Warning: Spoilers for The Wheel of Time season 2, episode 4
Summary
- The Wheel of Time season 2 has finally explained Perrin's true nature as a "Wolfbrother," someone who can communicate with wolves telepathically.
- Perrin now has company in the form of Elyas Machera, who also shares the same yellow eyes and travels with a pack of wolves.
- Being a Wolfbrother has important implications for Perrin's future, including his alliance with the Dragon Reborn and his relationship with the Aes Sedai, as well as his ability to navigate the Wolf Dream.
It took more than a season, but The Wheel of Time finally explained Perrin’s true nature, setting up new stories for the character in season 2 and beyond. With eyes that occasionally turn yellow and an obvious connection to the wolves in The Wheel of Time’s world, Marcus Rutherford’s Perrin Aybara has long been a subject of great mystery in the series. While it’s been understood for a while that he isn’t the Dragon Reborn, it’s been clear since the start of the series that he’s unique to all other characters on the show.
Thanks to The Wheel of Time season 2, Perrin now has company in the form of Elyas Machera, who shares his distinguishing yellow eyes. Played by Gary Beadle, the show’s new character travels with a pack of wolves and knows quite a lot about what Perrin is going through. After a long talk with Elyas in The Wheel of Time season 2, episode 4, titled “Daughter of the Night,” some much-needed answers were provided as to what Perrin actually is. This long-awaited development is sure to have a massive impact on his future in the Amazon series.
Wolfbrothers In Wheel Of Time Explained
As Elyas said in the episode, he and Perrin are both “Wolfbrothers.” A concept pulled directly from Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time books, a Wolfbrother is a person who can communicate with wolves. In the source material, Perrin and the wolves could send messages to each other telepathically, even if they were miles apart. They relay both feelings and visual messages to other of their pack, Perrin included. How it works in the show was demonstrated when a wolf, acting as a scout, showing his pack an image of the deer he found. This helped illustrate the connectivity that the wolves share and how it helps them survive and hunt together.
Additionally, Wolves are capable of recognizing Wolfbrothers. Elyas revealed that Perrin had been sending them “signals” for months, which ties into how they found him in the first place back in season 1. According to Elyas, these signals are why the wolves were around when Perrin and Egwene were captured by the Whitecloaks. To the wolves, Perrin’s status as a Wolfbrother essentially makes him a part of their pack, hence why they swooped in to save him. How deep the relationship between Wolfbrothers and wolves goes was on display when Elyas said, “I am them. So are you.”
Wolfbrothers Don’t Use The One Power, But Are Still Distrusted By The Aes Sedai
While Elyas explained what a Wolfbrother is, he didn’t reveal where their powers actually come from. That’s largely because this is something that even the book characters don’t exactly know. Their origins are an ancient, unsolved mystery that is said to be older than even the Aes Sedai. What is known, though, is that they’re not linked to the One Power. Elyas said this himself in the first book, The Eye of the World. After all, it’s important to note that not every extraordinary, superhuman feat accomplished in the books is explained by the One Power. There’s not many, but there are other abilities that don’t require channeling, another example being Min’s viewings of the future.
Despite the fact that they don’t use the One Power and can’t be considered male channelers, Wolfbrothers don’t have a good relationship with the Aes Sedai. Elyas addressed this in the show, explaining that the Aes Sedai don’t trust what they don’t understand. This is also true of their book counterparts, who have a lot of questions about where Perrin’s powers come from. The Aes Sedai are in the dark as much as anyone else when it comes to the origins of the Wolfbrothers.
How The Wolves Fit Into The Dragon Reborn’s Destiny
Another thing that Elyas has yet to lay out regarding the wolves is how they fit into the wider story. In the books, the wolves have an ancestral hatred of the Trollocs and the Dark One, whom they call “Heartfang.” Wolves somehow have an awareness of their entire history as a species, which is why they know about the Dark One’s ongoing fight with the Dragon, and in turn, the Dragon Reborn. Recognizing Rand al’Thor for who he truly is, the wolves have dubbed him “Shadowkiller” in the books. But considering that Rand’s destiny has only just begun, it’s possible that he’s not on the wolves’ radar just yet.
What Being A Wolfbrother Means For Perrin’s Future
Naturally, the questions answered in The Wheel of Time season 2 say a lot about what’s in store for Perrin. Having this ability and common enemies of the Dark One on his side made Perrin an ally of tremendous importance to the Dragon Reborn. Perrin was extremely well-connected and resourceful, as his long-range, wolf communication ability gave him eyes and ears across many locations. As scouts, the wolves were invaluable to Perrin. But they weren’t important to him just because of their usefulness; like Elyas, Perrin developed a real feeling of closeness with the wolves. How that relationship develops is likely to be a significant part of his season 2 arc.
There’s also the matter of what Elyas said regarding the relationship between the Aes Sedai and the Wolfbrothers. What happens in the books s the idea that distrust between them will affect how Perrin interacts with characters aligned with the Aes Sedai going forward, and that could very well include both Nynaeve and Egwene as well. In the books, Perrin is extremely wary of the Aes Sedai and their motives, and his interaction with Elyas sets him up to have similar trepidations toward them in future seasons.
Another major tease related to Perrin’s story in Wheel of Time is the introduction of Hopper. The wolf Perrin befriended in the episode played a crucial role in his journey in The Wheel of Time books. Hopper helped Perrin explore the Wolf Dream, the wolves’ word for the Tel'aran'rhiod, a dream dimension and a key part of the lore. Typically, it’s a place visited by channelers in their dreams, but wolves and Wolfbrothers are also capable of going there, which further increases Perrin’s relevance to the overarching narrative of the show. Not unlike the wolf from the novels, Hopper is in a position to help Perrin navigate the Wolf Dream when the show gets around to introducing it.
The Wheel of Time releases new episodes on Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.