Whether it is the sword of Damocles, the barrel of the Danaïdes or the thigh of Jupiter, mythological clichés regularly flood the media. With the health crisis, a new epidemic has appeared, that of experts who “play Cassandra”.
But what do we know about the famous Trojan princess, gifted with the gift of prophecy and cruelly judged for her lucidity?
Cassandra is not a historical character, but a figure of Greek mythology. She was the daughter of the Trojan king Priam. A beauty, from a very young age, according to legend. One day, when she had fallen asleep in a temple, the god Apollo, excited at the sight of her, wakes her up and tells her that he would appreciate making love to her. In exchange for her charms and her virginity, he offers her the power to divine the future. Cassandra accepts the deal. She receives the divine gift but then refuses to pay her due.
Angry, Apollo then asks the young girl to grant him only one kiss. But when he is about to kiss her, he spits in her mouth. Thus, Cassandra will be a useless prophetess. She will be able to keep the gift of prophecy, but will never be able to make any effective use of it, because no human will believe in her predictions. Terrible curse! Cassandra embodies the being gifted with extreme lucidity but unable to share it. She cannot prevent the misfortunes she predicts, nor save her loved ones whose loss she foresees. Her perspicacity is noncommunicable.
About the Cassandra myth
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