# Second Sight and the Supernatural in The Portent

> Theme guide for The Portent by George MacDonald.

The narrative is built around the Highland belief in 'second sight' and other psychic phenomena, such as prophetic visions, somnambulism, and the ability to influence others through willpower, which shape the characters' fates and relationships.

## Where it surfaces

- [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/dedication): The dedication explicitly mentions the story is founded on 'The Second Sight,' a supernatural belief.
- [The Portent](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/the-portent): The chapter explicitly introduces the theme of second sight as a central element of the narrative.
- [My Boyhood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/i-my-boyhood): The narrator's unusual hearing and fear of sounds are linked to the ancestral gift of second sight, suggesting a supernatural inheritance.
- [II: The Second Hearing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/ii-the-second-hearing): The nurse's trance and her reaction to the mysterious sound highlight the supernatural elements and the belief in prophetic visions.
- [III: My Old Nurse's Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/iii-my-old-nurses-story): Margaret demonstrates second sight by seeing the phantom horseman and predicting Duncan's future wounding. The legend of the doomed rider and the portent of the broken horseshoe are central to the chapter.
- [The Library](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/vii-the-library): Lady Alice's inexplicable appearance and fearful gaze at the library door hints at supernatural elements.
- [VIII: The Somnambulist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/viii-the-somnambulist): The narrator's inexplicable impulse and the mysterious galloping horse suggest supernatural elements and heightened perception.
- [The First Waking](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/ix-the-first-waking): The recurring sound of the horse with the clanking shoe, which only Duncan and Lady Alice can hear, underscores the supernatural elements of the narrative.
- [Confession](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/xii-confession): The narrator experiences a waking dream and hears Lady Alice's singing from a distance, suggesting a supernatural connection.
- [XV: The Chamber of Ghosts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/xv-the-chamber-of-ghosts): The chapter is steeped in supernatural elements: the haunted room, ghostly visions, and the shared hearing of the galloping horse, tied to a family legend.
- [Chapter XX: Margaret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/xx-margaret): Margaret's trance and vision are central to the chapter, demonstrating her supernatural abilities and the belief in such powers.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/themes/second_sight_and_the_supernatural
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/themes