"...in the Iliad, we learn that Cassandra was the child of King Priam of Troy, and she was considered to be Priam's most beautiful daughter (Homer, Iliad, Book XIII, 365)... According to one version of the story, Cassandra received the power to foretell the future from the god Apollo. Apparently, Apollo instructed the mortal woman and taught her about the art of prophecy because he had an ulterior motive - the god wished to win her affections. Cassandra accepted Apollo as a teacher, but not as a lover. Naturally, the god was insulted by this refusal. So he punished Cassandra. Apollo caused the gift that he gave Cassandra to be twisted, making everyone who heard her true and accurate foretellings of future events believe that they were instead hearing lies... In one memorable example, Cassandra announced the dire consequences of the Trojans accepting the infamous Wooden Horse from their Greek opponents. But as Apollo made certain, no one believed Cassandra when she warned her companions about the future. And this, in the end, was to be Cassandra's tragic fate." - Mythography
And my middle name is Jean, which means "God is gracious". I have the same middle name as my mom.
Right now I'm really liking the name Shannon (Irish/"wise one") - for a boy or a girl. I haven't given the whole babynaming thing much thought beyond that. There's a lot of really interesting, strange names that I like, but I'd never want to saddle my kid with something *too* bizarre.
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