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
1915 Views
The Big White Book says...
- 12/09/2009 11:46:43 PM
1142 Views
Not Aginor
- 13/09/2009 08:36:37 AM
1141 Views
Re: Not Aginor
- 13/09/2009 03:16:13 PM
1049 Views
Re: Not Aginor
- 13/09/2009 05:47:14 PM
1093 Views
Fact is, the bwb is untrustworthy
- 13/09/2009 05:54:28 PM
1007 Views
But, RJ himself said that the BWB was written from the standpoint of a scholar
- 14/09/2009 04:42:59 PM
1035 Views
It all depends on how you define "powerful"
- 14/09/2009 02:30:31 AM
1065 Views
I think power is much more than raw strength
- 14/09/2009 05:00:10 AM
971 Views
So is graendal similar to lanfear then?
- 13/09/2009 05:41:42 PM
927 Views
Graendal could fight Lanfear and win
- 13/09/2009 06:01:57 PM
1504 Views
Graendal herself says...
- 13/09/2009 09:08:46 PM
956 Views
Lanfear was more powerful than Graendal, but Cyndane has less power
- 13/09/2009 10:19:35 PM
947 Views
Re: So is graendal similar to lanfear then?
- 13/09/2009 06:05:11 PM
1112 Views
Compulsion=any other deadly weave. Doesn't really change matters
- 13/09/2009 10:23:40 PM
985 Views
But it did give her an edge, and against two forsaken. *NM*
- 13/09/2009 11:12:09 PM
507 Views
Not at all
- 14/09/2009 04:51:48 AM
1032 Views
But Graendal confronted her... twice! *NM*
- 13/09/2009 07:48:29 PM
458 Views
Apparently only the third time counts
*NM*
- 13/09/2009 08:00:37 PM
504 Views
But the third time's supposed to be lucky. So that won't count either. *NM*
- 13/09/2009 11:26:18 PM
521 Views
*NM*
- 13/09/2009 08:00:37 PM
504 Views
But the third time's supposed to be lucky. So that won't count either. *NM*
- 13/09/2009 11:26:18 PM
521 Views
Really?
- 13/09/2009 08:36:33 PM
956 Views
No falsely...
- 13/09/2009 11:25:40 PM
1169 Views
- 13/09/2009 11:25:40 PM
1169 Views
And, of course, the male and female OP strength ranks might not even correlate that much
- 14/09/2009 04:41:58 PM
890 Views
They correlate on some critical points
- 14/09/2009 06:57:43 PM
1094 Views
That's not exactly what I'm referring to.
- 15/09/2009 04:36:29 PM
842 Views
But then we are discussing the same thing
- 15/09/2009 06:59:04 PM
986 Views
I think, outside of semantics, our main disagreement doesn't lie amid the higher tiers
- 16/09/2009 03:53:09 PM
852 Views
Probably
- 16/09/2009 06:31:27 PM
999 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
993 Views
I do think Ishamel is special
- 14/09/2009 07:04:03 PM
1062 Views
He's special the same way any individual is special.
- 14/09/2009 11:36:42 PM
1019 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
967 Views
Re: He's special the same way any individual is special.
- 15/09/2009 04:39:39 PM
951 Views
The more interesting question is...
- 14/09/2009 06:34:11 PM
881 Views
Hmmm
- 14/09/2009 07:04:34 PM
974 Views
I think we'll see Graendal vs. Aran'gar.
- 14/09/2009 07:31:16 PM
1010 Views
Ah yes, that makes sense, and would be great! *NM*
- 14/09/2009 07:40:29 PM
821 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
882 Views
They do imply that Graendal is a lot more dangerous than she looks
- 14/09/2009 09:08:43 PM
907 Views
I've never underestimated Graendal
- 14/09/2009 09:42:49 PM
961 Views
Yeah... her frivolity was always a red flag for me too.
- 14/09/2009 10:18:40 PM
1003 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
888 Views
- 15/09/2009 06:51:03 PM
888 Views
Graendal did not beat me and Moghedien
- 15/09/2009 05:59:39 PM
993 Views
Agreed
- 15/09/2009 06:36:48 PM
880 Views
Ummm... how do we know?
- 15/09/2009 06:40:57 PM
1018 Views

only in love *NM*