Quote:To date all wolfbrothers have been male. Not much is known about the origins of the condition except that it is "older than the One Power", likely dating back to a much more primitive man. Stories of men running with wolves are older than the Age of Legends. Some wolves claim to have memories of their ancestors running and hunting together with men. Soon they will run with men again, to the Final Hunt. Although suspected by some Aes Sedai to have some involvement with the One Power, it is entirely unrelated to the ability to channel.

Quote:Week 13 Question: If a wolfbrother is reborn in another Age, will he be a wolfbrother again? In other words, is being a wolfbrother a trait related to the soul? Can women be wolfbrothers?

Robert Jordan Answers: Women certainly can be wolfbrothers, though the term would be wolfsisters. A wolfbrother or wolfsister reborn in another age would only be a wolfbrother or wolfsister again if that were possible in that Age. The ability to speak with wolves doesn't exist in every Age. In the "current" Age, it is a fairly new thing, appearing not too long ago. There are tales of it, sometimes just vague stories of people who supposedly "can talk to animals," without necessarily mentioning wolves, but remember that Elyas's ability was taken, at least by some Aes Sedai, as a sign that he was linked to the Shadow.

TDR, chapter 9 Wrote:Perrin is very worried that he will end up like Noam. That evening, after Simion brings him dinner, he goes to Moiraine to ask if she knows anything and can help him. She says she found a fragment of a book from the Age of Legends while studying at two friends' library.1 It describes Wolfbrothers, but even in the Age of Legends little was known. She warns Perrin that wolves live partly in a dream world and that dreams can be very dangerous to him. She has read that Dreamers have encountered wolves in their dreams.2 Perrin returns to his room and goes to sleep.

Elyas, tEotW, chapter 23 Wrote:"This is an old thing, boy. Older than Aes Sedai. Older than anybody using the One Power. Old as humankind. Old as wolves. They don't like that either, Aes Sedai. Old things coming again. I'm not the only one. There are other things, other folk. Makes Aes Sedai nervous, makes them mutter about ancient barriers weakening. Things are breaking apart, they say. They're afraid the Dark One will get loose, is what."

Robert Jordan Wrote:Min, and the sniffers, and wolfbrothers appearing are all highly indicative, you know. New abilities, for this Age, are appearing, and that in itself indicates great changes coming.

Quote:"I know very little, Perrin. While searching for other answers among the books and manuscripts two friends keep for their researches, I found a copied fragment of a book from the Age of Legends. It spoke of ... situations like yours. That may be the only copy anywhere in the world, and it did not tell me much [...] Perrin, even in the Age of Legends, they knew little of this. Whoever wrote it seemed uncertain whether it was truth or legend. And I saw only a fragment, remember. She said that some who talked to wolves lost themselves, that what was human was swallowed up by wolf. Some. Whether she meant one in ten, or five, or nine, I do not know. [...] Mostly, she wrote of dreams. Dreams can be dangerous for you, Perrin. [...] According to her, wolves live partly in this world, and partly in a world of dreams."