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Cassandra - in ancient Greek mythology Trojan princess, daughter of Priam and Hecuba.

According to most myths, Cassandra had the gift of prophecy, which she received from Apollo, who sought the love of the beautiful Cassandra (in the Iliad, Cassandra is called the most beautiful of the daughters of Priam). Having received the gift of prophecy, Cassandra broke her promise to Apollo and he did not taste her love. In revenge, Apollo made sure that no one believed Cassandra's prophecies.

According to another myth, Cassandra and her twin brother Helen were once forgotten adults in the temple of Apollo and there the sacred temple snakes endowed the twins with the gift of prophecy. Cassandra was the first to recognize her sibling and wanted to kill him in order to save Troy from future misfortunes.

Then Cassandra persuaded Paris to give up his marriage to Helen. At the end of the Trojan War, Cassandra convinced the Trojans not to introduce a wooden horse into the city. However, no one believed Cassandra’s prophecies.

However, punishment overtook Ajax upon returning home: Athena crashed Ajax’s ship by throwing Perun at him. Ajax escaped, clung to a rock and began to boast that he was alive against the will of the gods. Then Poseidon split the rock with his trident and Ajax died. But even after this, Ajax’s fellow countrymen, the inhabitants of Locris, atoned for Ajax’s sacrilege for a thousand years by annually sending two virgins to Troy, who served in the temple of Athena, never leaving it. This custom only ceased in the 4th century BC.

When dividing the spoils of war, Cassandra went to Agamemnon, who made her his concubine. After returning to Mycenae, Agamemnon and Cassandra were killed by Agamemnon's wife Clytamestra, who saw Cassandra as a rival.

Helena Blavatsky, Russian seer Next →

Activities during life the most famous women - clairvoyants and fortune tellers are surrounded by legends. Thanks to this, many information and legends about famous oracles have been preserved to this day. It is no secret that the majority of predictors have always been female, since it is more natural for women to engage in this type of activity, because a woman has a more subtle nature than a man and her intuition is more developed. They are usually called fortune tellers or witches.

One of the most ancient and famous clairvoyants, about whom legends have survived to this day, was the seer of ancient Greece. She was the daughter of the last Trojan king Priam and Queen Hecuba; sister of Paris and Hector.

The amazing beauty of the golden-haired and blue-eyed Cassandra, “like Aphrodite,” ignited the love of the god Apollo, but she agreed to become his beloved only on the condition that he endow her with the gift of prophecy. However, having received this gift, Cassandra refused to fulfill her promise, for which Apollo took revenge on her by depriving her of her ability to persuade; there is a version that he also doomed her to celibacy. Although Cassandra rebelled against God, she was constantly tormented by a feeling of guilt towards him. She uttered her prophecies in an ecstatic state, so she was considered insane.

Cassandra's tragedy was that she foresaw the fall of Troy, the death of loved ones and her own death, but was powerless to prevent them. She was the first to recognize Paris in an unknown shepherd who won a sports competition, and tried to kill him as the future culprit of the Trojan War. Later she persuaded him to give up Elena. When she tried to tell people about the upcoming tragedy, even her own father did not believe her. “The walls of Troy are strong,” he said, “and the enemies cannot reach us.” Trying to convince her compatriots, Cassandra lost her mind and became a universal laughing stock.

Since Cassandra predicted only misfortunes, Priam ordered her to be locked in a tower, where she could only mourn the coming disasters of her homeland. . They remembered Cassandra’s prophecies only when they began to come true - but nothing could be changed here. It is interesting that the death of Troy was also predicted by the priest of Apollo Calchas, and another priest, Laocoon, begged the Trojans not to bring into their city the wooden horse left by the Achaeans. But it was Cassandra who remained for centuries a symbol of the ill-fated fate of the seer.

