POWERFUL SEER

THE POWERFUL SEER- TEIRESIAS

From the research that I have done about Teiresias, I found that there are different stories that are cause of his blindness and how he gained the gift of his foresight.

A poet, Pherecydes, in Callimachus’ poem, ‘The Bathing of Pallas’ tells one of the stories. In the poem, Teiresias was blinded after he stumbled upon Athene bathing naked. In outrage, Athene threw the water at him and blinded him. Teiresias’s mother, Chariclo, a nymth of Athene, begged her to undo the curse and restore her son’s sight but Athene could not so she cleaned his ears so she gave him a staff and also gave him the ability to understand birdsong therefore the gift of omen.

In another story, Teiresias came upon a pair of mating snakes on Mount Cyllene in the Peloponnese. He hit the snake with his stick. Hera, the wife of Zeus, was not pleased with what Teiresias did so she changed him to a woman for seven years and he served for Hera as a priestess. In a different episode, Teiresias was drawn into an argument between Zeus and Hera in concerning of who has more pleasure in sex: the man, as Hera claimed; or, Zeus claimed, the woman. Since Teiresias had experienced both, he went against Hera and revealed woman’s greatest secret that she receives the greater pleasure: “Of ten parts a man enjoys one only”. With that, Hera instantly stuck him blind for his impiety. Zues could not do anything to stop his wife, so he gave Teiresias the gift of foresight and life span of seven lives.

Prophecies are gift given only to priest and priestesses. As Teiresias was once a woman, it’s important for both his prophecy and his experience. Therefore, Tiresias offered Zeus and Hera evidence and gained the gift of male and female priestly prophecy. Teiresias saw the future in different ways. Sometimes like the oracle, he receive visions; other times he would listen for the songs of bird, or ask for description of visions and pictures appearing within the smoke of burnt offerings, and so he interprets them. These is how Teiresias gained his foresight and the abiity to see the future thus being a powerful prophet.

Reference from http://en.wikipedia.org