Read about Jamie’s thigh muscles in Dragonfly in Amber book (alas, couldn’a find a Dougal quote):
I scooped out a good bit of the salve and spread it down the long muscle of the thigh, pushing Jamie’s kilt above his hip to keep out of the way. The flesh of his leg was warm; not the heat of infection, only the normal heat of a young male body, flushed with exercise and the glowing pulse of health. I massaged the cream gently into the skin, feeling the swell of the hard muscle, probing the divisions of quadriceps and hamstring. Jamie made a small grunting sound as I rubbed harder.
See Dougal’s kilt-kick showing a fierce and fine vastus medialis muscle in Starz episode 209, Je Suis Prest. Thank ye verra much, Dougal!
Confession time: I have wanted to do a lesson on the anatomy of a kiss for a very long time. Today is that day! Welcome to Anatomy Lesson #14: The Lips (and a little tongue too).
Now, you may think there is little anatomy of the lips but there is so much info and complexity that we’ll be lucky to cover it in a single lesson!
I need models for our lesson and who better than Claire getting her first kiss (Starz episode 101, Sassenach). NO, not this kiss!! Claire usually has to urge Frank but she seems to like this kiss just fine and I’m betting there is a group of folks out there that give two thumbs for any face time with Frank.
Clearly Claire is not pleased with this kiss. Dougal’s efforts garner him a kick in the stones, a sharp slap and a wallop over the head with a stool! Dougal, best get ye gone man before you end up “paying a greater price!”
Ok, how about this one? Better? Ha! Getting down to business, Jamie and Claire seal the wedding vows with their first kiss (Starz episode 107, The Wedding). In Outlander book, Herself records the moment:
“More mumbling from the priest and Jamie bent to kiss me. It was clear that he intended only a brief and ceremonial touching of lips, but his mouth was soft and warm and I moved instinctively toward him. I was vaguely conscious of noises, Scottish whoops of enthusiasm and encouragement from the spectators,but really noticed nothing beyond the enfolding warm solidness. Sanctuary.”
Whoa, Prof! This wedding kiss lasts waaay longer than one brief frame! How about some time lapse photography? OK, students, not to dwell on the point, but here’s Claire as she accepts Jamie’s kiss.
A wee release of the lips and more kiss! Aye, she gives as good as she gets.
More lip action; she really leans into it. Good lass!
Finally, at the end of the lengthy lip-lock, Claire is on her tippy-toes panting for more. No ceremonial peck here. Well, when she kisses him like that maybe she isna so sorry to be marrying him after all.
Gasp! Mayhap we all best come up for a wee gulp of air!
Can I ask you a question? “Did you like it?” He he – Jamie did!
Topography of Lips: Now, on with the anatomy lesson! First, let’s begin with topographical (surface) anatomy of the lips. The lips are the part of the face surrounding the oral fissure, the external opening to the oral cavity (Image A, black arrow).
In anatomy, the upper lip (black bracket) extends from nasal septum all the way inside to the web of tissue near the upper gums. Similarly, the lower lip (red bracket) extends from the groove of chin (red arrow) inside to the web of tissue near the lower gums.
Lips are soft, pliable and mobile and almost prehensile in their movements. Consider that lips are active in biting, chewing, drinking, licking, swallowing, speaking, singing, screaming, sucking, crying, humming, etc. Wow, not too many areas of the body can lay claim to such a vast range of services! And, lastly, the lips are a tactile sensory organ and thus classified as an erogenous zone.
Image A
Image B shows upper frenulum and lower frenulum, webs of tissue that mark the
internal terminus of upper and lower lips. Frenula (pl.) help anchor lips
to gums.
Try this: Grasp your upper lip and lift locate the upper frenulum. Repeat with the lower lip.
Image B
Vermillion Border: The vermillion border is the margin where facial skin meets upper and lower lips (Image C, black arrows) – the interface where lip liner is applied.
Vermillion Zones: In anatomy, the areas commonly called upper and lower lips are vermillion zones (Image C, black brackets) – the areas where lipstick is applied.
