Although she SEEMS genuine enough, I have a few problems with dear old Nynaeve. 1) She learns quickly, maybe too quickly? 2) Her unholy obsession with Lan. My theory is that Nynaeve is a reborn version of Birgitte. Nynaeve has always worn the braid that Bir is famous for and both are attracted to ugly men (ie. Lan, Gaidal). Add to those the communal-minded actions of the two and you begin to wonder. Admittedly Nynaeve is less of a 'hero' type than modern-day Birgitte, but that's only because she isn't dragging behind her the memories of so many lifetimes. Birgitte said herself that in all of her previous lives she always seemed to be a normal woman, only she rose to the occasion each time to save the world. It's been a while since I read the series, and I can't think of any other blaring coincidences, but the two are so similar that they always fight. There is also the possibility also that Lan is Gaidal reborn. They are both great warriors, ugly men, and attracted to women who wear braids. Gaidal was missing from the dream world for a while, but who is to say that he is a child? Time DOES move differently in the 'real' world, so there is a possibility that Gaidal was reborn more years ago than anyone had thought.