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Thanks Zeratul Send a noteboard - 28/01/2011 04:05:47 PM
Easley tells the newly raised Siuan and Moiraine that they must defer to any Sister stronger than they and the bigger the strength margin the more deference they must show.

I will provide the exact quote when I have it handy later today.

Thanks. I thought there is probably something about in New Spring, but I hadn't reread it in some time and I didn't know where to look.


I looked it up, and I guess you mean these:
If another sister stands higher than you in the Power, whatever her Ajah, you must defer to her. The higher she stands above you, the greater your deference.

"Do we have to obey them?" Siuan asked, finally giving in and standing, and Eadyth sighed heavily.
"I thought I was quite clear, Siuan. The higher she stands above you, the greater your deference.

At what point does deference become obedience? Even if she did not call it so, that is what she meant. We must observe the other sisters closely, and until we know for certain, we must err on the side of prudence.


It's still somewhat vague. "The higher she stands above you" may be in relative terms among the Aes Sedai. And as we see, the new Aes Sedai even after this explanation are not sure at what point deference turns into obedience, which is probably the case
with Elayne and Nynaeve too. They are so far above in strength than those Aes Sedai who were with them in Ebou Dar and later Caemlyn, that they don't need to look out for the finer nuances once they were accepted as full Aes Sedai by them.

Anyway, if the ranking is based on raw strength no matter how how many Aes Sedai are between the two in question, I don't think we can get much info about their respective strength in the Power from the Elayne - Nynaeve power dynamic after they became Aes Sedai. They are close friends and don't care all that much for the Aes Sedai customs, which are new to them too, so the whole deference thing between them is very rarely brought up. Elayne acknowledges that Nynaeve has final authority when it comes to Aes Sedai business (for example what to do with Alivia when she asked to be freed). Nynaeve was about to attempt a direct order once, but judging by the quote in my previous post, neither of them knew whether Elayne would've been required to obey according to the Aes Sedai custom. Besides, Nynaeve in Caemlyn was in a delicate position since Elayne was the Daughter-heir and thus had the authority in the palace, so Nynaeve ordering her, even on strictly Aes Sedai business, would've probably led to some troublesome situations. Earlier in Ebou Dar at first they weren't really accepted into the Aes Sedai ranking structure before Elayne forced Merillile the others to recognise their standing, and after that Nynaeve was too busy mooning about Lan to care about that.
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Could Norla be the other woman stronger than Nynaeve? - 22/01/2011 06:54:36 PM 2141 Views
It's a nice idea, really - 22/01/2011 07:04:03 PM 1196 Views
we don't know the strength difference between Cadsuane and Nynaeve - 22/01/2011 08:55:48 PM 1127 Views
Nynaeve is of course roughly twice as strong as Cadsuane... - 24/01/2011 10:26:49 PM 1232 Views
Still sticking to the nonsense I see... - 25/01/2011 12:14:12 AM 1031 Views
you and your assumptions crack me up ... there is zero evidence that Nyn is 2x Cadsuane - 26/01/2011 04:41:33 PM 1054 Views
Waits for the candle flame vs. bonfire quote to appear... - 26/01/2011 05:01:28 PM 1086 Views
*blows out the friggin candle* ... why does anyone take EoTW Moiraine quotes seriously? - 26/01/2011 09:41:53 PM 1051 Views
tGH, but I agree... - 27/01/2011 04:58:08 AM 1140 Views
Re: tGH, but I agree... - 27/01/2011 07:29:15 AM 983 Views
I think it's a matter of perspective too - 27/01/2011 05:12:29 PM 913 Views
Nynaeve temporarily holds Logain shielded on her own, while 5 average strength Aes Sedai cannot... - 27/01/2011 05:35:26 PM 843 Views
Another inconsistency ... since 4 women held a shield on Rand who is Stronger than Logain EDIT - 27/01/2011 07:47:31 PM 953 Views
Not an inconsistency and if you analyse it... - 27/01/2011 08:21:39 PM 1166 Views
Wait... what? - 27/01/2011 11:16:32 PM 908 Views
Re: Wait... what? - 28/01/2011 12:26:22 AM 852 Views
Nope... - 28/01/2011 01:24:18 AM 944 Views
Yeah, but... - 28/01/2011 12:53:26 PM 992 Views
Therer is a direct quote in New Spring - 28/01/2011 02:20:40 PM 967 Views
Yup... *NM* - 28/01/2011 02:42:15 PM 506 Views
Thanks - 28/01/2011 04:05:47 PM 1019 Views
Not really the case though - 28/01/2011 04:54:28 PM 807 Views
That's your evidence? You mean like Caddy defers to Nynaeve? - 28/01/2011 02:29:46 PM 926 Views
So Elayne is Cadsunae in you stupid play? - 28/01/2011 02:44:07 PM 877 Views
Getting hot under the collar and irrational again, I see... - 28/01/2011 03:01:14 PM 839 Views
right tGH but still! *NM* - 27/01/2011 04:02:57 PM 450 Views
It will be someone who was alive at some point during the series... - 22/01/2011 07:11:57 PM 1133 Views
it's obviously a stretch, just a random thought - 22/01/2011 08:26:49 PM 1136 Views
Possibly? But unlikely. - 23/01/2011 11:12:01 PM 913 Views
The 6 are... - 24/01/2011 10:09:33 PM 1235 Views
I disagree. If anything Semirhage is at the same strength level - 24/01/2011 11:10:30 PM 1001 Views
Agree and disagree... - 25/01/2011 10:44:26 AM 963 Views
Re: Agree and disagree... - 25/01/2011 11:04:11 PM 889 Views
I didn't say Semirhage is definitely one of the 6, but his answer leaves it as a viable possibility. - 26/01/2011 07:36:52 AM 1008 Views
Not really - 26/01/2011 05:15:59 PM 886 Views
Lanfear and Cyndane are the same person *NM* - 25/01/2011 10:24:15 AM 456 Views
Re: The 6 are... - 25/01/2011 10:51:40 PM 1028 Views
I agree. - 24/01/2011 03:56:00 PM 905 Views
Possible... - 25/01/2011 12:17:42 AM 879 Views
none whatsoever ... purely speculating here *NM* - 26/01/2011 04:44:15 PM 389 Views
Not necessarily - 25/01/2011 08:07:02 PM 829 Views
nah - 25/01/2011 10:55:10 PM 1121 Views
it's obvious that Norla made her "earn" the ornaments - 26/01/2011 04:47:32 PM 1059 Views
Re: it's obvious that Norla made her "earn" the ornaments - 26/01/2011 05:17:16 PM 936 Views
I can see that as a possibility too - 26/01/2011 10:22:02 PM 945 Views
Re: I can see that as a possibility too - 27/01/2011 07:38:31 AM 1039 Views
we'll always disagree I suppose - 27/01/2011 04:47:42 PM 979 Views
Strongest since the breaking? I disagree - 19/08/2011 01:09:37 PM 1148 Views
I doubt it. - 26/01/2011 03:53:33 AM 955 Views
Could Norla be the other woman stronger than Nynaeve? - 26/01/2011 09:31:36 AM 1033 Views

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