Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Mummy, is That You?
The Cairnholm Man is a perfectly preserved, 2700-year-old body found in the bog of Cairnholm Island. (Original name, huh?) Although he is mentioned a couple times, he doesn't have a major impact on the plot. The museum curator explains Cairnholm Man's origins to Jacob in detail, and later, when the museum curator is killed, he says that the Cairnholm Man killed him. (He's able to talk because Enoch temporarily brings him back to life.)
What does that mean? Cairnholm Man doesn't seem to be a tentacle-sporting hollowgast, which is what actually kills the museum curator. So is Cairnholm Man some sort of original hollowgast? Or a hollowgast sacrifice? Do you think Jacob will ever meet Cairnholm Man as he travels back in time in the sequel? Or is he merely a symbol of a culture that time forgot? Either way, as an image, his perfectly preserved body is a reminder that on this island, the past is ever-present.