Does the foxhead medallion really protect against saidin?

Question

Across all the books, it's clear that the foxhead medallion protects against saidar, but what about saidin? Consider:

In Winter's Heart,

Mat is protected against Aran'gar's channeling of saidin

and in A Memory of Light,

Gawyn, Galad, and Lan all wear the medallion to protect against Demandred's channeling.

However, in Fires of Heaven, we see that

Mat is killed by Rahvin's lightning: "Tendrils of smoke rose from the black haft of his spear, too, from his coat, even from the silver foxhead, hanging out of his shirt, that had not saved him from a man’s channeling."

Is there any indication on how this is resolved?

My best guess is that

the lightning isn't a weave of saidin, but called down by saidin (just as it won't protect against a rock thrown by Air)

but I'm not sure if there's evidence to support that.

Answer 1

Yes.

Robert Jordan answered this one himself (#2 on this list), and also addressed the apparent inconsistency you found between The Fires of Heaven and later books:

Mat's amulet blocks both saidin and saidar. Jordan answered this one straight-out when asked. He pointed out that the amulet only blocks actual weavings of the One Power, not the physical effects that could be caused by a weaving. For example, Elayne was able to use the One Power to hurl a rock at Mat. Rahvin was able to create a bolt of lightning which struck Mat. (Jordan noted that Mat's death by lightning and subsequent undoing of his death when Rand balefired Rahvin, fulfills a prophecy about living, dying, and then living again.)