From vermillion zone to oral cavity, lips transition from thin, dry hairless skin to wet mucosa (blue arrows).
Try This: Look in a mirror and identify vermillion border and vermillion zones. Next, pull down your lower lip and find where the skin of the vermillion zone turns into wet mucosa of the inner lip. Got it? Good!
Image C
More Lip Structures (Image D):
tubercle: lip-blip in the midline of upper lip – it varies in size
philtrum: vertical groove from nasal septum to lip tubercle
philtral columns: paired ridges of skin flanking philtrum
Try this: Return to the mirror to locate these features of your own lips or,
better yet, use a partner!
Image D
Always fun to throw in a wee bit of comparative anatomy…in mammals such
as the dog, the philtrum is more extensive, a midline cleft extending from nose through upper lip (Image E – red arrows) that may act as a channel to direct dissolved odorants towards the nasal septum.
Image E
Cupid’s Bow: The vermillion border of our lower lip is an even line, but not so with the border of the upper lip which bears twin peaks, the so-called Cupid’s bow (Image F – red line) in honor of the weapon born by Cupid, Roman god of erotic love. And, the peaks of the bow coincide with philtral pillars (black arrows). The more prominent the peaks of Cupid’s bow, the more obvious are the philtral pillars.
Photo F
No surprise here, but Jamie’s upper lip demonstrates a prime and manly example of Cupid’s bow and its associated philtrum (Starz episode 102, Castle Leoch) but I wager you already ken this. Wink, wink. His bow is well-defined (mmphm) and his upper and lower lips are picture perfect. Studies show that lip size in men is linked to sexual appeal. Subjects in these studies preferred men with masculine lips, neither too large nor too small. Sound like anyone you favor?
Starz Claire has absolutely beautiful lips that are full, expressive and verra feminine!
They define her face to a large extent and along with her eyes were features I
noticed first (Starz episode 109, The Reckoning). Again, psychology studies have
shown that the larger a woman’s eyes and the fuller her lips, the more desirable and feminine she was perceived by participants of these studies. Lipstick is thought to enhance this underlying perception.
Microscopic Anatomy of Lip: Let’s turn from surface anatomy to the lip as seen in a microscope. Microscopic anatomy is AKA histology (Greek meaning tissue knowledge). Considerable technology is required to prepare tissues for microscopy: samples are imbued with paraffin (sometimes plastic), sliced very thin, picked up on glass slides and stained before examination. How thin is the slice? Well, it would be roughly 6 µm (.006 mm or .00023 in) – thin enough for light to pass through the slice.
Image G is a tissue section of lip as view with a microscope (Image G). It takes
some skill to recognize subtle differences, but the top box surrounds a patch
of facial skin with hair follicles, sweat and sebaceous glands (Anatomy Lesson
#5 and Anatomy Lesson #6); the left box encloses the vermillion zone of thin
skin sans hair and glands; the bottom box surrounds a patch of wet mucosa
(living cells throughout the surface layer). Look closely: the black arrow
points to dovetails (interdigitations) between the dark red thin skin and the deeper
pink-blue dermis. Let’s take a closer look:
Photo G
Hey, students, wake up! Stay with me now – I can see you nodding off! Here, this might help (Starz episode 102, Castle Leoch). Oh, weel, I see that got your attention. Talk about lips doing their job and giving us a full wattage smile!
Photo H is a much higher magnification of the dovetail region indicated by the arrow in Photo G. See the odd pink oval structure that resembles shredded wheat or
venetian blinds (Photo H-black arrow)? This is a special sensory body first identified by Georg Meissner, a German anatomist and physiologist (1829-1905). These structures, named Meissner’s corpuscles are excited by light touch. The dermis of
erogenous zones, such as the lips, contains higher concentrations of Meissner’s
corpuscles than non-erogenous regions. When excited by light touch, the nerve
endings fire and information is transmitted along nerves to the brain.
