Doomed Prophetess

Cassandra of Troy.

Not many know of this iconic figure. She is often overshadowed by her more beautiful and more popular sister-in-law, Helen. Although, history paints a different picture of the crazed Cassandra that is only remembered for her frantic prophecy of the fall of Troy.

Now it may seem strange to write about an unsuccessful woman on a blog that is supposed to inspire women. But, I do think there is something to be learned of Cassandra. There is more than one side to the coin, and Cassandra's seems to have never been flipped. In Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressidus, Cassandra is portrayed as a lunatic, with wild hair streaming behind her back as she prophesied into the wind, and with Priam, king of Troy sitting at her feet, deaf to her pleas. Why didn't he just listen? She was his daughter after all...

Well, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that she was cursed, cursed by the very god that had desired her: Apollo.

It is not often, especially nowadays that a woman can inspire the lust of an otherworldly being--in fact, if you totally factor out vampires (thank you, Stephanie Meyer and the spawn of Twilight), it never happens nowadays! But, back in the time of Gods and Goddesses, when people worshipped the earth and every facet of life was connected to a face on Mount Olympus, earthly affairs were much more conceivable for deities. Hence, Cassandra and Apollo.

Cassandra of Troy may not have been the prettiest turnip in the garden, but she was definitely worth plucking from the soil--at least that's what I assume Apollo saw from his stellar sofa. And, when he saw her laying, very scantily clad (as demonstrated by several vase decorations from the time period) in his temple, he thought the moment was ripe. Assuming the form of a golden man, he ascended from his mountain domain, promising Cassandra the gift of prophecy if only she would sleep with him.

What do you think, ladies? Sound familiar? It seems that men will promise you the moon...doesn't it? Although, personally, I might have jumped at the snap of prophesy like Cassandra (who doesn't want to know what's on the final before exam time?!).

Anyways, poor Apollo is tricked. When Cassandra backs out of the bargain and refuses her body, he curses her. What good is the gift of prophecy if no one will believe you? And so, Cassandra falls into a pit of despair. Her life becomes more and more horrifying each step of the way. She sees Paris, Helen, and the Trojan Horse, but not a soul believes her raving. She's raped and carried across the sea to be the mistress of the king that ransacked her country. And finally, she is killed by the king's jealous wife.

Sounds pleasant, huh?

The question is, what can we learn from all this misfortune? And believe me, the answer has nothing to do with denying golden-Gods-in-disguise your body...

I think, that Cassandra's most valuable quality is her perseverance. She never backed down. Even when people spat in her face (keep in mind she was a princess), she continued to shout her prophecy. Also, Cassandra acknowledged her mistakes. She knew that it had been wrong of her to back out of a bargain--even if that bargain was essentially wrong to begin with. Cassandra made her life a penance for Apollo, working in his temple until she was hijacked across the pond.

What do you say to this?

Are we this strong? Do we have the potential to be? The fact of the matter is, we are women...and so was Cassandra...

at least we have that much going for us.

And, in my perspective, the time has come to discover the rest.