Souls

Souls are the essence of a person or animal, dictating what abilities a person has, such as channeling, Wolfbrother status, or are Doomseers, etc. It also acts as a force that in humans and wolves, gives sapience.

Human souls

"Question: Is the soul immortal in Wheel of Time?"

"Answer: Yes, the soul is immortal."
   —Robert Jordan, Verbatim

Abilities

Channeling

"Question: Does gentling/stilling effect the soul's following life?"

"Answer: No."
   —Robert Jordan, Verbatim

"Question: If someone is born with the Spark and burns out, will they have the spark in future lifetimes?"

"Answer: I don't think I have said if you are born with the spark you would have the have the spark again. I have said if you were born with the ability to channel, to learn or with the spark, you will, when your soul is born again, you will have the ability again, whether with the spark or without. And neither burning out or stilling affects that except in this lifetime, your current lifetime."
   —Robert Jordan, Verbatim

Wolfsiblings

"Question: If a wolfbrother is reborn in another Age, will he be a wolfbrother again? Can women be wolfbrothers?"

"Answer: 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""
   —Robert Jordan, Verbatim

Memories

"Question: With Rand and Lews Therin Telamon, do they have two souls in one body?"

"Answer: They have one soul with two personalities. The reincarnation of souls does not mean reincarnation of personalities. The personality develops with each reincarnation of the soul. This is the cosmology that I have cobbled together."
   —Robert Jordan, Verbatim

Constructs

"Question: How does the idea of souls apply to constructs such as Nym and Trollocs? Could either of them be reborn?"

"Answer: To whoever put this one forward, this is one of the best questions I've ever gotten! Nym and Trollocs both have souls, and either could be reborn, but since Nym were a pure construct (i.e. each of them was individually made, like hand-crafting) a Nym would not be reborn as a Nym. You might say that a Nym's soul was borrowed temporarily from the supply of souls awaiting rebirth. A Trolloc, however, bears a twisted, or corrupted soul, and would be reborn as a Trolloc. Though frankly, a Trolloc's soul is such a pitiful thing, it hardly seems worth calling a soul."
   —Robert Jordan, Verbatim

Metempsychosis

Afterlife

"Question: Aside from the Heros of the Horn in the World of Dreams, is there any kind of afterlife in Wheel of Time?"

"Answer: yes, there is an ordinary afterlife"
   —Robert Jordan, Verbatim