Photo H
Photo I is an artist’s rendition of a Meissner’s corpuscle. The lavender and black region is overlying thin skin; the gold and black structure is the corpuscle. Ergo, increased numbers of these touch-sensitive structures explains the basis of the so-called erogenous zones of the body.
Photo I
Break time for practical
application of our knowledge about the lips: From Outlander, Herself quotes the Latin poet, Catullus:
“Then let amorous kisses
dwell
On our lips, begin and
tell
A Thousand and a Hundred
score
A Hundred, and a Thousand
more.”
Well, Jamie and Claire dinna disappoint. There are many amorous kisses shared by these two in Starz episodes 107 and 108. I was actually surprised by the frequency as I worked on this post. Gah! Messed with my sleep patterns!
Now let’s move to gross anatomy of the lips. Do you recall from Anatomy Lesson #11 the name of the muscle surrounding the oral fissure? If you said orbicularis oris, you get 100 points! For years, anatomists taught that orbicularis oris was a circular, sphincter-like muscle that contracted like a camera diaphragm to close the oral fissure (Photo J). Well, recent studies have proven this is not the case.
Photo J
Orbicularis oris is composed of four interlacing quadrants of muscle (Photo K – right side only): upper left, upper right, lower left, lower right. Further, each quadrant is divided into two parts: fibers of the vermillion zone form pars marginalis (Latin meaning marginal part) and fibers outside the vermillion border form pars
peripheralis (peripheral part). Doing simple math, this means our oral fissure is surrounded by eight interactive layers of orbicularis oris. This arrangement lends major control over shape so orbicularis oris is proficient at closing and puckering the lips.
Also, notice the mass labeled modiolus (Photo K)? This is a paired fibromuscular node just inside the commissures of each lip.
Try this: slip a clean thumb inside a corner of your mouth about 0.5 in (1.25 cm); close your index finger against the thumb. You should feel a thickening; this is the modiolus. At least seven facial muscles connect to or pass through each modiolus (one on each side) making it extremely important to facial symmetry. While performing surgery of the lip area, reconstructive surgeons strive to symmetrically align the modioli (pl.); once these are secured, associated facial muscles of each side are more likely to balance. Notice that orbicularis oris fibers attach to the modiolus.
Photo K
The following line drawing (Photo L) shows how the upper lip changes shape during contraction of orbicularis oris. Imagine a midline vertical slice (midsagittal plane) through the upper lip, then view it from the side; the stick drawing is a simple rendering of that slice. The pink line shows the lip shape at rest; the blue line shows the lip flattened during a pucker. The shape-shifting is due to contraction of orbicularis oris.
Photo L
Here’s a verra good example of lip puckering by Jamie’s orbicularis oris as he plants a lovely one on Claire’s lips. Good job, lad! He’s a terrific anatomical model as I keep saying (over and over and over). Ha! Well, it’s true!
Time for another interlude: how about this image from Starz episode 107, The Weddingat the end of the first amorous kiss between Jamie and Claire? Oh, Jamie, your lip looks a wee bit swollen. Did you get thumped by a horse? Those fillies can be
dangerous! Whinny!
And yet another drop-dead wonderful kiss between our hero and heroine! The next quote doesn’t exactly fit wi’ the image (Start episode 107, The Wedding) but I’m betting ye can suffer through it. Herself writes in Outlander book:
“He leaned down and gently fitted his mouth over mine. I had kissed my share of men…Jamie, though, was something different. His extreme gentleness was in no way tentative; rather it was a promise of power known and held in leash; a challenge and a provocation the more remarkable for its lack of demand. I am yours, it said. And if you will have me, then…I would, and my mouth opened beneath his…”
Hey, yoo hoo, back to anatomy. I think I lost ye again, ha ha! It’s OK, I lost it myself…So, you may recall that several muscles of facial expression insert into orbicularis oris (Anatomy Lesson #11 and Anatomy Lesson #13) adding their tug on the lips. LLSAN, levator labii superioris and zygomaticus minor act as retractors to lift and curl the upper lip; platysma and depressor labii inferioris pull down and curl the lower lip
(Photo M). The left side of the drawing (on your right) shows the pull of the three elevator and two depressor muscles acting as retractors on orbicularis oris.
