Outlander fans left with ‘chills’ after huge Jamie Fraser ghost theory
Many have been speculating about Outlander’s biggest mystery
Outlander fans have been left reeling after one eagle-eyed viewer may have found a clue about the show’s biggest mystery: Jamie Fraser’s (played by Sam Heughan) ghost.
Since the very first episode, and indeed the first Outlander novel published back in 1991, fans have been trying to figure out how the 18th century Highlander appeared in 1940s Inverness.
Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies) happened across Jamie’s ghost, who was looking up at Claire’s (Caitríona Balfe) bedroom during a storm.
Claire was brushing her hair as she gazed into a mirror without a care in the world when the storm knocked out the power and she resorted to using candles.
Meanwhile, Frank was left shaken when he tried to speak to Jamie’s ghost, who promptly vanished into thin air before his eyes.
Taking to Reddit to comment about the scene, the Outlander fan explained how they’d been doing research into Halloween traditions and stumbled across a ritual involving mirrors in Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials on Samhain.
The ritual involved learning the identity of one’s future husband by sitting in front of a mirror, eating an apple and combing your hair.
The user stated that although there was no apple in the ghost scene, the Outlander version may have been a variation of the ritual.
The Redditor called wanderthehalls then posited: “So here is my theory: Claire was partaking in a ritual without knowing it.
“She didn’t know she could travel through time either, but by George she did it. Why not have more accidental power, especially in this magical season of the Wheel of the Year?
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“By combing her hair and staring into that mirror, she welcomed her future husband, Jamie, from the past and beyond the veil of death. And furthermore, their destined love was so strong, even Frank could see Jamie’s apparition.
“If Claire had merely peeked over her shoulder as the tradition states, she too would have seen Jamie in his misty Highland dress.”
Many applauded the observant fan, with one person responding: “This may be the first theory about Jamie’s ghost that I love!”
A second wrote: “Wow I got chills reading that, I love this theory!” As a third noted: “Well done! I believe this may be something.”
Someone else added: “I'm on board with this theory. Makes good sense to me.”
Yet another person added onto the theory: “Because that area holds the memory of ancient traditions and superstitions, Claire’s consciousness was primed to be affected by the ritual. Mrs. Graham also suggested she may have two husbands in this “lifetime” while reading Claire’s palm. Therefore, her subconscious was “tuned” into the collective consciousness of which this normal ritual of brushing one’s hair puts you into the agreement to manifest her husband(s).”
Fans will have to wait until next year when the eighth and final season of Outlander comes out to discover the explanation behind the ghost.
However, actor Heughan has already been told by author Diana Gabaldon about the ghost so that he would play the scene out in a specific way for the purposes of the story.
He previously revealed how he had been shown the last few pages of the final book early on, giving him an idea of the endpoint of Outlander.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood is streaming on Starz in the USA and on MGM+ via Prime Video in the UK
Outlander season 8 will air on Starz and MGM+ via Prime Video in early 2026