Ancient Greece gave us a lot of fascinating myths, the reading of which allows us to better understand the people of antiquity, their attitude to life and the world around us. Often in these works, the characters are both powerful gods and ordinary mortals, to whom communication with the inhabitants of Olympus "gave" a lot of problems. 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 her husband 19 or 20 sons, the eldest of whom was the mighty Hector, a strong and brave warrior who died in a mortal battle with the invincible Achilles. Also, the brother of the heroine of the material is the windy prince Paris, through whose fault the bloody Trojan war unfolded. 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, beloved of Achilles, who was sacrificed at his grave. Cassandra also had a twin brother Helen.

Therefore, the question "who is Cassandra" can be answered simply: this 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 divination. However, the girl deceived God and did not reciprocate, which is why the offended inhabitant of Olympus severely punished her - no one believed the words of the soothsayer. Who is Cassandra in mythology? This is an unfortunate soothsayer, whom everyone laughed at, considering her insane. 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 the girl to have the gift of foresight. One day, Cassandra and her twin brother Helen fell asleep in the temple of Apollo, and the sacred snakes, having licked the girl's ears, endowed her with the ability to see the future. But this version does not explain why no one took the words of the soothsayer seriously.

Predictions

To understand who Cassandra is in Ancient Greece, what is her role, data on 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 the beautiful Elena would cause bloody battles, but no one listened to her. The father, in anger, locked up his daughter and decided that she was mad.
• She figured out the trick with the Trojan horse and begged not to bring him outside the gates of Troy, but again she was not taken seriously.

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

Fate after the fall of Troy

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

• After the capture of Troy, the Greek Ajax abused Cassandra, who vainly sought salvation in the temple of the goddess Athena.
• Later, the beauty went to the brother of Menelaus, the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, who made her his mistress.
• Wishing to make a sacrifice on 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, causing the jealousy of the king's wife, Clytemnestra. Ancient authors mention that the captive soothsayer and her lover had twins, after which the offended Clytemnestra killed Cassandra and her children with her own hands. The king himself died, killed by his wife's lover, Aegisthus.

The jealous woman did not live long after that, falling at the hands of her own children. According to one version, it 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 this. Many ancient authors sympathetically describe the fate of the unfortunate.

common noun

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

Cassandra played a special role in the mythology and work 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.

Cassandra is inextricably linked to Troy and the Trojan War in ancient Greek mythology. This woman was the daughter of the Trojan king Priam and his wife Hecuba. According to legend, she had black curly hair, dark brown eyes, regular features and a slender figure. Everyone considered her a beauty, but besides that, she was also extremely smart. However, the Trojans perceived Cassandra's mind as dementia.

Why is there such an opinion about a beautiful and intelligent woman? According to the kyklic poems, which were published in the 8th-6th centuries BC. e., the daughter of Priam had the gift of prophecy. And she got it from Apollo. He, seeing Cassandra, fell in love with her. But the object of his passion did not reciprocate. Beauty decided to capitalize on the love of God and promised reciprocity in exchange for the ability to see the future.

Apollo rewarded his beloved with such a gift, and she became a prophetess. However, she did not keep her promise and rejected the god in love with her. The latter's anger was terrible. He arranged everything so that people began to treat the prophecies of Cassandra with irony. She began to be considered an imbecile inventor, even though the prophecies came true. This version was told to future generations by the playwright Aeschylus in the 5th century BC. e.

There is another myth that explains why Cassandra had a prophetic gift. Allegedly, while still a little girl, she ended up with her brother Helen in the temple dedicated to Apollo Fimbreysky. There the children fell asleep, and sacred snakes crawled up to them. But nothing bad happened. The reptiles liked the girl's ears. They began to lick them, and licked them so clean that after that Cassandra had the gift to hear the future.

No one took seriously the daughter of Paris, who fell out of favor with Apollo. But she saw the coming events and tried to convey them to people. Possessing an extraordinary mind, the beauty found a way out of such a delicate situation. She began to tell her prophecies to her brother Helen, and he, declaring himself a seer, began to pass them on to people already on his own behalf. Some people believed in his predictions and some did not. But in any case, this did not save Troy.

The reason for the death of the city was Paris - one of the sons of Priam and Hecuba. When Paris was born, he was thrown on Mount Ida as a baby, as it was predicted that this boy would bring death to Three. However, Paris survived, grew up and came to the city as a shepherd. Cassandra was the first to recognize him and declared that the young man must be killed immediately, as he is deadly. But the royal family felt guilty for leaving Paris to perish on Mount Ida. The young man was received and treated kindly by the king and his wife.