All of this detail reveals that our lips have a complex muscular framework, an arrangement lending impressive control over the lips and how they might engage in kissing: pucker, no pucker, curl, no curl, suction to produce a smack. Aye, if the lips are slightly curled and mild suction applied, the kiss produces an audible smacking sound. Re-watch (for the umpteenth time) Starz episode 107, The Wedding, and listen to the end of the wedding kiss; you hear a soft smack. Verra, erm, satisfying! Now ye know how that happens.
Photo M
Many would argue that a kiss will be neither complete nor completely satisfying without a wee bit of tongue. I dinna have space to cover all tongue anatomy which is complex and lengthy. But a brief keek will suffice. The tongue core is very nearly all muscle; it participates in swallowing, taste, and speech. Its free surfaces are covered
with wet mucosa similar to that of the inner lips. Its top and sides are embellished with wee bumps, the papillae, some of which house taste buds. Photo N is an image of the tongue taken with a scanning electron microscope (SEM – Anatomy Lesson #5 and Anatomy Lesson #6), an instrument that greatly magnifies an object because it illuminates using an electron beam rather than light rays. Papillae on the top of the tongue are very apparent (red arrows). Check out your own papillae in a mirror; they come in 3 or 4 different shapes. Your taste buds are microscopic so ye cannot see them.
Photo N
For the tongue to join in a kiss, its muscles must activate. Hard to believe but the tongue contains nine different muscles: four paired and one unpaired (Photo O)! Paired muscles are extrinsic meaning they arise from surfaces outside the tongue but end within it. The unpaired muscle, consisting of four layers, is intrinsic meaning the layers arise from and end within the tongue itself.
Genioglossus arises from inside the mandible, fans out and ends
near the midline of the tongue. Acting with its mate, it protrudes the tip of
the tongue. Look in the mirror and stick out your tongue – genioglossus muscles working!
Hyoglossus arises from hyoid bone (Anatomy Lesson #12) and inserts
at the sides of tongue. Together they depress (pull down) the tongue.
Styloglossus arises from the styloid processes (Anatomy Lesson #12
– aye, those gothic spikes!) and blends with the above two muscles. Together, they retract the tongue – pull your tongue back in your mouth – styloglossus muscles working!
Palatoglossus arises from the palate and inserts into sides of tongue.
Together with its mate, it lifts the sides of tongue.
But, perhaps the four layers of intrinsic muscle are most appreciated in kissing. They arise from various parts of the tongue and blend with the extrinsic muscles. Acting alone or together the four layers curl, shorten, dome, narrow, elongate, widen or fatten the tongue. Whew, that’s quite a list! Intrinsic muscles give the tongue precise and highly variable mobility for speech, swallowing and (although not listed anatomy texts) for kissing! So, consider this is why a kiss with tongue can be so remarkably creative. Try it out! Ye have my permission.
Photo O
This last image (Starz, episode 107, The Wedding) is dark, but here Jamie serves once again as our anatomical model; the camera clearly loves him! This is just after Claire wraps him in a lover’s shroud of his own plaid. Oh, aye, his tongue is involved in this kiss. If ye canna see it here, go watch the episode again. OK, ye can all get up off the floor now!
So kisses involve lips and mayhap tongue and given the number of muscles involved
humans are granted considerable creative license in their use. Hope ye get to use yours on this beloved day and that ye all enjoyed learning about those busy lips and tongues and the anatomy of a kiss.
And if ye dinna have a partner today, then remember that your body contain trillions of cells each whispering “Tha gaol agam ort!” Gaelic for “I love you!” If our cells didna care, we probably wouldn’t exist.
Let’s end the lesson with a wonderful quote from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1802–1885):
“How did it happen that their lips came together?
How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts,
that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill?
A kiss, and all was said.”
