![]() ![]() Oedipus, the tragic king of Thebes, does not heed Tiresias’ warning and pays dearly for it. The old seer is a recurring figure in the myths regarding the line of Cadmus, the royal line of Thebes. The hero Menippus journeys to the underworld to seek the wisdom of Tiresias, and even the gods look to Tiresias’ experiences to provide insight. Tiresias’ wisdom and skills are highly sought after in mythology. To compensate for his loss of sight Jupiter then gave Tiresias the ability to see the things that would come. Tiresias, who is sought out by the two because he has spent time as a woman, agrees with Jupiter and as a result Juno blinded him out of anger. ![]() In the Roman poet Ovid’s version of the origin of the blind prophet’s clairvoyance, Tiresias is caught up in a disagreement between Jupiter and Juno about the pleasure that men and women get out of love. However, since the encounter was not intentional, the goddess of wisdom and war grants Tiresias clairvoyance as a form of compensation. This mortality proved to be detrimental when he happens upon Pallas Athena bathing, and the consequence of looking upon Athena is the loss of his sight. Tiresias of Thebes is the son of a shepherd named Everes and the nymph Chariclo, and, as a result, is a mortal man. His authority as an all-knowing seer is nearly absolute and unquestionable, and the influence that Tiresias has on narrative tradition can be seen in contemporary narratives. Of course they may not like what they hear. ![]() Regardless of how he obtains his clairvoyance, Tiresias has power that causes heroes from several tales to seek him out for his wisdom and his power. The tale of how he lost his vision and gained his sight differs in Greek and Roman tradition. The inspiration for the archetypal blind seer, Tiresias has an origin that is as variable as it is complex. In the classical mythological tradition, there are few, if any, oracles or prophets whose names carry as much weight as Tiresias. ![]()
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