Cassandra
Cassandra is in Greek mythology, a seer whose prophe- cies, including the fall of Troy, were ignored. She was the daughter of Priam and also was called the daughter of Hecate. Cassandra received the gift of clairvoyance by sleeping in the temple of Apollo and allowing snakes to lick her ears.
When Apollo tried to seduce her, she rebuffed him, and he punished her by declaring that no one would pay attention to her forecasts. In another ver- sion of the myth Apollo fell in love with her and gave her the gift of prophecy in return for her promise of giving herself to him.
She reneged. Apollo begged for a kiss, to which she consented. By breathing into her mouth, he gave her the gift of prophecy but took away her power of persuasion. After the fall of Troy, Cassandra was taken prisoner by Agamemnon, whose death she prophesied, and which came to pass with his slaying by his wife, Clytemnestra.
Another version of Cassandra's tale says she was killed in the fall of Troy. She also was able to understand the language of animals.
The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 1989, 1999, 2008 by Visionary Living, Inc.