When Paris was about to sail to Sparta, the smart beauty tried to resist this, as she saw the coming bloody events. However, she was ridiculed, and the young man safely set sail from the shores of Asia Minor. Soon he brought Helen with him, kidnapping her from the Spartan king Menelaus. This again caused a feeling of protest in Cassandra. She screamed and cried, demanding to send Elena back to her lawful husband. But everyone laughed at her, and the king ordered the distraught daughter to be locked in a room.

Even the beginning of the Trojan War did not bring people to their senses. Nobody believed the daughter of Priam. And the smart beauty gave out and gave out prophecies that immediately came true. But the curse of Apollo clouded the brains of the Trojans. They ignored Cassandra and laughed at her.

When, after 10 years of war, the Danaans left, they left a wooden horse at the gates of Troy. And again the beautiful Cassandra opposed the fact that the horse ended up in the city. But a huge wooden structure was dragged outside the city walls, and at night armed to the teeth Danaans, led by Odysseus, emerged from it.

Cassandra in the Temple of Athena after being abused by Ajax the Lesser

A terrible massacre began. And Cassandra in ancient Greek mythology tried to escape in the temple of Athena. There she wrapped her arms around the statue of the goddess and prayed for her protection. But then one of the Danaans Ajax Oilid or Ajax the Small (one of the heroes of the Trojan War) appeared in the temple. He dragged the daughter of Paris away from the statue of Athena and abused the beauty. This scene outraged the goddess Athena to the core. The terrible goddess was angry, since those who asked her for something in the temple were inviolable. The celestial took revenge on Ajax. He died shortly after returning home.

But the further fate of the seer was different. She became the concubine of Agamemnon. It was this king who led the siege of Troy and was the brother of Menelaus, from whom Paris stole his wife. The beautiful woman made an indelible impression on the Greek king. He was seriously carried away by her and decided to take her to Mycenae, where his wife Clytemnestra was waiting for him.

However, this lady did not remain faithful to her husband while he fought in Asia Minor. She got herself a lover Aegisthus, who is Agamemnon's cousin. But when the unfaithful wife found out that her husband was returning home with a beautiful concubine of royal blood, jealousy flared up in her soul. She agreed with her lover to kill her husband and his concubine when they return to Mycenae.

Cassandra meets Agamemnon

As for Cassandra, she saw her terrible end and reported the plot to Agamemnon. But he, like everyone else, did not heed the next prophecy of a beautiful woman. Returning to his native city, he was killed by Aegisthus. But the captive daughter of Priam, according to the playwright Aeschylus, was killed by Clytemnestra herself.

The image of Cassandra in ancient Greek mythology is described so vividly and believably that many descendants believed that this woman actually existed. They even searched for her grave, suggesting that the body was buried in Mycenae. The German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who lived in the 19th century, claimed that he found the grave of this woman in Mycenae. He discovered a grave containing the remains of a woman and the remains of two children. Schliemann stated that these children could be twins born as a result of a relationship with Agamemnon.

However, according to mythology, Cassandra herself predicted that wild animals would eat her body. This is quite possible, since the murdered woman could be thrown into the forest. But the ashes that disappeared into oblivion did not affect the memory of people about this beautiful creature. The myths about Cassandra have been repeatedly retold by many authors. There is even a term like Cassandra complex. This is when a person tries to convince people of reliable information, but he fails due to the lack of the gift of persuasion.

As for the incorporeal essence of this woman, the gods took her to themselves. She personified integrity and purity, and therefore took her rightful place in heaven. There she remains to this day, looking at the vain world from invisible heights.

Even during the life of the activity most famous women- clairvoyants and soothsayers are overgrown with legends. Thanks to this, many information and legends about the famous oracles have survived to this day. It is no secret that most predictors have always been females, 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 calledsoothsayers or witches.

One of the most ancient and famous clairvoyants, about which legends have survived to this day, was Cassandra, 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”, inflamed 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, depriving her of her ability to convince; there is a version that he also doomed her to celibacy. Although Cassandra rebelled against the god, she was constantly tormented by guilt before him. She spoke her prophecies in an ecstatic state, so she was considered insane.

Tragedy Cassandra was that she foresaw the fall of Troy, the death of loved ones and her own death, but was powerless to prevent them. She first recognized Paris in an obscure shepherd who won a sports competition, and tried to kill him as the future culprit of the Trojan War. Later, she persuaded him to abandon 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 enemy cannot reach us." Trying to convince her compatriots, Cassandra lost her mind and became a laughingstock.

