In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the
gift of prophecy. She spent a night at Apollo's temple, at which time the temple snakes licked her ears clean so that she was able
to hear the future. When Cassandra refused Apollo's attempted seduction, he placed a curse on her so that she and all her
descendants' predictions would not be believed. She is a figure both of the epic tradition and of tragedy.