Cassandra

Cassandra was the first great prophetess of Greek mythology, but with an ironic twist to her story. She could see the future with crystal clarity. Cassandra was the beautiful daughter of Priam and Hecuba, king and queen of the ancient city of Troy. She received her gift of foresight from Apollo, the god of prophecy, who was also the one who made it useless. This came about because Apollo, who was often enamored of female mortals, was smitten by Cassandra’s beauty and decided to woo her. Some suitors bring flowers and candy, Apollo offered Cassandra prophecy. It’s not precisely clear what happened next, we know Cassandra accepted the gift. But had she promised to return Apollo’s affections in exchange for the gift, as some tell the story? Or did Apollo misread the situation and expect something that was never promised? Either way, the god wasn’t pleased when Cassandra failed to respond to his advances. He could have taken the gift back. He ordained that nothing she said would be believed. It was a terrible and tragic fate. For the rest of her days, Cassandra would be able to see calamities in the making, but all of her warnings would be laughed off, ignored, or not heard. Cassandra’s sad tale was told by many Greek poets and playwrights and appears in Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida (Cassandra foretold the fall of Troy and the destruction of her people. She foresaw that the great wooden horse outside the city gates was not a gift from the Greeks but a trick.)


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