All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Tiresias transformed into a woman by Pietro della Vecchia (1626 – 1678)

Tiresias, Blinded by the Gods and Blessed with Second Sight

Print

According to Greek mythology, Tiresias, the blind prophet of Apollo, was well-known as much for his clairvoyance as for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was present for seven generations in Thebes - beginning as advisor to Cadmus, the founder and first king of Thebes, all the way to the tragic unfolding of events surrounding the divine hero King Laius and his son Oedipus. Tiresias died soon after the expedition of the Seven Against Thebes in which Polynices, son of Oedipus, and six allies attacked Thebes because his brother, Eteocles, refused to give up the throne. Pliny the Elder even credits Tiresias with the invention of augury.

The Greek mythological prophet Tiresias is transformed into a woman by the goddess Hera, after striking two copulating snakes with a stick. Engraving taken from Die Verwandlungen des Ovidii: in zweyhundert und sechs- und zwantzig Kupffern (The metamorphoses of Ovid) by Johann Ulrich Krauss, circa 1690. (Public Domain)

The Greek mythological prophet Tiresias is transformed into a woman by the goddess Hera, after striking two copulating snakes with a stick. Engraving taken from Die Verwandlungen des Ovidii: in zweyhundert und sechs- und zwantzig Kupffern (The metamorphoses of Ovid) by Johann Ulrich Krauss, circa 1690. (Public Domain)

Presented in some depictions as a man, while others as a woman, still having his sight in some and blind in others, Tiresias is presented as a complexly transitional figure, mediating between humankind and the gods, male and female, blind and seeing, present and future, this world and the underworld. Tiresias’ methods of prophecy varied. He would either receive visions or rely on his understanding of the language of birds and could divine the future from indications in fire. However, Tiresias relied the most on his ability to communicate with the dead, sometimes even menacing them when they were late to attend him.

How Tiresias Lost His Sight and became a Woman

There are two main myths that are commonly associated with Tiresias - both of which relate to alterations to his physical being that would shape his prophetic future.

Woodcut illustration of Manto, daughter of Tiresias, by Heinrich Steinhöwel of Giovanni Boccaccio's De mulieribus claris, printed by Johannes Zainer at Ulm ca. 1474 (CC BY-SA, 2.0)

Woodcut illustration of Manto, daughter of Tiresias, by Heinrich Steinhöwel of Giovanni Boccaccio's De mulieribus claris, printed by Johannes Zainer at Ulm ca. 1474 (CC BY-SA, 2.0)

When Tiresias was a young man, he came across two snakes mating on Mount Cyllene. He struck the snakes and killed them. Hera, the goddess of marriage, punished him for this action and turned him into a woman. In her seven years as a woman, Tiresias served as a priestess for Hera. Adapting to a new gender, Tiresias even married and had children

READ MORE… 

Like this Preview and want to read on? You can! JOIN US THERE with easy, instant access ) and see what you’re missing!! All Premium articles are available in full, with immediate access.

For the price of a cup of coffee, you get this and all the other great benefits at Ancient Origins Premium. And - each time you support AO Premium, you support independent thought and writing. 

Martini Fisher is a Mythographer and author of many books, including "Time Maps: Matriarchy and the Goddess Culture”  | Check out MartiniFisher.com

Top Image: Tiresias transformed into a woman by Pietro della Vecchia (1626 – 1678) (Public Domain)

By Martini Fisher

 

Comments

Sex and everything connected with it since the earliest times participate in art. And as for me, the female body is beautiful.
P.S.It happens that we need help in the moment of proximity,and then we can help https://sildenafilviagra.com/shipping/ .

Tiresias kept his charisma of a prophet even after death, as the story of Odysseus visiting him in the Underworld (Odyssey, book 11) suggests.

MartiniF's picture

Martini

Martini Fisher comes from a family of history and culture buffs. She graduated from Macquarie University, Australia, with a degree in Ancient History. Although her interest in history is diverse, Martini is especially interested in  mythologies, folklores and ancient funerary... Read More

Next article