If raw strength in the power is considered, then Aginor is second to Ishamael. But as you've pointed out, Aginor was a sniveling little weasle with no skill. Without skill, Aginor's superior strength means little which is why that loser grovels before Demandred and many of the rest.
Aginor knows he has less skill as a weaver than the other chosen and he lacks the combat instincts that are crucial (see Demandred's ability to immediately ascertain what he is up against at the end of Winter's Heart compared to the other chosen's reactions) to one power duel. Aginor can channel more of the power than anyone except Ishamael, but Aginor's below average skill and battle prowess make him less of a threat than others like Demandred who might be able to channel slightly less power, but more than make up for it with superior skill and instincts.
It looks to me like you've defined powerful as a mixture of raw one power channeling ability, plus skill/dexterity, plus battle instincts. With that many factors to look at, Robert Jordan hasn't given enough information to make certain conclusions.
But just between you and me, Sidious, I'm the second most powerful!
Aginor knows he has less skill as a weaver than the other chosen and he lacks the combat instincts that are crucial (see Demandred's ability to immediately ascertain what he is up against at the end of Winter's Heart compared to the other chosen's reactions) to one power duel. Aginor can channel more of the power than anyone except Ishamael, but Aginor's below average skill and battle prowess make him less of a threat than others like Demandred who might be able to channel slightly less power, but more than make up for it with superior skill and instincts.
It looks to me like you've defined powerful as a mixture of raw one power channeling ability, plus skill/dexterity, plus battle instincts. With that many factors to look at, Robert Jordan hasn't given enough information to make certain conclusions.
But just between you and me, Sidious, I'm the second most powerful!
You're totally right that Aginor was probably second in strength. However, when RJ made his point about strength vs skill by using Alivia and Cyndane, and directly telling us about it in his blog, it was convincing evidence that a channeler's skills and knowledge can bridge vast gaps in strength. RJ went as far to say that Alivia was 'much stronger' than Cyndane in that battle, but that skill and knowledge evened it out. Thus when channelers like Graendal or Semirhage duel, it is likely that they can bridge almost any strength gap, if there is one. It's not like there's much to bridge... any of the Forsaken are close to the highest strength possible in saidin or saidar.
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Fan of Lanfear
Fan of Lanfear
The top 6 Forsaken - similar in the One Power
- 12/09/2009 09:27:20 PM
1912 Views
The Big White Book says...
- 12/09/2009 11:46:43 PM
1138 Views
Not Aginor
- 13/09/2009 08:36:37 AM
1138 Views
Re: Not Aginor
- 13/09/2009 03:16:13 PM
1045 Views
Re: Not Aginor
- 13/09/2009 05:47:14 PM
1091 Views
Fact is, the bwb is untrustworthy
- 13/09/2009 05:54:28 PM
1004 Views
But, RJ himself said that the BWB was written from the standpoint of a scholar
- 14/09/2009 04:42:59 PM
1029 Views
It all depends on how you define "powerful"
- 14/09/2009 02:30:31 AM
1061 Views
I think power is much more than raw strength
- 14/09/2009 05:00:10 AM
968 Views
So is graendal similar to lanfear then?
- 13/09/2009 05:41:42 PM
924 Views
Graendal could fight Lanfear and win
- 13/09/2009 06:01:57 PM
1502 Views
Graendal herself says...
- 13/09/2009 09:08:46 PM
952 Views
Lanfear was more powerful than Graendal, but Cyndane has less power
- 13/09/2009 10:19:35 PM
944 Views
Re: So is graendal similar to lanfear then?
- 13/09/2009 06:05:11 PM
1107 Views
Compulsion=any other deadly weave. Doesn't really change matters
- 13/09/2009 10:23:40 PM
981 Views
But it did give her an edge, and against two forsaken. *NM*
- 13/09/2009 11:12:09 PM
506 Views
Not at all
- 14/09/2009 04:51:48 AM
1027 Views
But Graendal confronted her... twice! *NM*
- 13/09/2009 07:48:29 PM
457 Views
Apparently only the third time counts
*NM*
- 13/09/2009 08:00:37 PM
502 Views
But the third time's supposed to be lucky. So that won't count either. *NM*
- 13/09/2009 11:26:18 PM
520 Views
*NM*
- 13/09/2009 08:00:37 PM
502 Views
But the third time's supposed to be lucky. So that won't count either. *NM*
- 13/09/2009 11:26:18 PM
520 Views
Really?
- 13/09/2009 08:36:33 PM
953 Views
No falsely...
- 13/09/2009 11:25:40 PM
1166 Views
- 13/09/2009 11:25:40 PM
1166 Views
And, of course, the male and female OP strength ranks might not even correlate that much
- 14/09/2009 04:41:58 PM
887 Views
They correlate on some critical points
- 14/09/2009 06:57:43 PM
1092 Views
That's not exactly what I'm referring to.
- 15/09/2009 04:36:29 PM
836 Views
But then we are discussing the same thing
- 15/09/2009 06:59:04 PM
983 Views
I think, outside of semantics, our main disagreement doesn't lie amid the higher tiers
- 16/09/2009 03:53:09 PM
849 Views
Probably
- 16/09/2009 06:31:27 PM
996 Views
I only disagree on one point, I think they are all rather equal in potential, incl. Ishamael
- 14/09/2009 04:28:12 PM
990 Views
I do think Ishamel is special
- 14/09/2009 07:04:03 PM
1059 Views
He's special the same way any individual is special.
- 14/09/2009 11:36:42 PM
1016 Views
Re: He's special the same way any individual is special.
- 15/09/2009 08:36:20 AM
979 Views
Re: He's special the same way any individual is special.
- 15/09/2009 03:48:34 PM
964 Views
Re: He's special the same way any individual is special.
- 15/09/2009 04:39:39 PM
949 Views
The more interesting question is...
- 14/09/2009 06:34:11 PM
878 Views
Hmmm
- 14/09/2009 07:04:34 PM
970 Views
I think we'll see Graendal vs. Aran'gar.
- 14/09/2009 07:31:16 PM
1004 Views
Ah yes, that makes sense, and would be great! *NM*
- 14/09/2009 07:40:29 PM
819 Views
Yeah. Though I think its no competition. Graendal has got to be better than a walking tree!
- 14/09/2009 07:50:09 PM
879 Views
They do imply that Graendal is a lot more dangerous than she looks
- 14/09/2009 09:08:43 PM
905 Views
I've never underestimated Graendal
- 14/09/2009 09:42:49 PM
958 Views
Yeah... her frivolity was always a red flag for me too.
- 14/09/2009 10:18:40 PM
1001 Views
To me, she is the most lethal.
- 15/09/2009 05:18:10 PM
747 Views
I still like Lanfear more
- 15/09/2009 06:51:03 PM
885 Views
- 15/09/2009 06:51:03 PM
885 Views
Graendal did not beat me and Moghedien
- 15/09/2009 05:59:39 PM
990 Views
Agreed
- 15/09/2009 06:36:48 PM
877 Views
Ummm... how do we know?
- 15/09/2009 06:40:57 PM
1015 Views

only in love *NM*