Cassandra (Greek Κασσάνδρα), middle name: Alexandra (Greek Ἀλεξάνδρα), soothsayer and prophet, - according to Homer, the most beautiful of the daughters of Priam and Queen Hecuba; sister of Paris and Hector. According to one myth, Cassandra spent the night in the temple of Apollo with her twin brother Helen, and there the temple snakes licked her ears so clean that she was able to “hear” the future.
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 divination. 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 Cassanda rebelled against God, she was constantly tormented by a feeling of guilt towards him. She made predictions in an ecstatic state, so she was considered crazy.
Cassandra's tragedy is that she foresees the fall of Troy, the death of loved ones and her own death, but is 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. 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. 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. Telephus, the son of Hercules, also loved Cassandra, but she despised him and even helped to seduce her sister Laodice. She was the first to announce to the Trojans the return of Priam with the body of Hector from the enemy camp. She predicted to Aeneas, the only Trojan hero who believed her, that a great fate was destined for him and his descendants in Italy. She opposed the introduction of a wooden horse into the city and warned her compatriots that armed soldiers were hidden inside the Trojan Horse.
On the night of the fall of Troy, Cassandra sought salvation at the altar in the temple of Pallas Athena, but Ajax, the son of Oileus, tore her away from the altar-statue of the goddess and took her by force. For this, Athena later punished Ajax and other Achaeans.
During the division of the spoils, she went to the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, who was touched by her beauty and dignity and made her his concubine. Taken by Agamemnon to Greece. She gave birth to two twin sons from him - Teledamus and Pelops.
Cassandra predicted Agamemnon's death at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra and her own death at a festival in the royal palace in Mycenae, but he did not believe the predictions of the prophetess from Troy.
While Agamemnon was at war, his wife Clytemnestra began to cheat on her husband with Aegisthus. When Agamemnon and Cassandra arrive in Mycenae, Clytemnestra asks her husband to walk on a purple carpet, the color of which symbolizes the Olympian gods.
The painting "" was painted by the artist Joseph Solomon in 1886.
Agamemnon initially refuses, but eventually gives in and goes for it; but by walking on this purple carpet he commits blasphemy. Then Clytemnestra and Aegisthus kill Agamemnon. Cassandra was killed by Clytemnestra herself. According to one version, the mortally wounded Agamemnon tried to protect her, according to another, she herself rushed to his aid. Her sons Teledamus and Pelops were also killed by Clytemnestra's lover Aegisthus.
The right to be considered the resting place of Cassandra in antiquity was disputed by the inhabitants of Mycenae and Amycles; Temples were erected in her honor in Amyclae and Leuctra (in Laconia). This allows us to talk about the existence of the cult of Cassandra in the Peloponnese.
The story of Cassandra was extremely popular in ancient art and literature. Painters prefer to depict the scene of her abduction from the temple by Ajax and the scene of her murder (the casket of Cypselus, the crater of the vase painter Lycurgus, frescoes in Pompeii and Herculaneum, a painting by an unknown artist described in the Images of Philostratus). The hopelessness and tragedy of the fate of the Trojan prophetess often attracted Greek and Roman playwrights - Aeschylus (Agamemnon), Euripides (Alexander, Trojan Women), Lycophron (Cassandreides), Actium (Clytemnestra), Seneca (Agamemnon). In the Hellenistic era, she became the heroine of a learned poem by Alexander Philostratus.
In European culture, interest in this mythological character was revived at the end of the 18th century. (ballad “Cassandra” by F. Schiller) and especially affected Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century (poem “Cassandra” by V.K. Kuchelbecker, drama “Cassandra in the Halls of Agamemnon” by A.F. Merzlyakov, drama “Cassandra” by A.N. Maykova). In the 20th century, during the era of world wars, the image of Cassandra turned out to be even more in demand due to the particular importance of the theme of vain prophecy and the unrecognized prophet. He was approached by L. Ukrainka (“Cassandra”; 1902–1907), D. Drinkwater (“Night of the Trojan War”; 1917), J. Girodoux (“There Will Be No Trojan War”; 1935), G. Hauptmann (“The Death of Agamemnon” "; 1944), A. MacLey ("Trojan Horse"; 1952), R. Bayra ("Agamemnon Must Die"; 1955), etc. The statue of Cassandra by Max Klinger conveys the loneliness and sorrow of the prophet who predicted the fall of Troy, but was not understood by her own people. by the people.