And for those who are new to my blog, a wee note of explanation: I follow the convention of using Outlander character’s names rather than actor’s names. This gives the cast at least one degree of separation and a wee bit of respect as I
dissect their bodies with words! I hope ye all understand!
We humans communicate via written word, oral articulation, body language and facial expression.
Welcome to Anatomy Lesson #11 where we learn about muscles that give expression ta the face; it telegraphs more emotional content than perhaps any other body part (Image A) and it’s probably the main way the world recognizes each of us.
WARNING: if ye are a wee bit squeamish, this post contains drawings of the skull and facial muscles sans skin. But, if you concentrate on the science queasiness is usually replaced by the intellectual challenge of learning. I promise. Be brave!
Image A
This lesson starts and ends with Jamie. Why? Can you name an actor with a more expressive face? Frankly (no, not that Frank), I think our ruadh Jamie ranks up there with expressives such as Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Laurence Olivier. His range of facial expression is so great that there are times he looks like a different actor! Check the next image: at first glance, his gorgeous countenance appears serene but look again: it fair beams wi’ intelligence, determination, calculation and wit (Starz episode 4, The Gathering)!
And, I’ll be saying that Jamie is no afraid to use his muscles of facial expression if they yield keener insight into his emotional state – here as the warrior furiously fighting the Grants (Starz episode 8, Both Sides Now).
OK – on to the lesson!
Skull: Several skull bones provide attachments for muscles of facial expression (Image B). Please palpate (feel) these on your own skull: the bone of your forehead is the unpaired frontal bone; at the back of the skull is the unpaired occipital bone; the cheeks are mostly the paired zygomatic bones (Anatomy Lesson 8); the upper teeth are seated in paired maxillary bones; the lower teeth anchored into the unpaired mandible; the bridge of the nose is formed by paired nasal bones.
Try this: Grip the bridge of your nose wiggle it – normally, it doesn’t move. Now, work your fingers toward the tip until you feel bone give way to soft tissue – at this point the nasal bones are joined to nasal cartilages which you can easily wiggle.
Image B
The human face has 20+ pair of muscles offacial expression (Image C – not all muscles are shown). Little wonder that the face can display an astonishing range of emotion with more than 40 individual muscles plus working individually or in groups for combined effects!
Facial muscles vary considerably from person to person. Most are thin, flat and subcutaneous (just under the skin). Some attach to skull bones, or to the dermis of the skin (Anatomy Lesson 5 & Anatomy Lesson 6) or with other facial muscles. Thus, some have no bony attachments at all. As these muscles contract, the skin wrinkles at right angles to the direction of the muscles fibers, which over time gives rise to wrinkles. They also have strange names that are pronounced like they are spelled.
Image C
The muscles of facial expression develop from the same embryonic region and all are innervated by the paired facial nerves which arise from the brain (Image D).
Each facial nerve leaves the skull via a hole (foramen) just below the ear canal and breaks into 5 branches that supply the muscles of facial expression. (psst…The large bumpy orange mass at the side of the face is the right parotid (salivary) gland).
Image D
We anatomists love using devices and mnemonics to help us remember the myriad of names and details of the human body. It’s a mess of info you ken? Here is a fun one to recall the branches of the facial nerve (Image E); it’s a teaching device – not intended to intimidate the wee lassie. I like this acronym to recall the branches: To Zanzibar By Motor Car!
Image E
The paired facial nerves signal the muscles of facial expression to contract! If a facial nerve is compromised by injury, etc., then the facial muscles are paralyzed on the same side. This condition, known as Bell’s palsy, is demonstrated in the archival photo of a gentleman from the late 1800s (Image F). The right side of his face (on your left) has lost expression: he cannot close the eyelid, his mouth droops and his smile (nasolabial) fold is flattened.