During the siege of Troy, she almost became the wife of the hero Ophrioneus, who vowed to defeat the Greeks, but he was killed in battle by the Cretan king Idomeneo. Cassandra was the first to announce to the Trojans about the return of Priam with the body of Hector from the enemy camp and predicted to Aeneas, the only one who believed her Trojan hero that he and his descendants were destined for a great destiny in Italy. During the capture of Troy, she tried to find refuge in the temple of Pallas Athena, but Ajax, the son of Oileus, forcibly tore her away from the statue of the goddess and even violated her. During the division of the spoils, she became a slave of the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, who was touched by her beauty and dignity and made her his concubine. Later, while with Agamemnon in Greece, Cassandra gave birth to two twin sons from him - Teledamus and Pelops - and predicted his death at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra and her own death. Her last prophecies came true at the festival in royal palace in Mycenae, she was killed along with Agamemnon and her sons. According to one version, the mortally wounded Agamemnon tried to protect her, according to another, she herself rushed to his aid.

Cassandra is a Trojan princess in ancient Greek mythology, the daughter of Priam and Hecuba. According to most myths, Cassandra had the gift of prophecy, which she received from Apollo, who sought the love of the beautiful Cassandra (in the Iliad, Cassandra is called the most beautiful of the daughters of Priam). Having received the gift of prophecy, Cassandra broke her promise to Apollo and he did not taste her love. In revenge, Apollo made sure that no one believed Cassandra's prophecies.

According to another myth, Cassandra and her twin brother Helen were once forgotten adults in the temple of Apollo and there the sacred temple snakes endowed the twins with the gift of prophecy.

Cassandra was the first to recognize her own brother in a shepherd named Paris, who came to a sports competition in Troy, and wanted to kill him in order to save Troy from future misfortunes. Then Cassandra persuaded Paris to give up his marriage to Helen. At the end of the Trojan War, Cassandra convinced the Trojans not to introduce a wooden horse into the city. However, no one believed Cassandra’s prophecies.

Cassandra and Hector. Ancient Greek painting, 5th century BC.

On the night of the fall of Troy, Cassandra sought refuge at the altar of Athena, but Ajax the Less (not to be confused with Ajax Telamonides) raped Cassandra. For this sacrilege, Odysseus called for Ajax to be stoned, then Ajax himself resorted to protecting the altar of Athena, which the Achaeans did not dare to violate. However, punishment overtook Ajax upon returning home: Athena crashed Ajax’s ship by throwing Perun at him. Ajax escaped, clung to a rock and began to boast that he was alive against the will of the gods. Then Poseidon split the rock with his trident and Ajax died. But even after this, Ajax’s fellow countrymen, the inhabitants of Locris, atoned for Ajax’s sacrilege for a thousand years by annually sending two virgins to Troy, who served in the temple of Athena, never leaving it. This custom only ceased in the 4th century BC.

According to another myth, Cassandra and her twin brother Helen were once forgotten adults in the temple of Apollo and there the sacred temple snakes endowed the twins with the gift of prophecy.

Cassandra was the first to recognize her own brother in the shepherd by name, who came to the sports competitions in Troy, and wanted to kill him in order to save Troy from future misfortunes. Then Cassandra persuaded Paris to refuse marriage with. At the end of the Trojan War, Cassandra convinced the Trojans not to introduce a wooden horse into the city. However, no one believed Cassandra’s prophecies.

Cassandra and... Ancient Greek painting, 5th century BC.

On the night of the fall of Troy, Cassandra sought refuge at the altar of Athena, but Ajax the Less (not to be confused with Ajax Telamonides) raped Cassandra. For this sacrilege he called for Ajax to be stoned, then Ajax himself resorted to protecting the altar of Athena, which the Achaeans did not dare to violate. However, punishment overtook Ajax upon returning home: Athena crashed Ajax’s ship by throwing Perun at him. Ajax escaped, clung to a rock and began to boast that he was alive against the will of the gods. Then Poseidon split the rock with his trident and Ajax died. But even after this, Ajax’s fellow countrymen, the inhabitants of Locris, atoned for Ajax’s sacrilege for a thousand years by annually sending two virgins to Troy, who served in the temple of Athena, never leaving it. This custom only ceased in the 4th century BC.

Ancient Greece gave us many fascinating myths, reading which allows us to better understand the people of antiquity, their attitude to life and the world around us. Often in these works actors are both powerful gods and ordinary mortals, to whom communication with the inhabitants of Olympus “gave” many problems. Let's consider who Cassandra is in Greek mythology, what is the tragedy of her fate.

