❤ A time line of Agamemnon's and Cassandra's portrayals ❤
Although in these sources Agamemnon and Cassandra are not shown interacting with each other (like talking and having a dialogue), we still can learn some things about their relationship. Later sources (future infographic) include Lycophron's Alexandra, Ovid's Metamorphosis and Remedia Amores, and Seneca's Agamemnon. 💕 There is also archaeological evidence of their hero cult and the religious worship they received, either as a couple of consorts or on their own. 💕 If the picture quality is not good enough try opening the image in a new tab, or let me know so I figure out what to do. 💕 And if you like Classics, be my friend on Discord: coloricioso#5368 🥺💕
Hello, everyone. I just want to let you know that now my Tumblr account is officially closed. I won't post here anymore.
You can always reach me at [email protected] and remember I have a personal website www.coloricioso.com where you can find some of my artwork and comics.
I took all of my account posts down, but I will be uploading my website in the following weeks and I'll add more blog posts and artwork there.
Thanks a lot for following me, I spent more than 10 years here on Tumblr, but now it's time to move.
How do you intepret the ending of Apollo and Cassandra, where He curses her because of Her rejection of Him? I enjoy the eay you look at mythos, and if you have a take other than "Apollo is awful" I'd love to hear!
The ApolloxCassandra relationship is complex. And we unfortunately don't know why Cassandra rejected Apollo. We only have Aeschylus' Agamemnon as a Greek source covering the curse's origin, because the other sources are either Roman or too late (after Christ centuries). Cassandra says that Apollo was in love with her and fought to win her. When she is asked if she had intercourse with the god, she replies that she consented, but that she "broke her word":
The "broke my word" verb in ancient Greek is ψεύδω which means to lie, to deceive by lies, to trick, or to break a promise.
And then Cassandra says she committed a fault (or "sin"):
So, Cassandra agreed or promised to have sex with Apollo and then didn't do it. But, the thing is that WE DON'T KNOW WHY. No source explains this. We don't know if Cassandra wanted to cheat Apollo to fool him and get away with her way, or if she wanted to love him but then regretted it out of fear. We have no idea. But if Cassandra deliberately tricked him, that's hybris and it was severely punished. Any mortal daring to trick, offend, or attack a god would get killed or punished harshly. So, again, we don't know if Cassandra "deserved" her punishment or if she didn't, there is no way to answer. Also, we have no idea if Apollo raped Cassandra or not. Cassandra says he fought like a wrestler over her, but we don't know if that is a metaphor for rape or not. Cassandra's sexual status is a debated topic (here is a paper in Jstor for example: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/651713)
In the Aeschylus' play, Cassandra is very bitter towards Apollo and calls him her destroyer, she even steps on her priestess' garlands to express how much she hates what Apollo did to her (curse her and then have her dead). But in Euripides' Trojan Women, the story is the opposite. Cassandra loves her lord Apollo and calls him her "beloved". And she throws her priestess' garlands to the wind so her symbols may stay "pure" because now she'll "lose her virginity" to Agamemnon.
Cassandra was a priestess of Apollo, which means she was willing to become her loyal religious servant, she loved him. But their relationship is complex, and we don't have enough information to know all of it. So, since we have contradicting sources, we might think that the ancient Greeks saw their relationship as nuanced and complex, so it wouldn't be ok to just claim that Apollo is bad and Cassandra is a helpless victim of his cruelty. From a religious perspective, I think Cassandra loved Apollo, and probably she regretted having sex with him because she was scared. We know that encounters with gods can be frightening (think of Semele and Zeus). Even after her curse, Cassandra still acts as Apollo's servant, she is still his priestess. I think she feels love, shame, guilt, sadness, and a lot of feelings for him. And religiously speaking, I believe Apollo did everything so Cassandra would become immortalized and forever remembered. Despite we don't have sources, I like to think that Apollo avenged Cassandra by supporting Orestes. Hope this helps!
