Why Jamie Is Called “Mac Dubh” In Outlander S6 (Meaning & Translation)

Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Outlander season 6, episode 1.

Outlander’s Jamie Fraser carries many nicknames, but a powerful one, “Mac Dubh,” resurfaces in the series’ most recent episode. Outlander season 6 debuted on Starz on March 6^th and with it comes a strong tie to Jamie’s time at Ardsmuir Prison. In a long flashback, viewers return to the years of Jamie’s imprisonment, when the other prisoners refer to him as “Mac Dubh,” a name that has a big history and offers great meaning for Jamie’s character.

Outlander tells the story of Claire, a World War II nurse on holiday with her husband Frank in Scotland when she suddenly falls through time by touching a stone at Craigh Na Dun. Arriving in the year 1743, she meets Jamie Fraser, and the pair fall in love, with Claire choosing to remain in the past with Jamie rather than return to her own time in 1945. But when the Battle of Culloden draws near and Claire becomes pregnant, Jamie begs Claire to time-travel back to the future to avoid the war and protect their unborn child. Claire relents and Jamie is left alone to fight in the Battle of Culloden.

Outlander season 3 sees Jamie captured by the English following Culloden and sent to Ardsmuir Prison where many of his fellow soldiers are imprisoned. While incarcerated, Jamie brings peace to the prison by becoming a Freemason, in large part because of the comradery the men feel toward him. This comradery among the Highlanders at Ardsmuir is exemplified by Jamie’s nickname, “Mac Dubh,” which speaks deeply to his lineage.

What “Mac Dubh” Means In English (Translation Explained)

Firstly, Jamie’s nickname, “Mac Dubh,” is Scottish Gaelic, the old language of the Scottish Highlanders. The Battle of Culloden (Outlander season 3) saw the Highlanders greatly outnumbered by the British leading to a great massacre, with the Highland survivors being sent to Ardsmuir Prison following the battle. By using Scottish Gaelic, a language unique to the Highlands, the men create a sense of comradery in keeping the history of their people alive following the slaughter, highlighting the significance of the nickname.

The name also speaks deeply to Jamie’s specific lineage in multiple ways. Translated, “Mac Dubh” means “The Black One” in reference to Jamie’s father, Brian, who was often referred to as “Black Brian” for his jet-black hair. The “Mac” refers to Jamie’s mother’s side of his lineage, the Mackenzies (a tie that plays a large part in Jamie’s story throughout Outlander’s early seasons). This clever wordplay highlights how “Mac Dubh” is more than a simple nickname.

Why Jamie Is Called Mac Dubh In Outlander Season 6

When Jamie arrives at Ardsmuir Prison, he is the highest-ranking Jacobite officer imprisoned there and the men revere him. While the British call him “Red Jamie” (a nod to his red hair, but also to the English blood he spilled), Jamie’s nickname “Mac Dubh” is used by his own people, with the different monikers revealing the animosity within the prison after the Highlanders (the Jacobites) lose the Battle of Culloden and thus their mission to put Prince Charles on the throne. Capitalizing on the men’s reverence of him, Jamie brings peace to Ardsmuir, but not all the prisoners see Jamie as “Mac Dubh.” There is another faction within the ranks of prisoners, the Protestants, led by Tom Christie—a man who loses his power at Ardsmuir when Jamie arrives and looks to have come to Fraser’s Ridge ready to settle the score in Outlander season 6. Throughout the show, therefore, the use or lack of use of the moniker reveals a great deal about certain characters’ allegiances and motivations.

New episodes of Outlander air on Starz on Sundays.

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