Sources and variations

Cassandra appears in the Uliad, the Greek poet Homer’s eighth-century-BCE account of the Trojan War, but in the epic poem she is described as Priam’s most beautiful daughter, and there is no mention of her powers as a prophetess. Much of what is known about her is drawn from the Aeneid, a work by the Roman poet Virgil (70—19 BCE). Another important source is the play Agamemnon by the Greek playwright Aeschylus

Ajax of Locris

Ajax of Locris was sometimes known as Little Ajax or Ajax the Lesser to distinguish him from the huge Ajax of Salamis, who fought the Greek prince Hector, Cassandra's brother, in single combat. Little Ajax was known for his speed as a runner and for the tame serpent that he carried with him. His abduction of Cassandra brought him the enmity of his fellow Greek heroes, who believed that he had aroused the hatred of Athena by violating the sanctity of her temple. Odysseus called for Ajax to be stoned, but he was allowed to sail home to Greece.

On the way home Ajax's ship was wrecked on the Gyraean Rock. Ajax managed to swim to safety, but when he boasted of his escape he was killed by Poseidon for his vanity. In one version of the myth, however, it was the wronged goddess Athena who killed him. Because Ajax had not atoned for his crime against Athena, the inhabitants of Locris were forced to appease the goddess themselves. The Delphic oracle told the Locrians to send two girls to Troy every year for a thousand years. Each pair would serve in the temple of Athena for a year before being replaced.

(525—456 BCE), which tells the story of Cassandra’s fateful journey to Mycenae, including her murder. The figure of Cassandra also features in the work of much later writers. For example, she appears in one of William Shakespeare’s plays, Troilus and Cressida, written in 1602.

As with other Greek myths, there are many variations on the story of Cassandra. In one, as a young child she acquires the gift of prophecy after being left, along with her twin brother Helenus, in the Temple of Apollo. In this version the two children are attacked by the sacred serpents of Apollo, after which they both acquire the gift of prophecy. However, one of the key elements of the myth is removed—the idea that Cassandra brought her misfortune upon herself by angering the gods.

Andrew Campbell

Bibliography

Homer, and Robert Fagles, trans. The Iliad. New York: Penguin, 2009.

Virgil, and Robert Fagles, trans. The Aeneid. New York: Penguin, 2009.

See also: Agamemnon; Clytemnestra; Hecuba; Helen; Laocoon; Paris; Priam.