Bell’s palsy is a difficult, debilitating and depressing condition because, as noted earlier, our face is how we face the world. To honor contributions by Scots to medical science (there are many) the syndrome bears the name of the man who first described it: Dr. Charles Bell (1774-1842) surgeon, anatomist and graduate of The University of Edinburgh. Pertinent to this topic and based on his anatomical knowledge, in 1806 Bell published “Essays on the Anatomy of Expression in Painting” for the instruction of artists.
Image F
Back to the muscles of facial expression!
For simplicity, I divide the face into five regions, naming their facial muscles and providing examples from Outlander cast members. Please ken that I canna cover all the muscles of facial expression nor all the cast for such a post would be way toooo long.
Region #1 – Forehead/Eyebrows: Four paired muscles act in this region but we will discuss only three pairs (Image G):
Frontalis (black arrow),
Occipitalis (blue arrow) and
Corrugator supercilii (purple arrow)
NOTE: Skin overlying the corrugator supercilii (purple arrow) receives it own name, glabella, meaning smooth. At rest, the skin between the eyebrows is smooth unless the corrugator contracts and then it wrinkles.
Frontalis: Fibers of the frontalis muscles are oriented vertically from a connective tissue sheet overlying the skull (galea aponeurotica – grey in Image G) to the dermis o’ the eyebrows. Frontalis muscles raise the eyebrows and wrinkle the skin of the forehead as in asking a question or expressing concern.
Image G
Now, several of you have begged for Dougal in a lesson. So, here he is with both frontalis muscles contracted as he interrogates Claire (Starz episode 5, Rent).
Occipitalis: The paired occipitalis muscles (Image G 🤞🏻) are oriented vertically from the occipital bone to the galea aponeurotica. When they contract, forehead skin is pulled backward.
As Claire causes kissus interruptus, Jamie contracts his occipitalis muscles and his forehead and scalp are pulled backward (Starz episode 7, The Wedding)! Watch the episode again (as if you need an excuse) to see his occipitalis muscles in action and you’ll ken what I mean.
Claire, what a tease! (psst…Jamie, if the lass willna do her duty, in the interest of science I’m sure there are plenty of others willing to step in…just sayin’!)
Corrugator supercili: Fibers of the paired corrugator supercilii are oriented diagonally from the frontal bone to the dermis between the eyebrows (Image G 🤞🏻). As they contract the brows “knit” together creating vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows as in worry, frown or puzzlement. Here, Claire watches as Geordie nears death at the tynchal (Starz episode 4, The Gathering).
Q: Now, here’s a more complicated facial expression: Jamie watches a foul redcoat deserter assault Claire (Starz episode 8, Both Sides Now). Which muscles of his forehead are contracted?
A: Well, turns out both frontalis and corrugator supercilli muscles contract to reflect terror, despair or helplessness. Jamie looks to be in agony here. Good job if you named either muscle!
Region #2, Eyelids: One pair of facial muscles operates the eyelids, the orbicularis oculi (Image H – black arrow).
Orbicularis oculi are paired elliptical muscles attaching to frontal and maxillary bones and to a fibrous band at the inner corner of each eyelid.
Orbital loops of each orbicularis oculus rise to the brows, reach the temple and overlay the zygomatic bone.
Palpebral loops extend into the upper and lower eyelids.
Contraction of orbicularis oculi close the eyelids to varying degrees. (NOTE: the eyelids are opened by muscles that do not belong to muscles of facial expression.)
Image H
Here is a funny scene from Starz episode 5, Rent: Dougal is telling the Highlanders about auld granny Mary asking her husband what he was thinking “when ye first saw me nipples!”
Note the crow’s feet at the corner of his right eye (L not visible)? These are caused by contraction of each orbicularis oculus muscle – here in an expression of mirth. Dougal is so into his story that he drools! It happens quickly, but you can see a wee sliver of saliva after it drops from his mouth (red arrow). Verra funny!
In the same episode Jamie tells Claire: “Dinna worry – trees are safe, Sassenach” (much safer than Uncle Dougal. Aye?).
Here only the orbicularis oculi of his lower eyelids are contracted giving him the Fraser cat’s eyes and broad cheekbones that Herself attributes to Jamie.
