Cassandra (also sometimes known as Alexandra) is often considered the most beautiful daughter of King Priam of Troy.

When Cassandra was a little girl, she and her brother fell asleep in Apollo's temple. The next morning, they were found surrounded by snakes. During the night, Apollo had allowed the snakes to whisper the secrets of prophecy into their ears.

And so she grew up with the gift of prophecy into a very beautiful woman. Upon gazing on her face, Apollo became so smitten by her beauty that he intended to seduce her but she refused him.

Angered and insulted by her refusal to become his lover, he twisted her gift for foretelling the future by removing her power of persuasion. And so was she condemned to a life filled with visions of the future, never to be believed even by her own family.

When her brother, Paris, was born, she foresaw that he would bring about the destruction of her father's city of Troy and even recommended that he be killed; but she was ignored. Her mother, Hecuba, Queen of Troy, later had a dream that pegged Paris as the destroyer of Troy, but that's a different story.

It was Cassandra who knew of Paris' intent to sail to Sparta for Helen and warned him not to do so; that he would bring back Troy's downfall should he proceed. But again, she was ignored.

And it was Cassandra who foresaw the true purpose of the Trojan Horse. But still, no one believed her.

And so Troy was conquered. Cassandra, seeking protection in the temple of Athena (pic to the right depicts her holding onto the statue of Athena with Ajax behind her), was captured and raped by Ajax and then given as a prize concubine to King Agamemnon of Mycenae and even bore him twin sons - Teledamus and Pelops.

Her final prophecy was that of her own death.

During the Trojan War, Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra took a lover, Aegisthus. Together, they plotted and conspired against Agamemnon. Upon Agamemnon's arrival at Mycenae, he and Cassandra went forth to Clytemnestra and it was there that Agamemnon was killed, together with Cassandra; who had predicted the event shortly upon arriving at Mycenae but was not believed by Agamemnon. Her children were killed by Aegisthus.

Can you imagine what it would be like to go through life with such a clear purpose and gift and yet never have anybody believe you. To live your life considered by all as being mad and crazy. (Many pictures of Cassandra depict her with long hair flowing about her shoulders that is supposed to symbolize her insanity.)

I love Greek mythology. I wouldn't call it romantic (I keep hearing people call it that) but it definitely stirs something within me.

One of the driving forces that brought me to the States were the museums. I remember visiting the Metropolitan Museum in New York and being completely blown away by the Ancient Greece section.