Cassandra [key], in Greek legend, Trojan princess, daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was given the power of prophecy by Apollo, but because she would not accept him as a lover, he changed her blessing to a curse, causing her prophecies never to be believed. While seeking refuge from the Greeks during the Trojan War, she was dragged from the temple of Athena and violated by the Locrian Ajax. After the war she was the slave of Agamemnon and was killed with him by his wife Clytemnestra. She was also known as Alexandra.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Folklore and Mythology