Here’s Claire’s with her eyelids closed because the palpebral parts of her orbicularis oculi muscles are fully contracted. She’s just told Jamie that his dirk is too long and heavy for her (Starz episode 8, Both Sides Now). Snort! Rupert replies that the lassies say that to him all the time so Claire gives him a look of mild disgust. Naughty Rupert!
Region #3, Upper Lip: A whopping five pair of muscles operate the upper lip (Image I)! We’ll cover four of the pairs:
zygomaticus major (purple arrow),
levator labii superioris alaeque nasii (green arrow) and
rizorius (blue arrow).
orbicularis oris (black arrows) operates both upper and lower lips
Image I
Zygomaticus major:Zygomaticus major reaches from the zygomatic bone to the corner of the lips. Its contraction pulls the corners upward as in a smile. Jamie shows a good one here (Starz episode 5, Rent).
Claire has just declared that Angus can “kiss her bloody English ass.” Jamie canna help but grin – she’s a spirited lass and he likes her potty mouth. Hey, hey, did you also ken that he has cheek dimples? Too cute!
Levator labii superioris alaeque nasi (LLSAN): The LLSAN muscles have the longest name of the 600+ skeletal muscles of the human body but they are small. The name is Latin for “lifter o the upper lip and wing of the nose”.
Each muscle arises from the maxillary bone and divides into two slips – one to the upper lip and the other to a nostril. In plain English, the lip-slip lifts the lip into a snarl and has been tagged “The Elvis Muscle”. Well, Rupert beat Elvis out by two centuries when he snarls at Claire “Horse, my cock” (Starz episode 4, The Gathering)! Yep, that’s his right LLSAN muscle contracting.
The other slip of LLSAN flares the nostril (red arrow). It’s quick but here Jamie flares his nostrils as he tells Claire he reckons they will be riding all that night and the next one too (Starz episode 1, Sassenach)! There is a better one of his flaring nostrils but I’ll be saving that for a later lesson!
Risorius:Rizorius muscles reaches from the parotid glands (Image I 🤞🏻) to the corner of the lips. As they contract, the mouth pulls into a grim, flat smile – here, Jamie kens just how pissed Claire is about the marriage contract (Starz episode 6, The Garrison Commander)!
Orbicularis oris: Orbicularis oris circles the mouth but isn’t a sphincter; it is a complex of four interlacing quadrants of muscle that contract to:
Close the mouth
Pucker the lips
kiss
Play brass instruments
Spit
See it in action here as Jamie warns Claire that he will brook no dissent from her – aye, she is coming with him (Starz episode 1, Sassenach)! If she willna walk then he will pick her up and throw her over his shoulder! Does she want him to do that? Her mouth says no, but her heart says, oh aye!
And here is Claire’s orbicularis oris muscle getting into the act as she puckers up and spits in the face of BJR (Starz episode 1,Sassenach)! Doesna matter if he does look like Frank, the smart lass wants nothing to do with this bloody bastard!
Region #4, Lower Lip: The lower lip has 5 paired muscles that activate it. The lower lip is also moved by the unpaired orbicularis oris but it has already been discussed above 🤞🏻. We will cover four (Images J & K):
mentalis (green)
depressor anguli oris (purple arrow)
platysma (blue arrows)
depressor labii inferioris (see Image K)
Image J
Mentalis: Mentalis muscles contract to pucker the chin skin. See Mrs. Fitz (red arrow) asking God to bless Claire for saving her nephew, Tammas Baxter (Starz episode 3, The Way Out).
Just so you understand, the lips are everted by other muscles. Mrs. Fitz adores Claire. She would have the Miracle Worker sit for a portrait if it were up to her!
Depressor anguli oris: Depressor anguli oris muscles pass from the mandible to the orbicularis oris muscle (Image J). As they contract, the lower lip is drawn down; Claire contracts both of hers to demonstrate disgust at the British treatment of the Scots (Starz episode 6, The Garrison Commander). Her outspoken words place her in the hands of BJR!