- (Cassandra, Κασσάνδρα). Daughter of the Trojan king Priam and Hecuba. She was distinguished by her beauty and was loved by the god Apollo, from whom she received the gift of divination. But because she did not respond to his love, Apollo punished her by the fact that no one believed her... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology
From the poem “The Iliad” by the poet of Ancient Greece Homer (IX century BC). Cassandra is the daughter of the Trojan king Priam, who was endowed with the gift of prophecy by the god Apollo, who was in love with her. But when she rejected his love, he, in order to take revenge on her, made her... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions
The daughter of Priam, who received the gift of prophecy from Apollo, but was punished by the fact that no one believed her mostly unfavorable predictions. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. CASSANDRA is the most beautiful... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Cassandra
Cassandra- (Evpatoria, Crimea) Hotel category: Address: Sanatorskaya Street 4, 97416 Evpatoria, Crimea Description: Apart-hotel "Cassandra" with modern decor and free Wi-Fi is located in Evpatoria ... Hotel catalog
Soothsayer, prophetess Dictionary of Russian synonyms. cassandra noun, number of synonyms: 4 amalthea (4) ... Synonym dictionary
CASSANDRA, in Greek mythology, the daughter of Priam, who received a prophetic gift from Apollo. Cassandra's tragic prophecies were rejected and ridiculed, but then they were embodied in the death of her family and the destruction of Troy. The image of Cassandra is widely reflected in... ... Modern encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, the daughter of King Priam of Troy, who received a prophetic gift from Apollo. Apollo, rejected by Cassandra, made sure that her prophecies were no longer believed (thus, the Trojans did not heed the words of Cassandra, who warned Paris against kidnapping... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Kassandra) according to Homer, the most beautiful of the daughters of Priam; After the capture of Troy, she was taken as a spoil by Agamemnon, who brought her with him to Mycenae, where she was killed, along with him, by Clytemnestra. Among subsequent poets, K. is endowed with the gift of divination,... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Cassandra- Ajax and Cassandra. Fragment of the crater painting by the artist Lycurgus. 360 350 BC National Museum. Naples. Ajax and Cassandra. Fragment of the crater painting by the artist Lycurgus. 360 350 BC National Museum. Naples. Cassandra in ancient myths... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"
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. It is customary to call themfortune tellers or witches.
One of the most ancient and famous clairvoyants, about whom 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,” 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.
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 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. . ABOUT Cassandra's prophecies they remembered 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 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 destined 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 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 and at a 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.
Cassandra Cassandra
(Cassandra, Κασσάνδρα). Daughter of the Trojan king Priam and Hecuba. She was distinguished by her beauty and was loved by the god Apollo, from whom she received the gift of divination. But because she did not respond to his love, Apollo punished her by saying that no one believed her predictions. After the capture of Troy, she was taken as a spoil by Agamemnon, who took her with him to Mycenae, where she was killed by Clytemnestra.
(Source: “A Brief Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities.” M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, edition by A. S. Suvorin, 1894.)
CASSANDRA(Κασσάνδρα), in Greek mythology, daughter Priam And Hecuba. Already in the cyclic poems, K. acted as a prophetess, whose predictions no one believed. The gift of providence was given to K. by the one who sought her love Apollo, and when K. refused to reciprocate his feelings, Apollo, in revenge on her, made sure that her prophetic words were not taken seriously (Aeschyl. Agam. 1202-12). According to a later version of the myth, K., together with his twin brother Elen received a prophetic gift as a child from the sacred snakes in the temple of Apollo (on the Trojan plain). K. was the first to identify Parisa, who came to the competition in Troy, and wanted to kill him in order to save his homeland from the disasters that Paris later brought upon Troy. She persuaded Paris to refuse to marry Elena, and then she convinced the Trojans not to believe the words of Sinon and not to introduce a wooden horse into Troy (in which the Achaean ambush was hidden) (Apollod. epit. V 17), but again they did not believe her prophecies.
On the night of the fall of Troy, K. sought refuge at the altar of Athena, but was torn away from him Ajax, the son of Oileus, who forcibly took possession of K. (V 22). How the captive K. got into booty Agamemnon and died with him by hand Clytaemesters, who saw her as a rival (Hom. Od. XI 421-23; Aeschyl. Agam. 1256-63; 1438-47). In the historical era, in a number of places in the Peloponnese (in Amikla, Mycenae, Leuctra), the grave and temple of K., identified with the local deity Alexandra (Paus. II 16, 6; III 19, 6; III 26, 4), were indicated.
