Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,740,640,044 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Tiresias
(redirected from Tiresias the Blind Prophet)

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
Tiresias (tīrē`shəs, -sēəs), in Greek mythology, a blind soothsayer who appears in many legends. According to one myth, when he saw Athena bathing she blinded him, but by way of compensation granted him prophetic powers. Another story is that Hera blinded him for disparaging her sex when he claimed that women enjoyed love more than men; Zeus then recompensed him with long life and the power of prophecy.

Tiresias

In Greek mythology, a blind Theban seer. In Homer's Odyssey he retained his prophetic gifts even in the underworld, where Odysseus was sent to consult him. His prophecy led to the tragedy of Oedipus. It was said that Tiresias lived for seven generations and that he was once turned into a woman for killing the female of two mating snakes; upon thereafter killing the male, he reverted to male. According to one legend, he was blinded by Hera for arguing, on the basis of his unique experience, that women derive greater pleasure from sex than men do; his gift of prophecy was a compensatory gesture from Zeus.


Tiresias
prophet who lived as man and a woman. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 255–256]
See : Androgyny

Tiresias
made sightless by Athena for viewing her nakedness. [Gk. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 1086]
See : Blindness

Tiresias
blind and greatest of all mythological prophets. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 255; Gk. Lit.: Antigone; Odyssey; Oedipus Tyrannus]
See : Prophecy

Tiresias
saw two snakes copulating and was changed into a woman. [Gk. Myth.: Jobes, 1576]


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
? Mentioned in
 
Encyclopedia browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.