Finally, a hero worthy of adulation! For September the Neohomeridae have selected one of the Iliad's most intruguing and best-liked characters.

Name: Cassandra
Hair Colour: Tawny
Eye Colour: Tiger's-Eye Brown/Gold
Height: Medium build; say, 5'6.
Build: Lean from a life of asceticism, spiritual torment and, if one is to believe Marion Zimmer Bradley (a dangerous and oft mean practice!), an Amazonian childhood.
Blood Type: C- (no one understands it)
Weapon of Choice: An iron will
Archnemesis: Apollo, patron god/tormentor--or perhaps the Fates.
Best Friend/Sidekick: Cassandra is forever an outsider; being an outcast and something of a Lone Voice in the Wilderness is crucial to her identity.
Family: Daughter of King Priam, which is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, being a princess is sweet. Being Paris' twin is NOT.
Curses: Cursed by Apollo after she refused to sleep with him. The curse had two parts: one, prophesy, and the other, the inability to be believed if she tried to tell the truth.
Personality Traits: Strong but compassionate; stubborn (especially in trying to warn those in danger), haunted.
Also Known As: Cassandra is actually only mentioned twice in the Iliad, despite her fame in ancient Iliad fanfic (such as The Oresteia). However, when she does, she gets some very complementary titles. The first time she's called "Priam's fairest daughter," although it's been pointed out that almost ALL the Trojan princesses have been given this title at some point. She's also referred to as "fair as golden Venus standing on Pergamus."
Zodiac Symbol (probable): Leo
Hobbies: Being an angsty prophet is a full-time job, and knowing the important things in life seems to have drained Cassandra's interest in lesser activities.
Life in Brief: Born in Troy to King Priam as Paris' twin; became a priestess of Apollo, where she was courted and threatened by the God. Her refusal was punished with the gift/curse of prophesy. She was betrothed to the witty but frugal Othryoneus, but the marriage never came through: Othryoneus was gutted in battle by the Achaian herald, Idomeneus. When her older brother Hector died, she summoned the Trojan people to attend to his corpse. After the Sack of Troy, she becameAgamemnon's slave and travelled with him to his home. There, she saw the bloody history of the House of Atreus written in its walls and tried to warn him that his wife would kill them both. As usual, she wasn't believed, and after Agamemnon attempted to dismiss her fears and walked off, she was axed by his wife, Clytemnestra.

Can't get enough Hero of the Month? Away to the Archives, ho!