IMO it's easy to disprove - Edit 1
Before modification by Sidious at 10/06/2010 09:22:46 PM
Dammit Sidious... this is getting irritating as hell. Silviana clearly states that in the night when Egwene will surely gain her full strength, Barasine alone is enough to shield her, but she wants one more person to prevent trickery from Egwene.
Thus, Barasine alone can shield Egwene, meaning Egwene cannot be more than twice as strong as her.
Thus, Barasine alone can shield Egwene, meaning Egwene cannot be more than twice as strong as her.
We know for a FACT that Amys cannot hold Egwene for more than a few moments in FoH. If Barasine is weaker than Amys, how on earth can Barasine hold Egwene if Egwene is NOT under the influence of forkroot?
Either RJ was wrong, or BS is wrong. So, who do YOU think is wrong?
Barasine could shield Egwene in KoD, so it was RJ all the way.
Now, Amys said she was exhausted by the effort, but she still did hold the shield. So it isn't true at all that Amys cannot shield Egwene.
By my list, both are stronger than half Egwene's strength, and thus both can indeed shield her. Which is verified by the text.
Amys is at that point where she can hold Egwene with great effort, but if Egwene tried, she might be able to break the shield. Egwene did try and couldn't break it, but Amys said she needed to release saidar because Egwene was too strong.
Either way, this debate has gone off on a tangent. Neither Melaine or Amys are weak women, and Egwene is stronger than both combined. Egwene isn't even top strength - all the Forsaken and some good guys exceed her in power. Logically, the average woman cannot cluster around 50% of maximum strength. If so, then Moiraine was really retarded to think that it would take Aviendha and Egwene to 'perhaps' match one of the Forsaken.
Also it takes at least five women to hold a high powered male. Siuan said that Logain would have escaped if it had been less than six women, which is acceptable proof to me that women peak at 10-20. If they're around 50, then Logain is one hell of a guy.
Egwene is roughly as strong as Amys and Melaine combined. Aviendha's quote in FoH cannot be reasonably interpreted in any other way.
If the Bell Curve is a linear reflection of absolute strength, then Lanfear must be twice as strong as the average woman.
That means someone half as strong as Lanfear must be the average woman, and what's more, MOST women must be clustered around that strength range.
Someone barely more than half the strength of Egwene therefore MUST be weaker than the average woman.
That means that Moiraine is weaker than the average woman.
And THAT means that a HUGE number of channelers must be out there, and ON AVERAGE they must be stronger than Moiraine. Probably around Cadsuane's strength.
And since that seems extremely unlikely, the only logical conclusion is that the Bell Curve cannot be a linear representation of absolute strength.
Elayne says that women as strong as Sheriam uncommon. Therefore most women are weaker than Sheriam. Sheriam is therefore above 50/100 e.g. 60. Amys is in this range, and Aviendha says that Egwene is stronger than Amys + Melaine = > 110 (60 + 50).
I'm wondering where to put everyone else?
Sure, I agree that the average woman is 50. If you're prepared to take Lanfear up to 200.