Hehe, that old argument again. - Edit 2
Before modification by Shannow at 26/09/2012 12:18:30 AM
Thanks for providing Moghedien's actual comment on Hessalem's strength.
The way it reads, based on your quote, seems to imply to me that Graendal is saying that she is suprised that someone of Graendal's strength was not picked up by her agents, given that they picked up Nynaeve so quickly.
Meaning that if Nynaeve was discovered, then someone even stronger than Nynaeve should have been discovered even sooner.
Not how it reads. This is the quote:
Granted, Moghedien thought, sitting, she is powerful. How had Moghedien missed noticing one with this talent among the Aes Sedai? Her sources had picked out that wretched lightskirt Nynaeve almost immediately, yet they'd missed this hag?
The implication is that Moghedien really doesn't see much difference between those two.
Anyway, that's how it reads to me. But I don't have the exact quote and context in front of me, so I guess it can be interpreted to suit whichever viewpoint one holds on their comparative strengths, other than one which holds Nynaeve to be stronger than Graendal, which we know is not the case anyway.
Any more on Moghedien's reference to Taim's strength? Howcome she knows how strong he is? She can't sense male strength. So who would have told her he is fairly strong?
Any more on Moghedien's reference to Taim's strength? Howcome she knows how strong he is? She can't sense male strength. So who would have told her he is fairly strong?
Here's the quote:
Taim... M'Hael... was said to be strong, perhaps as strong as the rest of them, but elevating one from this Age, with all of their ignorance.... It galled her to consider that this M'Hael would be regarded as her equal.
Also, she doesn't seem to think that he is as strong as the stronger male Forsaken. Merely that he might be as strong as "them", which includes herself, the weakest of the Forsaken by some margin.
What she says makes sense, because as we've argued before, the strength differential isn't that great between the Foresaken. Moghedien at 75-80 is not hapless before someone like Rand.
I beg to differ, as always.
Moghedien has no chance against Rand or Lanfear, at her level of 65.
Which was matched by Nynaeve in Book 4 already. Given that Nynaeve is still not at full strength in Book 9, that tells me all I need to know about Moghedien's strength level.
In fact, there's even a reference to Moghedien standing no chance against Lanfear in this new Forsaken chapter, I believe, talking about the odds now being evened with Moghedien's mindtrap or something, if I understand correctly.
EDIT
Also, the full quote on Hessalam's strength is perfectly consistent with Hessalam being even stronger than Nynaeve. Nynaeve is the strongest modern Aes Sedai previously identified by Moghedien's spies.
If someone stronger comes along, of course she is going to register surprise at the fact that Nynaeve was discovered, but not this new, even stronger person.
Exactly as she did in the quote above.