Platysma: Each platysma is a long, thin flat muscle that begins in the dermis near the 2nd rib, passes over the jaw and ends in the dermis near the lower lip; it has no bony connections and is sometimes listed as a muscle o’ the neck (Photo J).
Have ye noticed how a horse can quiver its skin to rid itself of flies? It has a pair of muscle equivalent to the human platysma. As our platysmas contract, they pull down the lower lips and wrinkle the skin of the neck conveying the expression of a grimace.
Here we see Jamie with his platysmas contracted (red arrows) after he hoists Dougal over his shoulder because his uncle was playing dirty shinty (Starz episode 4, The Gathering)!
Depressor labii inferioris: The fifth and last pair of lower lip muscles is depressor labii superioris, green in Image K. This muscle extends from mandible to dermis of lower lip. As its name implies, it pulls down on the lower lip. Couldn’t find a good Outlander example so the drawing must do.
Image K
Region #5, Cheek: Each facial cheek contains one muscle, the buccinator (Photo L – black arrows); it hides deep to risorius muscles. Each muscle starts near the back of the jaw and blends wi’ the orbicularis oris. It’s known as the bugler’s muscle fer guid reason; try this, fill yer mouth wi’ air and push out yer cheeks. The bulging cheeks contain the buccinators. Now, draw yer cheeks inward ta blow out the air; ye just contracted yer buccinators. Congrats!
Image L
Here, Jamie’s right buccinator (green arrow – canna see the left one) is expanded as he contemplates one of a bazillion questions thrown at him.
That brings our lesson on the muscles of facial expression to a close.
but, here is something to contemplate…. in case you think that animals cannot have facial expression take a wee keek at these next four images (Starz episode 5, Rent).
In this scene, Rupert has just told the Highlanders how he was stuck between hairlip Chrissie and sweaty Nettie trying to decide which one to swive first. Sassy-lassie Claire declares that she believes his left hand is jealous of his right! This brazen comment is followed by a moment of tension where everyone, especially Jamie, awaits Rupert’s Response (sounds like the title of a book – Aye?). Jamie gets the joke right away.
Takes a few seconds but then the other Highlanders get her joke! Jamie’s zygomatic majors are contracted here in a big old grin! Then, Brimstone gets the joke!
Brimstone is really getting into it along with Jamie!
BTW did you notice the beautiful cutwork on Brimstone’s bridle? Dinna know who did the leather work but it’s almost as lovely as Claire’s wardrobe which Mrs. Fitz puts together sometime between supper after the boar hunt and first light the next day as they head off to collect the rents! (That Mrs. Fitz sure is a miracle worker herself). I figure the covered wagon they take is to carry Claire’s wardrobe – it would put a queen to shame!
And finally, the full horse laugh from Brimstone. Och, ye are a witty one, Claire!
Now I promised you that I would begin and end with Jamie. I have pondered how it is that he has such an expressive face. Here are my ideas:
He has more muscles of facial expression than most folk! Aye, it happens and I have seen examples in the dissection lab.
His facial muscles are more highly innervated giving greater control over them.
He is a keen observer of human emotional nuance and highly intuitive which allows him to feel his way through a character more than most actors.
His emotional intelligence derives from some combination of the above.
Whatever the explanation, we viewers are the lucky beneficiaries of his acting skills. So, thank ye Jamie!
Here’s a terrific example from Starz episode 3, The Way Outas Claire unties Jamie’s stock to check his gunshot wound: with little more than sideward glance, a slight narrowing of the eyelids and a wee tug of the lips, Jamie conveys extreme discomfort and smoldering UST! Och, if ye dinna know what it means, check www.urbandictionary.com!
I hope ye enjoyed learning about the verra important muscles of facial expression, especially Jamie’s!
And for those who are new to my blog, a note of explanation: I follow the convention of using character’s names rather than actor’s names. This gives the cast at least one degree of separation and a wee modicum of respect as I dissect their bodies with words! I hope you all understand!
