We have only one clue to Draugluin's age at the time of his death: he is described as 'old in evil' in Quenta Silmarillion 19, Of Beren and Lúthien. If Draugluin were a normal wolf, this would have made him about twenty years old at the absolute extreme. However, since Draugluin is named a sire of Werewolves, it seems that he had at least some kind of supernatural element to his nature, and so may well have lived rather longer than a mere two decades.

We do have an early interpretation of Draugluin (as used within the Lay of Leithian) as 'fearphantom', and this seems to have been its originally intended meaning. However, this uses Old Norse draugr, 'phantom', and so falls outside the established linguistic landscape of Beleriand. The Etymologies (in volume V of The History of Middle-earth), which were written after the Lay of Leithian, give an alternative definition of draug as 'wolf'. The strong implication seems to be that Tolkien intended an alternative Elvish etymology for Draugluin. Though this is nowhere stated explicitly, both draug 'wolf' and luin 'blue' are well enough attested that an interpretation of 'blue wolf' seems almost unavoidable.

The Silmarillion calls Draugluin 'lord and sire of the werewolves of Angband' (19, Of Beren and Lúthien). This can be read as suggesting that Draugluin was the origin of the entire race of Werewolves, though it may simply mean that he gave rise to those Werewolves that dwelt in Angband, while others (those of Tol-in-Gaurhoth, for instance) had a different origin.