The tragic image of K., broadcasting terrible visions of the future in prophetic ecstasy, is captured in “Agamemnon” by Aeschylus (1035-1330) and “The Trojan Women” by Euripides (294-461), while in the poem “Alexandra” by the poet of the 3rd century. BC e. Lycophron reflects a relatively later version of the myth, according to which Priam ordered the insane K. to be locked up, a guard was assigned to her, and he instructed him to write down K.’s prophecies.
Lit.: Davreux J., La legende de la prophetesse Cassandre, P., 1942.
V. n. Yarho.
The myth was reflected in ancient fine art (frescoes in Pompeii and Herculaneum, reliefs, carved stones, etc.); In vase paintings, the scene of K.’s rejection from the altar of Athena by Ajax was especially common.
European drama of the 16th-18th centuries. rarely turned to the image, the most significant tragedies of the beginning. 20th century: "K." G. Eilenberg, Lesya Ukrainka and P. Ernst. Translations and adaptations of the scene of K.'s death from Aeschylus's tragedy "Agamemnon" became widespread, including in Russian literature of the 19th century. (“K. in the palace of Agamemnon” by A.F. Merzlyakov, “K.” by A. N. Maikov). In poetry, the tragic image of the prophetess K. was created by F. Schiller (ballad “K.”), V.K. Kuchelbecker (poem “K.”).
(Source: “Myths of the Peoples of the World.”)
CassandraDaughter of King Priam of Troy and Hecuba. Sister of Agathon, Arete, Hector, Helen, Hippothoos, Deiphobus, Kebrion, Cleitus, Creusa, Laodice, Lycaon, Paris, Polydorus, Polyxena, Politus, Troilus and others. She received a prophetic gift from Apollo. Apollo, rejected by Cassandra, made sure that her prophecies were no longer believed (thus, the Trojans did not heed the words of Cassandra, who warned her brother Paris against the abduction of Helen; the latter, as is known, led to the Trojan War and the destruction of Troy). Cassandra became a captive of Agamemnon, dying with him at the hands of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.
// Vladimir VYSOTSKY: Song about things to Cassandra // Robinson JEFFERS: Cassandra
(Source: “Myths of Ancient Greece. Dictionary-reference book.” EdwART, 2009.)
Fragment of the crater painting by the “artist Lycurgus”.
360350 BC e.
Naples.
National Museum.
From the poem “The Iliad” by the poet of Ancient Greece Homer (IX century BC). Cassandra is the daughter of the Trojan king Priam, who was endowed with the gift of prophecy by the god Apollo, who was in love with her. But when she rejected his love, he, in order to take revenge on her, made her... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions
The daughter of Priam, who received the gift of prophecy from Apollo, but was punished by the fact that no one believed her mostly unfavorable predictions. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. CASSANDRA is the most beautiful... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Cassandra
Cassandra- (Evpatoria, Crimea) Hotel category: Address: Sanatorskaya Street 4, 97416 Evpatoria, Crimea Description: Apart-hotel "Cassandra" with modern decor and free Wi-Fi is located in Evpatoria ... Hotel catalog
Soothsayer, prophetess Dictionary of Russian synonyms. cassandra noun, number of synonyms: 4 amalthea (4) ... Synonym dictionary
CASSANDRA, in Greek mythology, the daughter of Priam, who received a prophetic gift from Apollo. Cassandra's tragic prophecies were rejected and ridiculed, but then they were embodied in the death of her family and the destruction of Troy. The image of Cassandra is widely reflected in... ... Modern encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, the daughter of King Priam of Troy, who received a prophetic gift from Apollo. Apollo, rejected by Cassandra, made sure that her prophecies were no longer believed (thus, the Trojans did not heed the words of Cassandra, who warned Paris against kidnapping... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Kassandra) according to Homer, the most beautiful of the daughters of Priam; After the capture of Troy, she was taken as a spoil by Agamemnon, who brought her with him to Mycenae, where she was killed, along with him, by Clytemnestra. Among subsequent poets, K. is endowed with the gift of divination,... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
This term has other meanings, see Cassandra (meanings). Cassandra (ancient Greek: Κασσάνδρα), middle name: Alexandra (ancient Greek: Ἀλεξάνδρα) character in ancient Greek mythology, daughter of Priam and Hecuba. Most authors describe it... Wikipedia
Cassandra- Ajax and Cassandra. Fragment of the crater painting by the artist Lycurgus. 360 350 BC National Museum. Naples. Ajax and Cassandra. Fragment of the crater painting by the artist Lycurgus. 360 350 BC National Museum. Naples. Cassandra in ancient myths... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"
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.
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.
