Guerilla Healthcare: The Inmates run the Asylum

“Our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness, provided the madness is given us by divine gift..” ~ Plato (Phaedrus)
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Would Cassandra be considered Schizophrenic

The story of the heroine Cassandra is a favorite in Greek mythology. Cassandra makes an appearance in many plays and poems, where often she is depicted in her most memorable role – that of prophetess. So let us explore this compelling Greek heroine, and learn about Cassandra in myth and legend for a moment to start out (the next entries give more detail to what I am getting at).

Cassandra is mentioned briefly in the Iliad of Homer (which, incidentally, is one of our oldest and most respected sources for information about the characters of Greek myth). Indeed, in the Iliad, we learn that Cassandra was the child of King Priam of Troy, and she was considered to be Priam’s most beautiful daughter (Homer, Iliad, Book XIII, 365). However, no mention of Cassandra’s notorious prophetic power is made in this Homeric epic.

We first find the tale of Cassandra and her legendary gifts in other works of ancient
Greek literature. According to one version of the story, Cassandra received the power to foretell the future from the god Apollo. Apparently, Apollo instructed the mortal woman and taught her about the art of prophecy because he had an ulterior motive – the god wished to
win her affections. Cassandra accepted Apollo as a teacher, but not as a lover. Naturally, the god was insulted by this refusal. So he punished Cassandra. Apollo caused the gift that he gave Cassandra to be twisted, making everyone who heard her true and accurate foretellings
of future events believe that they were instead hearing lies. In other words, the wondrous blessing bestowed upon a mortal became instead a terrible curse.

And indeed, the burden of Cassandra’s “gift” is evident in mythology. She predicted the outcome of many disastrous events. In one memorable example, Cassandra announced the dire consequences of the Trojans accepting the infamous Wooden Horse from their Greek opponents. But as Apollo made certain, no one believed Cassandra when she warned her companions about the future. And this, in the end, was to be Cassandra’s tragic fate.

To Be Continued

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