Tiresias also serves as the inspiration for characters in modern media such as animation and live action film. Elliot’s, The Wasteland, Tiresias is utilized directly to provide insight into the poem itself and serve in uniting the narrative. The character of Tiresias impacts contemporary narratives as well as ancient myths. The woman, most likely Jocasta, lashes out against the determinism implications in the prophecy.” Although the opening lines of the Lille ‘Stesichorus’ are missing, it is yet another example of Tiresias giving a prophecy and to mortals about the gods. In this manner, Tiresias serves to remind the mortal characters of the presence of the Olympians and foretells what is bound to be. In the tale of Oedipus’ daughter Antigone, Tiresias again warns a king descended from Cadmus of the will of the gods. The authority of Tiresias is used to encourage Oedipus’ son Eteocles to wage war on his brother, and Eteocles then seeks out the blind prophet’s counsel. Oedipus, the tragic king of Thebes, does not heed Tiresias’ warning and pays dearly for it. The old seer is a recurring figure in the myths regarding the line of Cadmus, the royal line of Thebes. The hero Menippus journeys to the underworld to seek the wisdom of Tiresias, and even the gods look to Tiresias’ experiences to provide insight. Tiresias’ wisdom and skills are highly sought after in mythology. To compensate for his loss of sight Jupiter then gave Tiresias the ability to see the things that would come. Tiresias, who is sought out by the two because he has spent time as a woman, agrees with Jupiter and as a result Juno blinded him out of anger. In the Roman poet Ovid’s version of the origin of the blind prophet’s clairvoyance, Tiresias is caught up in a disagreement between Jupiter and Juno about the pleasure that men and women get out of love. However, since the encounter was not intentional, the goddess of wisdom and war grants Tiresias clairvoyance as a form of compensation. This mortality proved to be detrimental when he happens upon Pallas Athena bathing, and the consequence of looking upon Athena is the loss of his sight. Tiresias of Thebes is the son of a shepherd named Everes and the nymph Chariclo, and, as a result, is a mortal man. His authority as an all-knowing seer is nearly absolute and unquestionable, and the influence that Tiresias has on narrative tradition can be seen in contemporary narratives. Of course they may not like what they hear. Regardless of how he obtains his clairvoyance, Tiresias has power that causes heroes from several tales to seek him out for his wisdom and his power. The tale of how he lost his vision and gained his sight differs in Greek and Roman tradition. The inspiration for the archetypal blind seer, Tiresias has an origin that is as variable as it is complex. In the classical mythological tradition, there are few, if any, oracles or prophets whose names carry as much weight as Tiresias.
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