*This blog post is a continuation from the one I posted earlier today, a sort of-part 2. So if you need more context, check out the previous post to this one.
The story of Cassandra has always intrigued me- that poor, cursed princess of Troy who could see the future, but was never believed. It’s a tale that speaks to the all-too-common experience of women having their voices dismissed and their power suppressed.
But you know what? In my mind, Cassandra’s story doesn’t have to end in tragedy. In fact, today I’m using her story as a journal prompt to rewrite the story and her ending.
I’m imagining a different version – one where this remarkable woman takes back control of her own destiny.
Picture it: Cassandra, who’s forced to watch helplessly as her visions of Troy’s destruction is coming to be true, finally says “Enough!”
She gathers the other women of Troy, sharing her prophecies and convincing and inspiring them to take action.
Realising the power of women supporting women, they decide they will not sit idly by while the men make all the decisions!
When the Greeks show up with their infamous Trojan Horse, the women of Troy aren’t fooled.
Led by the unwavering Cassandra, they surround that wooden monstrosity, armed and ready. They light it ablaze and watch the hidden inhabitants reveal themselves.
As the enemy soldiers pour out, these Trojan women fight back with everything they’ve got- their rage and determination fueling their every move.
And there’s Cassandra, standing tall at the forefront of the battle.
No longer the helpless prisoner of Apollo’s curse, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Her once-dismissed prophecies now inspire the women to victory, driving the Greeks from the city and securing Troy’s survival.
In the aftermath, Cassandra is transformed. No longer the cursed, disbelieved seer – she’s a hero, a liberator, a leader among her people.
In my sketch, she’s seen being raised up confidently by a large green snake – Apollo’s very own symbol – whispering secrets into her ear with a third eye brightly on display to represent the seer she has confidently become, her red hair ablaze like the fire that they torch the Trojan horse with in my retelling of this story.
The women of Troy celebrate her, honoring her courage and wisdom. And Cassandra’s voice, once silenced, now rings out with authority, her prophecies respected and heeded.
This, my friends, is the Cassandra I choose to believe in. A woman who refuses to be silenced, who inspires her sisters to rise up and shape their own destinies.
In a retelling like this, her story isn’t one of tragedy, but of empowerment, resilience, and the triumph of the feminine spirit.
Now that’s the kind of feminist fable I can get behind. What do you think, prairie fam?
Now someone go write a full length book of this! I’d love to hear a Madeline Miller or Jennifer Saint version!
Doesn’t Cassandra deserve a happier ending than the history books gave her?
Well I can’t write a book but here is my poem inspired by the retelling I imagine;
Cassandra’s Defiant Song
they called me mad, a seer unheeded,
my warnings falling on deaf ears.
but i, cassandra, will not be silenced,
my voice shall ring out, without fears.for too long have women been shackled,
our truths dismissed, our power denied.
no more shall we cower in the shadows,
no more shall we meekly abide.i stand before you, unbowed, unbroken,
a testament to the fire within.
my words, they may sting like the lash of a whip,
but they will set you free, from this cage you’re in.open your eyes, my sisters, my kin,
see the world as it truly is –
a battlefield, where patriarchs reign,
where our voices are drowned in their hiss.but we will not go gentle into that night,
we will not surrender, we will not yield.
for we are the warriors, the seers, the wise,
and this is our defiant song to wield.let them call us hysterical, irrational, mad –
we wear those labels as badges of pride.
for in our madness lies our greatest power,
our refusal to be silenced, denied.so heed my warning, you deaf-eared masses,
for i speak not of doom, but of liberation.
throw off the shackles, raise up your voices,
and join me in this revolution’s elation.the time has come to shape our own destiny,
to carve our names in history’s sands.
no longer will we be victims, meek and mild,
but warriors, with fire in our hands.so listen well, you patriarchal powers,
for cassandra’s song, it will not cease.
until the world recognizes our worth, our might,
our defiant voices will never find peace.
Hope yall enjoyed the creative prompt today as I did.
If anyone else got some inspo and did their own retelling, poetry or art, I’d love to see it if you’d like to share!
Our Prairie Fable 