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. . O the prophecies of Cassandra remembered only when they began to come true - but then nothing could be changed. Interestingly, the death of Troy was also predicted by the priest of Apollo Calchas, and another priest, Laocoön, begged the Trojans not to bring into their city a wooden horse left by the Achaeans. But it was Cassandra who remained for centuries the symbol of the ill-fated fate of the seer.

During the siege of Troy, she almost became the wife of the hero Ofrioney, who swore to defeat the Greeks, but he was slain in battle by the Cretan king Idomeneus. 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 Trojan hero who believed her, that a great fate was prepared for him and his descendants in Italy. During the capture of Troy, she tried to find refuge in the temple of Pallas Athena, but Ajax, the son of Oiley, forcibly tore her from the statue of the goddess and even abused her. When dividing the booty, 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 sons from him - twins - Teledam and Pelops and predicted his death at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra and her own death. Her last prophecies came true and at the festival in the 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.

The story of Cassandra was extremely popular in ancient art and literature. The hopelessness and tragedy of the fate of the Trojan prophetess often attracted Greek and Roman playwrights, and painters preferred to depict the scene of her abduction from the temple by Ajax and the scene of her murder.

In ancient Greek mythology, Cassandra was a soothsayer who became widely famous for the fact that no one ever believed her predictions, despite the fact that they always came true. Daughter of the last Trojan king and queen, Priam and Hecuba; sister of Paris and Hector.

The amazing beauty of Cassandra, similar to the beauty of the Greek goddess Aphrodite herself, ignited love in the heart of the god Apollo, but the girl agreed to become his lover only on the condition that he endow her with the gift of divination.

Cassandra received from God what she wanted more than anything in the world, but she refused to fulfill her part of the agreement. In anger, Apollo deprived the girl of the opportunity to convince people of his prophecies, thereby fulfilling his revenge.

In addition, there is a version that God doomed the seer to celibacy. Although Cassandra rebelled against Apollo, she was constantly tormented by a sense of her own guilt towards him. She always spoke predictions in an ecstatic state, so no one doubted her madness.

Cassandra foresaw the death of all her loved ones and the fall of Troy, but she was simply unable to prevent anything. She was the first to recognize Paris in the obscure shepherd who won the sports competition and even tried to kill the future culprit of the coming Trojan War. Then the fortuneteller tried to persuade him to abandon Elena.

Priam gave the order to lock the seer Cassandra in the tower due to the fact that she predicted only misfortunes. The girl could only sit in captivity and mourn the bitter fate of her homeland and her people. Cassandra almost succeeded in becoming the wife of Ofrioneus, a hero who swore an oath to defeat the Greek army when Troy was under siege.

However, nothing happened with her marriage, since Ofrionei was killed by Idomeneo, the Cretan king. Cassandra was the first to announce the return of Priam from the enemy camp with the body of Hector. To Aeneas, the only Trojan she liked, she predicted a great fate in Italy. She warned of armed warriors who hid inside the Trojan horse.

She sought refuge in the temple of Pallas Athena during the capture of Troy, but Ajax forcibly tore her away from the statue of the goddess, and, according to one version, abused her. Cassandra went to Agamemnon, the Mycenaean king, during the division of military booty, who made her his concubine, amazed by the beauty and dignity of the girl. She predicted the death of the Mycenaean king at the hands of Clytemnestra, his wife, as well as her own death.

Agamemnon took Cassandra with him to Greece. There she bore the Mycenaean king two twin sons, whom she named Pelops and Taledam. Caligemnestra killed Cassandra at a festival along with Agamemnon and their sons. According to one version, Agamemnon, being dying, tried to protect her, and according to another, it was she who tried to save the life of the king.

The inhabitants of Amikl and Mycenae disputed the right to be considered the resting place of the soothsayer in antiquity. In honor of Cassandra, a temple was erected in Leuctra. This circumstance led to the conclusion that the cult of Cassandra once existed in the Peleponnese.

In ancient art and literature, the story of Cassandra gained extraordinary popularity. Most of all, the painters liked to depict the scenes of the abduction and murder of Cassandra (frescoes in Herculaneum and Pompeii, the casket of Kypsel, a painting by an unknown artist, which was described in the images of Philostratus, the crater of the vase painter Lycurgus).

Many Roman and Greek playwrights were attracted by the tragedy and hopelessness of the fate of the soothsayer Cassandra - Euripides (Trojans), Aeschylus (Agamemnon), Seneca (Agamemnon). Cassandra also became a heroine in the learned poem of Alexander Philostratus, which was created in the Hellenistic era.

You can also learn interesting facts about Cassandra:

The still quite young beauty Cassandra has a passionate admirer and, moreover, not an easy one.
The god Apollo Silverhand turned his attention and his feelings to her.

