Just how strong is Moiraine?

[jan 14]

I know it's been a while since I've been up to date with WoT, but does it imply anywhere that stronger = better/more skilled?

[Ishmael Moridin 0]

Nope. Remember the scene when nyn is first brought to the tower and to test her, siuan gets her angry and nyn has her pinned to a wall. Then siuan cuts her off from the source. We know that nyn is far stronger than siuan, even at such an early stage. This shows strength in the power is one thing, skill totally another.

[Marie 73]

Alivia is stronger than Nynaeve (says so in the books) and she's almost as strong as Cyndane. Nynaeve is strong, but she isn't the strongest, or second, or even third strongest.

 

As far as power vs. skill, in book four Elayne thinks about about how her, Egwene, and Nynaeve are all stronger channelers than Moiraine, but that Moiraine could use the power better. In other words, she was still above them, simply because of skill.

[jan 14]

Makes sense.

[Sivart Reborn 7]

In layman's terms, I have a bigger bow, you have more skill. I get shot and killed before I even get to use my bigger bow.

 

Moiraine is also more... remorseless? She doesn't have much internal struggle to do what she has too from what I remember.

[Marie 73]

She does, she just handles it better. I always saw her as a global minded person as opposed to a individual minded one. As in, she wants to cure famine whereas Nynaeve wants to cure her neighbor's cold. Both want to do good, but because Moiraine is concerned with the world at large, she comes across as cold.

 

Hope that made sense.

[Vertex 23]

Well said Marie Girlie, you make a glorious high priestess

[jan 14]

She wants to cure famine whereas Nynaeve wants to cure her neighbor's cold.

That's... very apt!