There is a big difference between him telling us "Merean was overwhelmingly stronger than Moiraine, when in fact she was only slightly stronger.

I also think it's interesting that you take certain Moiraine-isms as irrefutable (candles v. bonfires), but write off Egwene/Aviendha can overwhelm a FS as crap.



and yet he came up with 21 levels? I sincerely doubt RJ came up with a system at all to be honest... this is just a bunch of people trying to match things to the evidence as we read it. This system is how I currently think of things... as I get new information I'll probably change my thoughts


That was not my primary contention, though you've been rather harsh on other posters and their inability to present quotes verbatim.



She doesn't think Nynaeve can do it either:
TSR

Perhaps Nynaeve could come close, if she was angry enough, but Egwene knew she herself could never have done what he just had, split her flows that many ways, worked that many things at once. Working two flows at once was far more than twice as hard as working one of the same magnitude, and working three much more than twice again working two. He had to have been weaving a dozen.

Yet in KoD Egwene goes on to weave 14 flows at once...

Also, Nynaeve is far closer to her total potential at this point than Egwene and Elayne could possibly be. By the end of this book Nynaeve is strong enough to go toe to toe with Moghedien. She'd have to be at least close to 85% to manage that since there is no way Moghedien any weaker than that and still alive.

Ultimately the only real difference I see in our take on OP Strength is where Egwene falls on the scale and the general divides you put between the FS, I think they are all much closer together than you do. I also think Egwene is far closer to Nynaeve and the Forsaken than she is to Moiraine and the AS.

I also think we see "effectiveness" differently. IMO effectiveness simply means that Lanfear can perform any feat with Saidar that Rand can with Saidin (he can Travel, she can Travel, he can use a Portal Stone, she can use a Portal Stone) ... it has little to do with Strength aside from the fact that a woman like Moiraine, no matter how skilled, will never be able to do certain things that Rand can because she's not strong enough.

I don't think effectiveness has a whole lot to do with certain things, like holding a shield. Rand can probably force a shield on any woman below Lanfear's level and hold it, the reverse is likely not true when he is at 100% of his Strength. But I bet Lanfear (and probably Nyna) could hold a shield on him once it was placed there.

It's also possible that Lanfear herself was somehow stronger than the 21 level list ('Finn theory or something like a gift from the DO) .... far fetched I'll give you ... making comparisons to her irrelevant!