Creating the Webbd Wheel: Silencing and Disbelief
In which we refuse to believe ...
Cassandra is a figure out of Greek mythology whose story has always made my heart wince. As is common in mythology, different versions of her tale exist, but the common root of them all is she was gifted with prophesy and cursed so she would never be believed.
I’ve written in my blog, Harvesting Stones, about the silencing of women. I don’t know a woman who hasn’t experienced pressure to make herself small, make herself quiet, make herself less than she is to avoid causing others discomfort, especially men. Silencing is so ubiquitous in this culture many of us are hardly aware of it when it happens to us. It’s a particularly cruel form of oppression and disempowerment, a clear sign of misogyny. It includes, of course, the dangers of women saying no in any form.
Cassandra was not physically prevented from speaking, but her words were never taken seriously or believed. Imagine a sensitive, caring, gifted woman who knows the future but is unable to make any warning or take action to avoid terrible events, such as the Trojan War. Her credibility is damaged beyond repair. What a terrible burden.
Morfran has already met Cassandra, you will remember, in the form of a sparrow. In the essay accompanying that post, I briefly touched on silencing as well. The story she tells him indicates she doesn’t necessarily see her own future. Not only is she unable to save others, she’s unable to save herself. She’s an altogether tragic figure, but also intriguing.
In some versions of the original myths, she’s mad. And no wonder. The combination of such a blessing and curse would be enough to break any woman’s sanity.
I didn’t consciously decide to write about Cassandra, but she showed up on the page. I refreshed my memory with some research and imagined a sensitive, deeply traumatized, highly anxious personality, someone who would need supportive caregivers, but also someone with deep reserves of knowing, at once wise and childishly innocent. Fey is a good word for this character.
I couldn’t bear the hopelessness of the curse. The characters in the Webbd Wheel do believe Cassandra, but her words are so enigmatic and confused she’s often not understood. This slight twist amounts to the same end as sheer disbelief; Minerva and the others are willing to believe, but they can’t understand. Cassandra prophesizes in vain, unable to communicate effectively. This, understandably, has damaged her mental health considerably.
We will meet her several more times, both in this book and the next, as she interacts with various other characters, though Minerva continues to be her consistent caregiver. Cassandra’s otherworldliness and tremendous empathy give her unique insight into the experiences and emotions of others. I’m often in tears as I reread pages in which she appears.
Cassandra is an old character, but she’s certainly relevant to our time. When we refuse to listen to unwelcome information coming from experts, scientists, and data, we do so at our own risk. When we silence and disempower groups of people because of their biological sex, color, ethnicity, spiritual beliefs, or for any other reason, we are asking for social chaos and collapse. Our extraordinary ability to deny and distort unpalatable information (facts) will lead us into madness, individually and collectively.
(This essay was published with post #25 of The Hanged Man.)