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Sul'dam
In Seanchan, women who have the ability to channel the One Power inborn become damane. Not all women who can channel have the spark born in them - some simply have the ability to learn. It is these women who have the ability to learn to channel that become a sul’dam, or a "leashholder." The fact that these women could learn to channel is unknown to them. They consider the channeling of the Power to be dirty, and would be horrified to learn that they could learn to touch the True Source. However, it makes sense that they have this ability, because an a’dam does nothing to a woman who cannot channel. But a sul’dam uses an a’dam to control a damane. Sul’dam can inflict their wishes on the damane they control. It is they who control what their damane does with the Power. They take a great deal of pride in their damane, and the sul’dam are the most honored of the animal handlers of the Seanchan. There are many more sul’dam than damane. So while a damane always has a sul’dam looking over her, a sul’dam does not always have a damane under her control. When the use of the a’dam first came into practice, Luthair Paendrag and others must have been aware that the sul’dam were women who could be taught to channel. But apparently this knowledge was suppressed, and for generations the sul’dam lived in ignorance of their own ability to channel. But it is possible that recently the sul’dam have once again become aware of their own abilities.
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