Essay on Tiresias

Tiresias

Tiresias's background was very important, both for his prophecy and his experience of being man and woman. There are two main myths around his lifetime. How he was blinded and obtained the gift of prophecy and how he was changed from man to woman. There are many different versions of his story. There are two main versions of how he lost his sight and gained prophecy: one dealing with Zeus and Hera and the other with Athena. One of the myths that had to do was with when and Zeus and Hera had a fight of which sex had greater pleasure during intercourse. So, they asked for Tiresias's opinion since he was both man and woman. Tiresias's said that woman had greater pleasure. Angry at his decision, Hera struck him blind. Grateful for his support, Zeus gave him the gift of prophecy. In another version, Tiresias's lost his sight by stumbling into Athena while she bathed. And for that, he lost his sight. Chariclo, his mother, begged her to restore his sight back. Unfortunately, she could not; instead she gave him three gifts: the understanding of birdsong, a staff made of cornel-wood, and to utter oracles. The second main myth now concerns with how he was turned into a woman. The myth goes, that he found a pair of snakes copulating. So, for some unknown reason, he injured the female. And as a result, he was turned into a woman. He lived for seven years as a woman; he even got married and had children. On the eighth year, he again found a pair of snakes copulating. This time he left them alone, and he was turned back into a man again. After he was given his gift, he was in many other myths. During the Seven Against Thebes, Megareus killed himself because Tiresias prophesied a voluntary death from a Theban would save Thebes. After the battle, he appears in the tales of Oedipus. Oedipus calls upon Tiresias to help in the investigation of the killing of Laius. He refuses to give an direct answer; instead he hints to Oedipus that the killer is someone who Oedipus does not want to find. After Oedipus blinded himself, Tiresias wanders into Antigone. King Creon of Thebes refuses to bury Polynices. Antigone, his sister, defies him and is captured; the king decrees that she is to be buried alive. Through Tiresias, the gods express disapproval of Creon's decision. However, Antigone already hanged herself. Creon arrives at the tomb where she was to be buried. His son, Haemon, attacks him and then kills himself. Creon's wife, Eurydice, distraught with grief, she takes her own life. And sadly, Tiresias died drinking from the spring Tilphussa. He has been used in many of poets and writers writings. Since he is the greatest seer of Classical Mythos, a figure cursed by gods and goddesses, and a man/woman, he has been very useful to authors.