On the 17th day of Claire-mas, we’re taking a look at why there’s a focus on Claire’s hair color, especially in the later Outlander books.
At first, Claire’s hair color is just a part of her description. As the books go on, her hair color becomes much more important. It all starts in Drums of Autumn and for the show in Outlander Season 4. There are then mentions of her hair color throughout the books.
What would make her hair color so important, though? Why is this something she’s so concerned about? She’s not the vainest of all characters, and while she may worry about getting older, she knows deep down that Jamie loves her no matter how she looks. We even saw that when Malva and Mrs. Bug cut Claire’s hair off when she had the fever.
Claire-mas Day 17: The color of Claire’s hair in Outlander
The topic is so important because of something that Claire is told. Nayawenne of the Tuscarora people tells Claire in Drums of Autumn that Claire will come into her full powers when her hair turns white. The character is called Adawehi and is played by Tantoo Cardinal in Outlander Season 4. The name change is due to the tribe change, but the conversation is still the same.
Claire doesn’t just time travel. Like many travelers, she has another ability. She can heal, and that’s the power Nayawenne refers to. Claire’s healing powers are very much like Master Raymond’s and a few others in the book. She has a blue light about her, and we start to see that light in later books.
When Claire’s hair is fully white, she will have her full healing abilities. It’s not quite happened in the books just yet, but Claire is getting there. It should happen fully in the 10th and final book.