Hola! Me encanta tu diseño de Cassandra, es hermoso! También Agamenón, se ve muy bien! Y tu representación de Apolo, es que todos se ven hermosos, dibujas muy lindo! Me gusta mucho también que haya una historia de Cassandra en la que no se insulte o se odie a Apolo... Para alguien que respeta y ama a todos los dioses, pero que también le gustan y admira a los personajes de la Guerra de Troya, es muy bonito encontrar arte que respete a ambas partes! Gracias ✨✨✨
Muchas gracias, me alegra mucho tu mensaje 💕✨✨✨🥰!! Mi trabajo es amistoso para la comunidad politeísta helénica porque se respeta a los dioses. En mi novela Apolo no es villano ni malvado como lo retratan siempre. Su relación con Casandra es compleja, pero siempre se trata con respeto a los dioses y precisamente uno de los mayores objetivos de la novela es mostrar la relación religiosa entre Casandra y su dios. ¡Gracias por tu apoyo!
Absolutely ZERO judgement, I just have to say -- I have never seen an Agamemnon fangirl in the wild. What drew you to the Cassandra/Agamemnon ship? It's certainly not the the most common Iliad fan-pair, haha. This is not intended to be hate or anything, I'm genuinely curious! (And somewhat converted?)
I'm gonna make myself a badge that says "Agamemnon fangirl in the wild", like an honorific title because I love it 🤣💕 I was drawn into the Cassandra myth because I was suffering a pretty bad depression and her story felt relatable. Seeing Cassandra and Agamemnon as a couple really came as something spontaneous and natural to me, spiritual even, if we consider they were worshipped together.
Important note: When it comes to the relationship dynamics between Agamemnon and Cassandra, we must acknowledge the nuanced interplay of several factors such as: ownership, age difference, consent, and unequal power dynamics, given Agamemnon's position as a master and Cassandra's status as an enslaved woman.
Keeping such context in mind, we do know from the sources that:
Agamemnon loved Cassandra and didn't mistreat her.
Agamemnon died trying to save Cassandra from being murdered.
Cassandra was loyal to Agamemnon and wanted to save him from dying (Homer, Aeschylus, Philostratus, etc.)
They were worshipped together as a heroic couple of consorts (Agamemnon's is Cassandra's husband in the religious worship).
1) In the Odyssey, we are told that Agamemnon and Cassandra die together. Depending on how we translate ἀμφ᾽ἐμοί, it's suggested that Cassandra died on top of Agamemnon, with her arms around him. Agamemnon, in his final moments, attempted to use his last breath and remaining strength to raise his arms to save Cassandra by wresting the sword away from Clytemnestra. However, he tragically failed and died before he could rescue Cassandra. The impact of this event is emphasized by the fact that, even in death, Agamemnon's ghost laments that there was nothing sadder than Cassandra's murder. Her death had a profound impact on him (it still haunts him even when he is dead) and Homer immortalized this moment by recalling it on the poem. It's important to realize that Agamemnon never names any of the men who died with him. They were men, and loyal companions and warriors who fought alongside him in the long Trojan war, but despite of that, he only speaks of Cassandra by name. Even if we were to cling into the interpretation of ancient Greece as nothing an awfully patriarchal society (a notion which modern authors like to exploit so much), Agamemnon's deliberate memory and condemnation of Cassandra's fate is remarkable. In a patriarchal context she was a woman and a slave -or concubine- but even so, it’s her death the one that is remembered by the Greek king.
2) In Aeschylus' Agamemnon, Cassandra expresses her profound emotions, declaring that she will mourn her own death and Agamemnon's death equally. To her, his life is intertwined with hers, and his death is hers to mourn. In this play we don’t have Cassandra saying out loud that she loves Agamemnon, something that would be more fitting for Euripides or Ovid, but there is no need of that. I believe that Aeschylus magnificently conveys the depth of Cassandra's feelings through this powerful verse.
It's unlikely that mere pity for her master would evoke such profound sentiments from a common slave. Cassandra's words reveal a deep connection with Agamemnon; if she felt hatred or indifference towards him, she wouldn't express such poignant grief. Throughout the play, Cassandra remains brutally honest about her disdain for Apollo and Clytemnestra, yet she never directs any resentment towards Agamemnon. On the contrary:
She is distressed with Agamemnon's ignorance of future events. because she doesn't want him to die
She claims she will mourn his death along with hers.
She finds solace in the knowledge that their deaths (his and hers) will be avenged.
