Introduction
Tiresias is one of the most well-known characters in Greek mythology; whilst he has many myths explaining his own life, he also appears in the Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, The Bacchae and Antigone. Not only would he have been well known to an ancient Greek audience, but he also has become a prominent figure in literature throughout time, appearing in Dante's Inferno, countless depictions in art and TS Elliot's poem 'the Waste Land'. Tiresias is presented as a complexly transitional figure, mediating between humankind and the gods, male and female, blind and seeing, present and future, this world and the underworld.
Ancestry
Tiresias (Greek Τειρεσίας) was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo. Whilst little is known about Everes, Charlico appears to have been an important myth. In some accounts, she was described as the daughter of Apollo, a nymph devotee of Athena (the godess of wisdom), and in fact, together with her mother-in-law Philyra the Oceanid, they were the nurses of the young Achilles.
Background
This is where the story seems to become a little confusing; there are multiple reasonings between why or how Tiresias was blinded. These three are the most popular:
1. Tiresias was blinded by the gods, because he spread among the human race what the gods wanted to keep concealed
This myth is less well known and what Tiresias reveals to the humans is unknown, but is a plausible reason for him to be blinded by the gods, considering the suffering Prometheus had to go through for the same action.
2. Tiresias was blinded by goddess Athena because he happened to see her naked.
Tiresias was blinded by Athena after he stumbled onto her bathing naked. His mother, Chariclo, in her closeness to Athena, begged Athena to undo her curse, but the goddess could not; instead, she cleaned his ears, giving him the ability to understand birdsong, thus the gift of augury. Augury is the gift of interpreting omens from the observed flight of birds. He is said to have understood the language of birds and could divine the future from indications in a fire, or smoke. However, it was the communications of the dead he relied on the most, menacing them when they were late to attend him
3. According to another version by Hesiod, Tiresias was blinded by Hera because he told her that women would have more pleasure in love than men.
Zeus and Hera were debating whether men got more pleasure out of sex, or women did. Hera believed that men had more pleasure, while Zeus claimed that it was women. As a result of this argument, they decided to consult Tiresias, who had been both a man and a woman in his lifetime, so they knew that he would have the answer. When Tiresias agreed with Zeus in saying that women got more pleasure from sex, Hera blinded him, but Zeus, pitying the now blind Tiresias, gave him the gift of prophecy.
Accidental Sex change
Tiresias was strolling through the mountains when he came across two snakes mating in the middle of his path. There were only three main ways that Tiresias would have been able to get past; one way was to simply turn around and continue walking the other way, the second was the carry on in the direction he was going, but risk getting bitten, and third was to try and separate the snakes. Tiresias chose the third option, and in his attempt to separate them, he used a stick and hit these snakes. As he struck them, Hera saw what was happening and decided to turn him into a woman! He stayed in this form for seven years, and as a female, he got married, had children and was ultimately quite a successful woman in terms of expectations for a Greek woman. Seven years later he (still as a woman) wandered across that same path and saw two more snakes mating. He was curious as to whether the spell would work in reverse, so he hit the snakes once again and transformed back into a man, arguably giving him the ability to have a much deeper insight into life than most other humans. Tiresias’ transformation into a woman gave him a better understanding of the female psyche and the world women live in. We often hear that women and men cannot understand each other, and see the world differently. However, the lesson to be learned from Tiresias’ story is that it may be wise to at least take some time and try to view the world from the opposite sexes perspective.
Relevance in Oedipus Rex
In Oedipus Rex, Tiresias is summoned to name the cause of the plague which has been wrecking havoc in Thebes. Tiresias participated fully in seven generations in Thebes, beginning as an advisor to Cadmus himself. However, as soon as Tiresias is summoned, his hesitancy to reveal his prophecy, suggest a darker knowledge that Tiresias has. Even in Tiresias' clear and blunt confessions of the truth, Oedipus rashly interprets this as a defence mechanism and, as is his nature, as Tiresias' guilt and decides that Tiresias himself is the cause of the plague along with Oedipus' brother in law, Creon. A running theme of Tiresias' blindness but all-knowing nature and Oedipus' clarity of sight but ignorance allows Sophocles' to elevate Tiresias' status and emphasise Oedipus downfall through his hamartia (prothumia) of being led down one path without both stopping to think and process, or use moral reason to evolve as a character.
Arguably the audience are made to slightly question Tiresias in Oedipus Rex, because although the audience would've certainly known about this infamous character, the chorus (who are the mediators between the characters and the audience and act to manipulate the audience's ideas) themselves are doubtful and ask for solid evidence. In addition, both Jocasta and Oedipus ponder the question as to whether both Tiresias or any prophets' word holds any weight. Nevertheless the arrogance of questioning a prophet and especially is revealed in the downfall or everyone who doubted him; in the end the truth and power of the prophets prevails.
Tiresias’ Power as a Prophet
In the ancient world, prophecy, oracles, augury, and many other future telling powers played a pivotal role within society, as it was believed that it allowed humans to understand the gods’ intentions and what the future held. Tiresias was well renowned for having this gift, as previously mentioned, and his importance within an ancient, polytheistic society is clearly revealed through the numerous portrayals of him, whether it is helping out hero and king Odysseus, or resolving disputes between gods. However, these aspects of mystery and future telling have not yet disappeared, even to this day. Prophecy can be found today in many different forms, some more common and perhaps accurate than others, but despite this, they’re still present. The prediction of future events is done all around the world, for example, have you ever placed a bet on a football match? Or tried to bet on the outcome of events in a game? Or perhaps even used the weather forecast predictions? These are just a few examples of everyday prophecies, with Tiresias as a representative all throughout history until present day.
And to finish, a nice home-made Tiresias meme:
Until next time,
Zoe and Viola