Can any extrapolations be made from this book?
Not too many.
From this book, I think perhaps that Nynaeve might be weaker in the Power than all the female Forsaken, except for Moghedien.
Meaning RJ lied when he said she was of average Female Forsaken strength?
The strength tree may look like this...
1. Lanfear
2. Cyndane
3. Graendal
4. Semirhage/Mesaana/Alivia
5. Sharina
6. Nynaeve
7. Moghedien
Sid, give up now at least. The Forsaken are not that special. Alivia equals Cynadane, at the very very least, and Sharina matches Graendal. Nynaeve's traditional placement with Semi and Mesaana still makes sense.
We never got a direct reading of Semirhage's strength, which was extremely disappointing. I looked for it keenly because someone was bound to remark on her strength compared to Nynaeve's - but it never happened. However, the following can be said...
Yup, I was disappointed too. But, I take the absence of comments from Cadsuane and co. to mean that she is Nynaeve's strength. Otherwise, they might have felt even more threatened that none of their own kind matches a Forsaken.
1. One Sister can hold Semirhage. Cadsuane assumes that one can hold anybody, but she adds two to make sure, in case Semirhage had a secret way of breaking shields.
Of note here is the fact that women can hold women more easily than they can men. So this does not mean Semrihage is three times weaker than Rand or something.
2. Nynaeve says that the Forsaken are much too powerful to be left alive. This statement to me implies that Semirhage exceeds her power because Nynaeve would probably not say that if Semirhage equalled her (she's never cared much for her own strength anyway).
Ummm... why? She knows her own power, and what she can do with it, and says this because she knows Semirhage can do the same and then some due to her greater knowledge. This is a more valid interpretation than yours. If Semi were more powerful and more knowledgeable, Nynaeve would have pushed for her stilling even more, given how Moggy escaped.
3. Sheriam says that the female Forsaken addressing her is incredibly strong in the Power, and she is shocked. The Forsaken is probably Mesaana because she goes back to the Tower, but could be Graendal or Cyndane. Either way, Sheriam is familiar with Nynaeve and Sharina and her statement implies that the Forsaken is the strongest she's ever felt.
Nothing of the sort. She hasn't felt either Nynaeve or Sharina at their full potential. She knows about their potential, sure, but that means nothing compared to actually feeling that power. This statement says nothing about how Nynaeve compares with the Forsaken.
Does anyone else have something to add to this topic?
Nothing. I think very little was added to the OP strength debate by this book. And apart from the lack of a Semirhage-Nynaeve meeting, I'm content to leave things as they were.
Female Forsaken strength in the Power
- 30/10/2009 03:45:18 PM
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Cadsuane's comment (if true) attacks the credibility of your One Power Strength list
- 30/10/2009 05:26:16 PM
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Re: Cadsuane's comment (if true) attacks the credibility of your One Power Strength list
- 31/10/2009 05:42:53 AM
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I almost said "/comfort (but not the Min/Rand way)" *NM*
Bah! 
- 30/10/2009 09:26:00 PM
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- 30/10/2009 09:26:00 PM
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It is easier for channelers of the same gender to hold each other.
- 05/11/2009 05:25:30 PM
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