No I don't agree. He quotes merely state what percentage of women are strong enough for the shawl, not what the actual value is attached to these women. It's an error to state that the one logically leads to the other.
In the same interview, but in another reply, he said:
In the Age of Legends, between 2 and 3% of people had some ability, following a bell curve distribution in strength.
Clearly, strength, and not strength levels, follow a bell curve distribution. This means the X-axis for this curve is strength and the y axis is the number of people who have that strength. RJ has said this flat out, and I fail to see the point in debating this.
Except RJ only put raw values on channeler strength in a few rare quotes in the series, none of which can be supported by your theory. By your own contention, Egwene must have maximum strength if the quote about her raw power is correct, and yet you deflect by saying that Aviendha must be wrong. I can't say much to that except that I disagree.
But he said it was a distribution of strength! He never gave us raw values, but that statement makes it plain that the raw values of strength are in the X-axis. That is the mathematical intent of his statement. How can you disagree with that?
My point was that RJ may have used the term loosely, which is not unlikely when there were two strength lists in his series. How could he apply a bell curve and then add women above Nynaeve later?
Why ever not?
I think it was probably gaussian but more about prevalence rather than actual strength.
What does this even mean?
It is about the prevalence of actual strength! The two are connected, not mutually exclusive! Honestly...
But this is obviously where we disagree because you place absolute values here which I think is wrong. The x-axis is not raw strength, it's channeler level. Daigian might be at level 15 (or whatever). The woman on the other side of the curve who is stronger than 62.5% of women is perhaps a level 7 e.g. Cadsuane. The level is what balances it out not raw strength.
Well, if the x-axis is channeler level, why didn't RJ say channeler placement in the 21 levels follows a bell curve? Why did he say channeler strength follows a bell curve distribution?
Except that Elayne gets proved right several times. Despite no one having a true sample, there are very few Kin, Wise Ones new novices with this strength. Galina insinuates that only Therava and Someryn are stronger than her, which is further evidence.
She says Therava and Someryn are stronger. That says nothing about how many equal her, does it?
We also have Kiruna's respectful placement of the Wise Ones. She says quite a few of them are very worthy. This was a sample of 90, which included Sorilea, Amys, Melanie and maybe even Tamela and Viendre.
Which will have to remain a theory forever, because no channeling sample supports this I'm afraid.
But RJ's own strictures on OP strength distribution do support this, and do not support your placement of the average at 20! Heck, even mathematics disagrees with your placement.
In both cases it causes a problem.
Not really.
Except for one important point : out of all of these skewed samples nothing suggests that a hive of strength exists somewhere to balance out all this weakness. While I acknowledge that Egwene's group is weaker than it should be, it's important to realise that we have quotes that suggest that women of Moiraine's strength and above are rare.
These quotes all come from Aes Sedai, for whom the statement is indeed true. Notice that with the Wise Ones, no such comments exist. Melaine says she is stronger than most Aes Sedai, then says nothing at all about being similarly remarkable among the Wise Ones. That honor is reserved for Aviendha.
Well I don't agree, but okay then.
Okay.
Egwene was doped with forkroot when this occured. It obviously doesn't count.
Okay. Then why does Silviana say that two women guarding her at night is a mere caution? In the middle of the night, with the forkroot worn out, Egwene would be at full strength. Yet, Barasine is apparently sufficient to hold her. How?
Moiraine says that maybe those two can handle one of the Forsaken - Graendal, Lanfear, Semirhage or Rahvin. I don't know why Egwene's evidence would be any weaker than Moiraine's. Moiraine thought that the weakest Forsaken is stronger than any ten women in the Tower.
She thought that in book one. Since then, she has fought Aginor, and seen Lanfear's strength in the Rings! She obviously knows more about Forsaken strength at that point than Egwene!
I don't think there's any evidence that stronger channelers can work at greater distances. We've seen Fedwin and his bar, so according to Taim you should be able to channel at great distances no matter what your strength.
What do you mean no evidence? Here's the quote...
At this distance, there were limits to what he could do. In fact, it was about as far as he could do anything, really, without angreal or sa ‘angreal. Very likely that was why the women were channeling one lightning bolt at a time, one explosion; if he was at his boundary, they must be stretching theirs.
If Egwene is roughly half as strong as Rand, how the hell is she making fifty foot high explosions of earth at a distance that Rand himself says is the very edge of his ability?
Except that they say they're weaker than him, which is difficult to counter with vague theories. Still, I don't think they were linked. They took turns - one rested while one channeled.
Who said they were stronger? I only contend that linked, they were able to match him and an angreal. And of they were not linked, things are clearly wonky here. Rand himself says he's stronger, and can reach farther. That they match him says a lot.
Except it doesn't explain many huge problems, like how Rand thinks he can handle any three women unless they're Forsaken strength. Or how most strong males can fight off six Aes Sedai. Those are just some of this biggest glitches you have to defend.
But those glitches are problems for your list too. Apparently, four women too weak to be Accepted can more or less match the effects Rand can have. They make Gateways as large as him.
By that, any three Average Aes Sedai should be able to match Rand, if not shield him (Since that requires a much greater advantage).
