Let's state the facts: Claire Fraser is freakin' incredible. Beyond being a skilled medical professional, the woman can travel through time! I can't do that, can you?
Though Claire doesn't seem to have any control over her time-travel abilities, there have been some clues that Claire could have supernatural powers on Outlander. And if this theory turns out to be true, then she just may be the witch everyone in the 18th century already thinks she is.
Fans can understand why Claire and her surgery baffle the people of the past, but even fans in the 21st-century have recognized her abilities might verge on the paranormal. On Reddit, user akestral documented all the times they believed that Claire's medicinal powers were a bit on the magical side in the books. And just in Outlander Season 5, Claire was seemingly able to save Jamie from his snake bit by her pretty scandalous touch. Sam Heughan told Glamour that the moment showed, "She has this healing ability in her hands" that "I wouldn't say it's magical, but maybe it is."
The most leading evidence of Claire's impending powers came in Season 4 though when Adawehi shared a vision she had. But let's examine all the clues that Claire might be more magical than she realizes on Outlander.
Claire As The White Witch & La Dame Blanche
Since Season 1, Claire has been accused of being a witch. Along with witch trials still being A Thing in the 1700s, you can chalk it up to Claire's progressive views, that she's a woman, and her knowledge of medicine. (Check, check, and check.)
But maybe all these cries of her being a witch are some sort of clue. After all, when Murtagh learns that Claire is from the future, he refers to her (for lack of a better word) as a witch. And knowing what happens in the future is a pretty witch-like ability.
Beyond Scotland in Season 1, Jamie starts the rumor in Paris that Claire is La Dame Blanche — a mythical sorceress. The rumor follows Claire, resulting in her "practicing" "white magic" in front of two real-life historical figures, King Louis XV and Jamie's grandfather Lord Lovat.
Later in Season 3, Jamie thinks Duncan Kerr's ramblings about the Frenchman's gold are about Claire when he mentioned the ban-druidh — the white witch. (Jamie sure is a fan of this theory, huh?)
Could Claire's powers grow to even amaze 21st-century viewers? While I don't expect Claire to become a magical sorceress out of nowhere like some sort of Minerva McGonagall, she could engage in healing that even she, with her 20th-century medical degrees, can't explain.
Claire As Madonna
In Season 2, Master Raymond tells Claire that there's a blue light around her, which is the same color aura he has, which is why he calls her "Madonna."
While the show didn't explore the Parisian apothecary's background, a big part of this theory comes from author Diana Gabaldon, who confirmed that Master Raymond is a time traveler and originally was a prehistoric shaman. According to Gabaldon, Claire is actually Master Raymond's descendant, which he recognizes because his progenies "have the blue light about them, too; in large degree or small, depending on their talents."
On the show, Master Raymond says blue is the color of healing. You can easily argue that Master Raymond has both practical and mystical healing powers, so couldn't Claire? He recognizes her "talents." So it's possible that with her big blue aura, she could eventually extend those powers to something more supernatural.
Claire As The White Raven
Once Claire comes to the American colonies, there are rumors about her powers again. In Season 4, the Cherokee healer Adawehi dreamt that Claire was a white raven. Adawehi's granddaughter-in-law tells Claire, "You have medicine now, but you will have more. When your hair is white like snow, you will have wisdom beyond time."
In Gabaldon's fourth book, Drums of Autumn, it's Nayawenne of the Tuscarora people who has this dream about Claire. Again, the white raven vision is translated by her granddaughter-in-law with the message being: "You have medicine now, but you will have more. When your hair is white like hers, that is when you will find your full power."
In both cases, Claire doesn't reach her full healing potential until her hair is white — as in, when she becomes an older woman. That suggests that she'll be able to do something truly magical when she's older (also, the character Ishmael in Voyager also insinuated that Claire could be capable of magic once her menstrual cycle ends)... and even Miss Clairol hair dye won't be able to stop this.
The Symbolism Of The White Raven
The white raven vision is a mystery for Outlander book and TV fans alike. But Reddit user penelope_pig theorized that the blue light Master Raymond mentioned could be related to this white raven prophecy in that Claire will fully come into her healing power when her hair turns completely white.
As for the mythology of ravens, these birds pop up all over the place. Ravens have been significant to Vikings (with Odin), Ancient Greeks (with Apollo), and Celts (with the war goddess Badb). Even Game of Thrones had the three-eyed raven. As for specifically white ravens, a 2006 article in The Journal of American Folklore explored the legend of a white raven turning black as punishment after it ate carrion (as ravens are wont to do) in different cultures.
But how do ravens fit into Outlander?
We learn a bit about the bird in Season 3, Episode 2, when ravens are said to be "messengers of death" at Lallybroch. For the books part, we learn in Chapter 22 of The Fiery Cross, that there is a Scottish Highland superstition surrounding the birds. As Claire explains, "One raven was an omen of change; two were good fortune; three were ill." She also feels unsettled around ravens since "Nayawenne had told me the raven was my guide, my spirit animal."
As for the white color of her raven, Claire later notes how "any white animal was regarded as being significant — and often sinister" in Native American cultures. In Book 8, Written in My Own Heart's Blood, Young Ian again says ravens are "certainly a warning of some kind." But that, "White animals were messengers. Both the Mohawk and the Highlanders said so."
What's It All Mean?
The "white raven" seems paradoxical since the "white" of Claire's witchiness usually means she engages in good magic while the raven is typically a bad omen of death. But what it could mean is that Claire's stronger, mystical powers will emerge during something really bad... say, a major character's death? And what better way for her magic to be revealed than if she was trying to save Jamie's life for the last time?
Claire is already magical and powerful. But the premonition from Nayawenne/Adawehi may mean that rather than Claire being passively transported through the stones, she could have the supernatural ability to control time travel or create magic of her own. Sure, that's quite sci-fi-y, but the show is based in time travel! And hey, if all of this ends up not happening, at least the white raven vision is proof that Claire's going to live until old age.
Images: Starz