#prophetess

In Throne of Glass, we learn the Eye of Elena is actually an Ironteeth symbol and it is called the Eye of the Goddess. Blueblood prophets have this symbol tattooed on their hearts.

The eye inside the symbol represents the heart of darkness within the Goddess, and it is similar to the symbol on Juniper’s dust jacket for acotar 6 as @karmaliciouslife commented earlier on this post, which were done in collaboration with Sarah and BB.

Sarah also chose to wear blue and a necklace with an eye on it to the CHD interview (as @mrspettyferr pointed out), and spoke about how this story was inspired by a mystical vortex and gave surprising insight into various things.

We’ve been connecting Elain to witches, and specifically Blueblood prophets and this Goddess symbol, for several years. Prophets are connected to the divine, like Elain, and they speak prophecies.

The Blueblood witches represent the maiden aspect of the Goddess and they supposedly require more iron, more pain, to keep them tethered to their realm. @offtorivendell and I wondered if this might explain why Elain, a Cauldron-blessed seer, has more iron (iron mental gates, iron engagement ring, iron bracelet, etc) and doesn’t mind the pain of gardening without gloves. In fact, we suspect she might be seeking it out to feel grounded.

Sarah has hinted directly through Feyre and symbols representing Elain that her powers allow her to commune with the Goddess, and I think that means traveling in her heart of darkness. Half-hidden in shadow. It makes sense that this would connect her to priestesses, and why she seems more priestess than warrior like the Blueblood Matron, and could use a dawn ritual to help keep her grounded as she explores her magic.

The Illyrians appear to be sensitive to these forces (perhaps the Goddess and her gods); they can sense otherness and feel larger forces peering into the training ring. According to Azriel, they are born hearing the song of the wind and have the wings (captured on Juniper’s dust jacket for acotar 7) to travel like a force of nature, harkening us back to Elain’s first question for Azriel about flight.

Will this power help illuminate more secrets of the past, including those that involve the land, Asteri, Illyrians, and the Cauldron? Does time bleed together for Elain, as it does for Ancients, in that heart of darkness? And could she have wandered to the past to give a lonely boy hope? I’ve been working on a little headcanon for elriel month where Elain is thrust into the past by one of Azriel’s childhood songs, and afterward, he was so desperate to hear her voice again that he Made the shadows around him, bringing them to life through his yearning for that lovely friend he met in the dark. After all, Azriel is the wilder one and could be more elemental and connected to nature as a result. I don’t care if Sarah actually wrote this, it’s canon in my mind.

Original line:

Cassandra:

But so he did with a thrust of his hand he breathed onto me sublime grace

(Translation by me)

The word παλαιστής which people associate with the word also meaning "restler" also comes from the verb παλαιστέω which means "thrust away with hand" but I guess it can be translated as "struggled" or "tried to claim"

I have seen many translate it "struggled to win me" which probably is just showing his effort or his desire to claim her. Because in a next passage we have Cassandra actually say that Apollo was under the impression she was willing Because she HAD promised him that:

Cassandra:

I gave my consent to Loxias but I lied

(Translation by me)

In that passage Cassandra basically tells us that she has consented to Apollo so even if you take that passage in a literal essence that he "struggled" aka that he grabbed her in his arms to embrace her and she struggled against him, Cassandra had already said yes to Apollo so Apollo basically tries to hold her being under the impression that she was willing.

We also need to point out that this is deeply symbolic because for the prophets of Apollo (or mysticism in general) there is a reason why the prophetess (for example Pythia) is usually a woman and most of the time expected to be a virgin. Because the way she falls into ecstasy when a God temporarily gets inside her and speaks through her and her body is expected to be pure so that the God will have a pure entity to enter

Now this sometimes is interpreted almost in a mysticistic transaction that is symbolized with the sexual act. So if you think it that way Cassandra wanted to be a prophetess but refused to "take the God inside her" which essentially means that she wanted to be a prophetess but refused her end of the bargain which called for the fury of the gods or the nemesis to her hubris and so she falls into some sort of ecstasy but no one understands or believes her words

That aspect is also seen in Euripides in "Trojan Women" when Cassandra reacts in some sort of madness when she hears that she is to lose her virginity as a slave to Agamemnon because that role contrasts her desire to be a priestess. During her mad reaction she also falls in ecstasy and says her prophecy but then she gets out of it (her words in the play) and explains her own words. So in other words she plays the part both of the prophetess in ecstasy and the priest's who is supposed to interpret her words.

