forensic analysis was not developed and not even applied to dead bodies? It seems that Mona had the reputation of using ether constantly.

According to Tom Christie, Mona was a witch and not a nice person. Is this true? I tend to think that Tom’s information about both Malva and her mother are biased, even though there is a strong correlation between Mona and Geillis. There is also the event in which Tom whips Malva, which was most likely a repetitive occurrence in her life. One can claim that children were given a good hiding as a chastisement. Jamie and Jenny were whipped by Black Brian but they never felt mistreated or not loved (and of course not to the point of creating psychological or physical damage). The only issue that I have with this assessment is that it seems that Tom never whipped Allan. There is absolutely no evidence for this and when Allan is violent towards other characters, such as Roger, Tom does not intervene at all. He does not even calm his son.

The Evidence from Moby

While trying to purchase vitriol in an apothecary in Savannah, Claire muses about how ether was invented.

. . . The substance was known, I knew – someone or other had discovered it back in the eighth century, or so I was told in medical school – but its use as an anesthetic wouldn’t be developed ’til somewhere in the nineteenth century. I wondered idly whether anyone in the intervening eleven hundred years had noticed that the stuff put people to sleep, but had inadvertently killed them and thus abandoned further experimentation. (MOBY, ch. 130)

Claire is then told that ether is developed to treat seasickness (which means most likely that the person suffering seasickness is not conscious onboard).

MOBY reveals that Malva’s mother was an apothecary (as Claire originally assumed). She was able to develop ether (she probably learned it from somebody). It is highly likely that she accidentally killed Tom’s brother, and that Edgar’s wife took advantage of this to have her executed. It also confirms that Malva’s mother is not a time-traveler but a smart person from the eighteenth century with good observation skills. It also explains Malva’s fascination and Tom’s possible familiarity with ether before meeting Claire.

Works Cited

Gabaldon, Diana. A Breath of Snow and Ashes. 2005. New York: Bantam Dell. 2006. Print.

– – -. An Echo in the Bone. 2009. New York: Bantam Dell. 2011. Print.

– – -. Written In My Own Heart’s Blood. 2014. New York: Bantam Dell. 2015. Print.