She vows to curse their murderers (his and hers).
In each instance, Cassandra speaks as part of a union with Agamemnon. This shows a profound bond between them that transcends mere words of affection. It’s never herself alone, it’s always her and Agamemnon together. His death and her death, revenge for him and revenge for her, etc. The Aeschylean portrayal of their relationship as a united couple is more compelling and remarkable than a simple declaration of love from Cassandra. And even if we wanted to seek love, it’s no curious that Clytemnestra compares Cassandra to a swan, a bird that was known, not only for its connection with music and prophecy (Apollo’s bird) but also a bird that was loving and mated forever with its partner.
3) Regardless of Agamemnon's flaws and mistakes, the sources show that he was in love with Cassandra. The implication of it it's already present in Homer and Aeschylus, and gets further expanded in Euripides' play. Ovid will delv into it as well. And, in Euripides' play, Agamemnon's love for Cassandra is met with disapproval from other Achaean men (we literally have Taltybius, Agamemnon's messenger, saying with much disgust how his master is insane for loving a madwoman like Cassandra). And that brings us to the fact that Agamemnon's love for Cassandra transcends mere superficial attraction. He just doesn't love her because she is beautiful, from the Euripides play we are told that, even if Cassandra is this "wild maenad", Agamemnon still loves her. And, even in Aeschylus' portrayal where Cassandra is depicted as a slave, Agamemnon treats her with kindness and advocates for others to do the same. The fact that Cassandra still wears her priestess' clothes means that, despite her current circumstances, Agamemnon would still respect her position.
4) Finally, the fact that Agamemnon and Cassandra were worshipped together in the Peloponesse, often depicted seated side by side on a throne like other divine spousal couples (such as Hades and Persephone) carries a strong symbolic meaning. This kind of iconography couldn't be casual or random, it was surely used to show the depth of their connection and elevate their relationship to a divine marriage union prototype.
5) It's true that Euripides' Trojan Women and Seneca's portrayal of Cassandra present her as a vengeful figure who seeks justice for her family by 'appropriating' Agamemnon's death. However, it's important to note that Euripides was known for his tendency to subvert traditional myths and characters, challenging established narratives or older traditions (such as Aeschylus' portrayal of Cassandra as loyal and compassionate towards Agamemnon). If Cassandra rejoices over Agamemnon's death in these works, it's mostly because of the authors' deliberate choices based on their current lifetime circumstances and not a proof of Cassandra's hatred towards Agamemnon. It's necessary to recall that, while Euripides often depicted Homeric heroes in a negative light and Ovid exaggerated violence in myths, both authors portrayed the same: Agamemnon's profound love for Cassandra. Even when Euripides wanted to "villainize" Agamemnon, he still depicted him as being kind to Cassandra and being in love with her. So, any portrayal of Agamemnon mistreating Cassandra would be historically inaccurate.
Those are my main thoughts about them. <3 Hope it helps. And some historical context under the cut:
TW: SLAVERY, RAPE, CONSENT DISCCUSSIONS.
It’s important to know that in ancient Greek society, the legal rights of a legitimate wife regarding marriage and sexual autonomy were restricted, since law didn’t require the woman’s consent and marital rape wasn’t criminalized. Despite of this, legitimate wives had the protection of her male relatives. Enslaved women lacked this support structure from their families, which would be the main difference of rights between free women and slaves. The precise legal status of concubines and captive women in ancient Greece is not well known. Sometimes concubines were slaves, but we also have accounts of free women who were concubines. We also know that concubines could gain the status of a legitimate wife or even supplant the “first-wife” if the master was already married (thereby posing a threat to household stability) but concrete information on this topic is limited. We do have both mythological and historical accounts of affectionate relationships and marriages between slave-concubines and their masters. One notable example -not Greek- is the relationship between Hürrem Sultan and Suleiman the Magnificent. She was captured during a slave-raid, separated from her family, and sold into slavery. After she entered the Imperial Harem, she became the Suleiman’s concubine and they fell in love (we know from their letters that she loved him). She became a legal wife and had a very close relationship with her husband, along having a powerful and influential position in politics. I give this example, which is historical, to highlight the complexity of master-concubine relationships in antiquity.