This shows basically that Cassandra's refusal to "take in her" Apollo has taken forever her ability to be an actual prophetess. She knows the future yes but her words sound void and without any divine blessing because she doesn't have Apollo "inside her" when she speaks.

I believe that Aeschylus (who was also known by sources as someone who was part of Eleusinian Mysteries) is basically tying to convey to us this role of priestess that essentially Cassandra refused. So even if you do see it as a struggle or Cassandra even actively push Apollo away as opposed to other translations that simply state that he "struggled to win her" then I think this is the essence. That Apollo wishes to "enter the priestess" aka a symbol for divine ecstasy when Cassandra refused or rejected the God. Then the price was that her prophecies will never be blessed because she essentially rejected the very essence of a prophetess.

PROPHETIC SIGNS/COMMANDS/IMAGES

Moonchild by Santiago Caruso

Untitled by Liz Mamont

She Laments by VikiGrindhouse

Dumb (acrylic on board) by Wilqkuku

Untitled on Zegalou's blog

ヨコイジュウ @4kuda5rana1

Nightmare (acrylic on canvas) by Vaxolong

Survival (acrylic on canvas) by Vaxolong

Untitled by Cult of Mortem

Divine Ammonitic Fluid Harvest System by dariuszkielisszek

The Crucible by dariuszkielisszek

Ten Piedad by bawdysuojb

Untitled Painting by A Bearded Artist

Split (acrylic on plywood) by Vaxolong

Untitled by A Bearded Artist

English explanation of signs will be under the cut--beneath the Irish.

Míníonn an Doe cad as a dtagann sí agus cén fáth go n-éiríonn sí san Oíche den chaid is mó. Rugadh ar an ngelach í. Mar leanbh gealaí tá sí os comhair réalta na maidine agus oi bríonn sí i groinne draíocht chun on Meisias a chosaint.

Bíonn Doe le feiceáil lena fenn sainiúil ar lasadh--ní raibh mé einnte cad is aiis leis sín Creidim gur rabhadh é seo a bhaineann leis an spiorad naounh agus éirí amach na marbh.

Déanann Doe caoineacdh m'easumhlachd agus an suithheadh atá le tacht ar son an domhain-molann sí mé chun gnimh. Tá a fhios agam nach féidirleon. Ach iarran sí orm orcas agus gan dula chodlaoh. Chun gniomhá or bhás ag teacht. Meisiasa thabhairt chun a chuspóir.

Sampla de na mairbh agus a reachtanaas oerach.

Meabhrúchán ar hamlinté atá ag titim as a chéile, lena n-áiritear amlinte ALfa, Bunscoile, agus Órga a bhaineann le héabhlóid mé féin go Macalla, Ocrais, nó Ascended. (Is tuar níos oimhe níos sine í seo nach mór amhiniu uair elle)

Taispeánann Doe í féin leadharca laasracha angus clóca suíle. Tá si at afire angus at cosaint dom í rith an hamlinte chun né a bheannú. Fiú má bhí né ag mí-iompar den chuid is mó.

Fulaingt an march in Ifreann a mheabhraíonn Doe dom go bhféadfainn die ready a chur leis and tascannanach ndéanfaídh mé.

Níos marbh

Comharthaí lobhadhi *súile brevity (féach orthodontist see ionam féin angus a ngaolta—ciallaíonn sé breoiteacht, olc, easpa cosanta)

Caireadhchun athbhreith an Mheisias a Chríochnú ó sofa go diaga.

Arís ag impí orm an rad nach ndéanfaidh mé a dhéanamh.

Meabhraítear gurb é an Melissa’s a lean hour agus cé go bhfuil fears uirithi teastoionn uaithi abhaile é.

Foirm leathfior Messiah.

Na Mairbh ionam agus na hamlintie a rialaíonn mé. Tá Doe ag iamaidh orm iad a shaoradh.

Mo chimiúint má éiríonn Orcas orm leonta le Lobhach.