It's one of the most enduring mysteries from the Outlander TV show and books – who is the bizarre figure in full Jacobite regalia spotted in Inverness by Frank Randall way back in season one?
Frank is returning to Claire when he first spots the mysterious person dressed very much like Jamie (who we hadn't met yet) staring at the window where his wife is standing.
But Claire is on her second honeymoon in Inverness with Frank in 1946 over 200 years on from when she meets Jamie, can it really be our favourite Highland warrior?
Perhaps the biggest clue of all comes from Frank and Claire themselves.
When her husband returns to the room, Claire says: “You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
To which Frank responds: “I’m not all sure that I haven’t."
Jamie's Ghost confirmed
The plot thickens when you realise that Outlander author and creator Diana Gabaldon herself has waded into the debate to confirm that the spectre is indeed Mr Fraser.
Posting on her website that all would be explained in the as-yet-unnamed book 10, she wrote: "The ghost is Jamie–but as for how it fits into the story, All Will Be Explained–in the last book."
Fan Theories
Fan debate on this enduring mystery has raged ever since it first appeared in the books and show fans have only added to that mix.
Spirit Guide
A Facebook user named Kelly N, has a theory on how Jamie's spirit could have appeared in the future.
Posting in the All Things Outlander Group she wrote: "I wonder if Jamie’s soul waited 200 years, as he said he would, and appeared (to us and Frank) during Samhain to guide her back to 1743.
"Was Jaime’s spirit watching over Claire since her birth in 1918 but visible to Frank because the veil is so thin on Samhain? Were the unusual Forget-Me-Nots planted by Jamie during the 20 years he was without her to lead Claire back to Craig N’a Dun after her visit with Frank?
"Is that why she was drawn to them and back to the stones the next day? Jamie would, of course, know of Claire’s interest in botany."
Dying Wish
One Reddit user, r/oldrobotlady has hinted that it could be Jamie's dying wish to see his love the day before they met, when she was young and untouched by magic.
This would also explain why Jamie is dressed in his prime as the Scottish warrior he always saw himself as.
Interestingly, Claire's visit to Inverness coincides with the Samhain Festival, a Celtic celebration on which the barrier between the living and the dead is thinnest.
Purgatory
Facebook user Kathryn Courtney has her own idea of how it could have happened.
With many believing that as a Catholic, Jamie would end up in purgatory for his violent life.
Of course, in Celtic lore, the Festival of Samhain is the liminal time when the dead can return to the world of the living.
Kathryn wrote: " Jamie’s purgatory is up and he goes to get Claire. Since he’s a ghost, he could be travelling between dimensions.
"So when his 200 years come up, he travels in time to the time period where he first met Claire."
This would explain it being Claire at 27 before she meets him in the 18th century.
She adds: "Everything else we saw on the show was a flashback of their lives together. The last episode ends with Jamie’s purgatory ending and him finally being able to go to Claire and they go to Heaven together."
Some fans think this is backed up by Jamie's own words in Dragonfly in Amber: “I will find you. I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you - then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes."
A Warning to Frank
Outlander fan Keri Gambardella's theory is a little more prosaic, with Frank simply glimpsing the future his wife will soon have without him.
She posted: "I personally always felt that it was actually Frank who was meant to see him. Like Frank is somewhat seeing the future (past) in a way. Like the universe is preparing him for what’s to come."
Astral Projection
Other theories include near-death Astral Projection - where Jamie's soul leaves his body temporarily - and even the idea that Jamie's death at Culloden in another timeline allowed Claire to travel back and save him in this one.
The thought of Claire is the thing that keeps him alive and returns him to his body. The projection of his soul or "ghost" could be explained through the traumatic experience of near-death or the power of deep love Jamie has for his unseen daughter.
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