It's fundamental to acknowledge a significant historical fact: the concepts surrounding sexual consent and women’s autonomy and sexual rights are quite recent legal developments. Marital rape wasn't recognized as a crime in England until 1991, and it wasn't until 1993 in the United States. Shockingly, even as of 2024, marital rape remains legal in some countries.
In the Bronze Age and the Trojan War context (around 12th or 13th century BC) societal norms and legal frameworks were vastly different from today. We need to contextualize the notions of rape and slavery within the historical frame. We can’t excuse or justify such acts, that’s why I speak of contextualizing.
In our modern understanding of consent, it would be impossible for a slave to consent freely because of their legal status as property -and not an individual-. But ancient relationships were complex and multifaceted. In Ancient Greece there were instances where masters and slaves had affectionate relationships, with both reciprocating feelings.
If we had to strictly adhere to modern consent standards, it would imply that even ancient Greek wives couldn't provide consent freely, as their legal rights were limited (marriage contract didn’t require their consent) and marital rape wasn't punishable. However, we know from historical evidence that love and mutual agreement did exist within ancient Greek marriages. We also understand that not all marriages in ancient times were necessarily loving, primarily because the primary purpose of marriage was to ensure the continuation of society through the bearing of children.
In short, while our current laws and ethics modern developments shape our views on consent and relationships, it's important to understand the complexity of historical context. What doesn’t seems acceptable or romantic to us now might have been viewed differently in the past.
I tried to reconstruct Cassandra's fresco and she doesn't look so sad or angry when you see the closeup. Her lips are neutral, and it's difficult to tell how the eyebrow direction went (like, was it a sad eyebrow expression? a neutral?). It's very enigmatic, like, she could either be sad, tired, or in acceptance, or even the ironic-amusement expression. I love that she has loose hair and laurel leaves, which matches her usual depiction in literature. Photo credit to pompei79
:,D how could you possibly not love this adorkable pair? 😭 I’m looking forward to finishing the first draft of this novel during this 2022 NaNoWriMo, wish me good vibes.
Regarding Cassandra and the omphalos. In Aeschylus' Agamemnon, when Clytemnestra asks Cassandra to get inside, she says [1055] I have no time to waste with this woman here outside; for already the victims stand by the central hearth awaiting the sacrifice—a joy we never expected to be ours.
The word used for central hearth is μεσόμφαλος, which is also related to Delphi: μεσόμφα^λ-ος , ον, A.in mid-navel, central, used esp. of Apollo's shrine at Delphi,
So it's discussed that maybe Clytemnestra is mocking Cassandra by using language related to Apollo's service.
The omphalos is depicted with a net on top of it, not sure if it's exactly an agrenon (a woolen net-skirt worn by priestesses) or if the agrenon symbolizes the omphalos' woolen net. Above is a vase where Cassandra is wearing an agrenon, and in Aeschylus' and Euripides' plays we are told that Cassandra wears priestly attire, with laurel leaves that connect her to the Pythia of Delphi, as prophetic priestess.
We could also make some kind of connection between the "net" used to caught Agamemnon and the agrenon worn by Cassandra and the omphalos' net.
There are also depictions of Orestes holding the omphalos or taking refuge by it, but in this context, Orestes is meant to be physically in Delphi, inside the temple. I'm curious: why the Romans would depict Cassandra sitting on an omphalos. Were there omphaloi outside Delphi?
sources: Torn Fillets and a Broken Sceptre: Cassandra’s Costume, Props and Attributes in Ancient Greek Drama and Vase-Painting by Fabio Lo Piparo
Aeschylus' Agamemnon
Mixing bowl (bell-krater) depicting Orestes at the Delphic Omphalos MFA Boston
South Italian - Apulian Black Fury painter's Orestes crater - Classical Art Research Centre Univeristy of Oxford
ATENAS Y DELFOS: ADIVINACIÓN, LEY Y LENGUAJE EN LA ORESTÍADA* ANGUS BOWIE
A new fresco was disvocered in Pompeii and it features a scene of Apollo and Cassandra! I literally cried when finding out. Their expressions are amazing. Cassandra looks so frustrated and tired :( <3 She wears a laurel garland on her head and is holding a laurel branch in her hand, her priestess symbols.