Whether you say average AS is 20 or 40, three should be able to match him. Yet, one has to be Semrihage for him to feel worried, it seems. Why?
Linking provides an advantage. We discussed this in the other post. Egwene says that most Aes Sedai can only make a gateway that they can put their arm through. Suddenly when they link they can Travel - clearly it's a huge advantage.
Then why can't three linked women tackle Rand?
It's almost all we have in direct comparison.
We have RJ's quote saying Forsaken-Egwene-Moiraine. My list supports that.
We don't know. The point is that Nynaeve couldn't channel unless she was angry, so her potential was a mystery for a great deal of time.
Estimating potential and strength are passive abilities. Nyn doesn't have to channel for them to know.
I don't think so, but I'd accept the quote if you have it. Either way, Siuan tells Nynaeve she's as strong as any woman in the Tower but not Egwene in the same company? Sounds odd.
Here are two quotes...
There was a long silence from the other side of the wall. “How could you stop it? You may be as strong as any of them, now, but neither one of us knows enough yet to stop even one Aes Sedai from shielding us from the Source, and there are dozens of them here.”
And...
The Amyrlin was strength personified. For all her own raw power, the woman on the other side of the table had the knowledge and experience to wind her around a spindle.
She thinks that she could never challenge Moghedien, so I don't quite agree.
She says nothing of the sort. She says Moggy could have surprised her, and only Nynaeve can match the Forsaken. Neither says she can never challenge Moghedien.
By your own list, Egwene is at 50 and Moggy at 60. She can easily challenge Moggy, though she will have no surety of success.
Moggy herself felt that a far from full potential Elayne was trouble.
All the characters have been forced, but damane are special.
So? That's my point. You can state nothing conclusive about the relative strengths of Egwene and Nynaeve. Egwene was damane, Nynaeve was at the cleansing, which makes her even more special.
One Power strength - critical analysis of previous posts and some further ideas
03/01/2010 07:59:24 AM
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I support your view, with maybe a few comments to add...
03/01/2010 02:58:05 PM
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where is this phantom quote of Egwene "not standing a chance"
03/01/2010 05:20:20 PM
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Here's the real quote
03/01/2010 05:38:59 PM
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Well that quote perfectly illustrates the skewed way in which you interpret the evidence...
03/01/2010 06:18:22 PM
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I also think the quote is specific
03/01/2010 06:34:38 PM
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Skill not Strength is the key that and the potential that another FS was with her
03/01/2010 06:51:46 PM
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Bah
03/01/2010 07:13:01 PM
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Who's arguing that?
03/01/2010 07:34:21 PM
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What ARE you arguing?
03/01/2010 07:43:06 PM
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That there is far more to strength in her quote!
03/01/2010 08:05:20 PM
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Re: That there is far more to strength in her quote!
04/01/2010 09:40:05 AM
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and where do I ever say Elayne is only a small step below Moghedien?
04/01/2010 03:08:37 PM
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You more than imply it with your own list
04/01/2010 03:39:06 PM
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and you are fixated on simple strength to the exclusion of everything else
04/01/2010 05:05:54 PM
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Re: and you are fixated on simple strength to the exclusion of everything else
04/01/2010 06:46:45 PM
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Tiny Unimportant Objection to "Bell Curve" Point
03/01/2010 03:09:55 PM
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Re: Tiny Unimportant Objection to "Bell Curve" Point
03/01/2010 04:39:25 PM
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I've got a slightly revised opinion than my last post
03/01/2010 05:16:39 PM
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Re: I've got a slightly revised opinion than my last post
03/01/2010 06:31:09 PM
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It's actually not that complicated ... simple math actually
03/01/2010 07:08:52 PM
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Yes, but to think that RJ put that much effort into it is improbable
03/01/2010 07:19:13 PM
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I'm being harsh with one poster who continues to mis-quote things!
03/01/2010 07:56:17 PM
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Re: I'm being harsh with one poster who continues to mis-quote things!
04/01/2010 09:50:38 AM
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Re: I'm being harsh with one poster who continues to mis-quote things!
04/01/2010 03:26:10 PM
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Re: I'm being harsh with one poster who continues to mis-quote things!
04/01/2010 03:52:19 PM
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You are talking out of both sides of your mouth
04/01/2010 05:09:15 PM
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Dude
04/01/2010 06:21:28 PM
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Dude, please go back to Fionwe's post
04/01/2010 06:35:03 PM
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A reply...
03/01/2010 06:02:33 PM
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The Tower sample is skewed allright, but to the upper side of the strength range...
03/01/2010 06:36:45 PM
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Re: A reply...
03/01/2010 07:09:55 PM
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I think distance is related to Strength
03/01/2010 07:21:46 PM
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amusing side note
04/01/2010 05:22:39 AM
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Which is exactly what I envisage the AOL distribution to have looked like...
04/01/2010 07:03:51 AM
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Re: Which is exactly what I envisage the AOL distribution to have looked like...
04/01/2010 03:29:47 PM
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It may sound silly, but did you look at One Power values in the Wheel of Time CCG?
05/01/2010 12:56:41 AM
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Re: It may sound silly, but did you look at One Power values in the Wheel of Time CCG?
05/01/2010 07:33:21 AM
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