Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-66.189.253.11-20160531012039/@comment-3146930-20160531024209

I think the two powers are different from each other. I mean the stories about those with silver eyes started well before the kingdoms were even created and may even be an older story than that of the maidens. Also the Silver-Eyed-Warriors seem to mostly be known for fighting Grimm, with stories of how a single look can kill a Grimm. Plus unlike the Four Maidens, there is no limit to how many SEW there can be at one time, as both Summer Rose and Ruby have silver eyes, meaning they would both have amazing abilities on the battlefield.

The story of the maidens has a different theme, with them going around and helping anyone they can. As a result, their abilities seem more suited off the battlefield like what the original maidens did for the old wizard. Sure their abilities would make them great warriors, but their powers aren't exclusively for fighting Grimm.

There is also Qrow, one of the people that knows some stories are real. If Ruby was one of the maidens, he could have just told Ruby about them and how they are real. Instead he tells her a completely unrelated story about those with silver eyes. If Ruby was in fact a maiden, he would have just told her so; instead he links her abilities to those of her mother because they both have the same eyes.