Origin

The beautiful Cassandra was the daughter of the semi-mythical king of Troy, Priam, and his wife Hecuba. The girl's mother gave birth to 19 or 20 sons to her husband, the eldest of whom was the mighty Hector, a strong and brave warrior who died in mortal combat with the invincible Achilles. Also, the brother of the heroine of the material is the flighty prince Paris, through whose fault the bloodshed unfolded. Trojan War. The young man kidnapped Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, which was the reason for the conflict. Another daughter of Priam and Hecuba is Polyxena, Achilles' lover, sacrificed at his grave. Cassandra also had a twin brother, Helen.

Therefore, the question “who is Cassandra” can be answered simply: she is a Trojan princess, the daughter of Priam and his wife. However, this girl went down in history for a completely different reason.

Gift of Apollo

The beauty of Priam's daughter captivated the heart of the god of art, and he endowed his chosen one with the gift of prediction. However, the girl deceived God and did not reciprocate his feelings, which is why the offended resident of Olympus severely punished her - no one believed the words of the soothsayer. Who is Cassandra in mythology? This is an unfortunate fortuneteller, whom everyone laughed at, considering her crazy. The girl was forced to suffer - she knew the future, but was unable to change anything. According to one version of the myth, at the behest of Apollo the beauty was doomed to celibacy.

There is another option for a girl to have the gift of foresight. One day, Cassandra and her twin brother Gelen fell asleep in the temple of Apollo, and the sacred snakes, licking the girl’s ears, gave her the ability to see the future. But this version does not explain why no one took the fortuneteller’s words seriously.

Predictions

Find out who Cassandra is Ancient Greece What is her role, data about the girl’s predictions will help. Fate itself spoke through her lips, warned the Trojans, but no one listened to the seer. So, what did the beauty warn about?

It was she who first recognized Prince Paris, her brother, who was destined to cause the death of Troy, and tried to kill him, but was defeated.
She warned her brother that beautiful Elena will cause bloody battles, but no one listened to her. The father locked his daughter in anger and decided that she had gone mad.
She figured out the trick with the Trojan horse and begged not to take it outside the gates of Troy, but again she was not taken seriously.

After the death of Troy, its inhabitants remembered the girl’s predictions, but it was too late.

Fate after the fall of Troy

Answering the question of who Cassandra is, other facts about her difficult fate should be mentioned. After the fall hometown, which she knew about and which she tried to prevent, the story of the heroine of myths did not end. A whole series of tragedies awaited her:

After the capture of Troy, the Greek Ajax abused Cassandra, who in vain sought salvation in the temple of the goddess Athena.
Later, during the division of the spoils, the beauty went to Menelaus's brother, the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, who made her his mistress.
Wanting to make a sacrifice at the grave of the fallen Achilles, the Greeks first considered the candidacy of Cassandra. However, her sister Polyxena was killed.

Agamemnon brought the girl to Sparta, where she remained his concubine, arousing the jealousy of the king's wife, Clytemnestra. Ancient authors mention that the captive fortuneteller and her lover gave birth to twins, after which the offended Clytemnestra personally killed Cassandra and her children. The king himself also died, killed by his wife’s lover, Aegisthus.

The jealous woman did not live long after this, falling at the hands of her own children. According to one version, this was revenge for the murder of Agamemnon, according to another, the children acted at the behest of Apollo, who could not forget his beloved.

So, who is Cassandra in Ancient Greece? This is a beautiful girl of noble birth who was not afraid to reject the love of God and was severely punished for it. Many ancient authors describe with sympathy the fate of the unfortunate woman.

Common noun

The question “who is Cassandra” can be answered a little differently. IN modern world the girl's name has become a household name and means a harbinger of grief and troubles. In psychology there is the concept of the “Cassandra complex”. Its essence is that a person begins to fall into hysterics when no one believes his words (the truth of which he is sure).

Cassandra played a special role in mythology and the works of ancient writers, however, more modern authors often used her image in their works. Everywhere the figure of a beautiful girl is painted in tragic shades, evoking sympathy.