← Back to Main Map

Cassandra

📍 Troy, Turkey Legendary Figure ~1300 BC
Cassandra

Cassandra was a princess of Troy and a prophetic figure in Greek mythology. As a priestess of Apollo, she possessed the remarkable gift of seeing the future - but carried a terrible curse that no one would ever believe her predictions, even though they always came true. Her name is still used today to describe someone whose accurate warnings of disaster go unheeded.

Born to Troy's King Priam and Queen Hecuba, Cassandra was the sister of Hector, who would become the greatest Trojan warrior. There are two main versions of how she gained her prophetic powers. In the most widespread telling, Apollo, enchanted by her beauty, granted her the gift of prophecy while attempting to win her love. When she rejected his advances, the god couldn't take back his gift - instead, he cursed her so that no one would ever believe her visions.

An alternative version, recorded by ancient writers like Hyginus, suggests Apollo gave her prophetic sight as a romantic overture, adding the curse of disbelief only after she turned him down. A later variation tells of Cassandra falling asleep in a temple, where snakes licked or whispered into her ears, giving her the ability to hear future events.

The name Cassandra, sometimes written as Kassandra, was also known in its variant form Alexandra. In Ancient Greek, it was pronounced "Kassándra" (Κασσάνδρα).