A still quite young beauty, the Trojan princess Cassandra - the daughter of Priam and Hecuba - has a passionate admirer, and besides, not an easy one. The god Apollo Silverhand turned his attention and his feelings to her. Cassandra, of course, was flattered by such attention from the Archer.

Evelyn de Morgan Cassandra

However, the beauty highly valued herself and for quite a long time avoided answering about the proposed marriage. But Apollo, in turn, realizing that he was simply being led by the nose, demanded a clear and intelligible answer from the bride. Cassandra, finding herself in such a difficult situation, put forward a condition for him: she would marry him only on one condition, if he, the patron god of arts and divination, would give her the gift of prophecy. Apollo did not argue and gave his consent to this unusual whim of the bride.

John Collier Cassandra

Having received the gift, Cassandra resolutely refused her fiancé. The handsome Apollo had not been lucky in love before. His mortal wives were not faithful to him, and the charming nymph named Daphne even preferred to turn into a laurel rather than belong to him. The cup of patience for Apollo was over, and he took revenge on Cassandra, leaving her a divine gift and spitting in her face with a farewell kiss. The beauty had a gift, but she could not use it to the fullest, because no one believed her prophecies.

Anthony Sandys Cassandra

This is how Apollo left his gift for his beloved. They say that the vengeful handsome Apollo imposed more than one curse on young Cassandra. Spitting in her face, he also cast a spell of virginity. Cassandra wore girls for many years. After a ten-year siege of Troy, the Phrygian prince Kareb showed interest in her and wooed. Cassandra's youth was left behind, the Greeks pretty much pinched her once rich kingdom, her reputation was damaged, her character was far from angelic, and the young prince was ready to marry her and get involved in a war with the Achaeans for her sake.

Dante Rossetti Cassandra

Seeing a new sign that predicted her separation from Kareb, Cassandra went with prayers to Athena in her temple, but she remained completely indifferent to her prayers. The cunning Ajax the Small tracked down the queen, burst into the temple and wanted to take possession of her. The Phrygian fiance of Cassandra hurried to her aid, but in the temple he fell, protecting the bride under the onslaught of the Greek soldiers. Cassandra resisted as best she could, during the struggle Ajax dropped the statue of the goddess, but, ignoring the sinister fact, continued the fight and achieved his goal. Having received the coveted victory over Cassandra, he did not receive joy from his deed, and his comrades, seeing the broken statue of Athena, froze in horror.

Solomon Solomon Ajax the Lesser and Cassandra 1886

Cassandra, having recovered from what had happened, announced that Ajax was about to die soon. Although he pretended not to believe her, he hastened to get rid of the queen as his prisoner. Cassandra was right again: Ajax died very soon after drowning in the sea. At the end of the war, the Trojan beauty queen Cassandra went to the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, but his attention to the princess did not bode well. In captivity at the king, she constantly repeated the phrase "Freedom is near." It was completely incomprehensible to Agamemnon why this famous beauty kept talking about freedom from life for the two of them.

Max Klinger Cassandra

Claudia Cohen Cassandra

He liked Cassandra very much, so Cassandra arrived in Mycenae already with two twin boys, the sons of Agamemnon. The spell of Apollo has lost its power. The Mycenaean king returned victorious and was proud of it. Agamemnon's wife did not like this turn of events. The Mycenaean queen Clytemnestra was a very jealous and vindictive woman, although she herself was reputed to be an unfaithful wife, but she could not forgive her husband for betrayal. Her anger towards Agamemnon and his captive was boundless, she killed the king, and a little later finished off both Cassandra and her sons. This is what the prophetess Cassandra warned Agamemnon about, but the king did not attach importance to her words, however, people always treated her prophecies in this way, they simply did not believe her or did not take her words seriously.

Ajax and Cassandra Fresco from Pompeii

Ajax and Cassandra Ancient Greek painting 4th century BC

Ajax the Lesser and Cassandra Ancient Greek painting 5th century BC

"Farewell - and remember me!" The prophetess Cassandra died, but still, before her death, she managed to foretell the vengeful Clytemnestra a very quick and terrible end of her life. The queen was seriously frightened by such a prediction of her fate. No matter how feared and no matter how the queen was not careful, the prediction of the prophetess nevertheless came true. Her own children, born of Agamemnon, whom she killed in a fit of jealousy, took revenge on their mother. Orestes and Electra were inspired to take this step by Apollo himself, who was haunted by the memory of his beloved, beautiful Cassandra, who never became his wife.

M. Camillo the Seer