Mopsus (Seer)
heroSon of Manto and grandson of Tiresias who defeated the great seer Calchas in a divination contest, causing Calchas to die.
The Myth
He killed the Greek army's chief prophet without touching him — by simply being better at prophecy. After the Trojan War, Calchas and Mopsus met at Colophon. Calchas asked how many figs a certain tree bore. Mopsus answered exactly: ten thousand and one. He was right. Then Mopsus asked Calchas how many piglets a pregnant sow carried. Calchas guessed wrong. Mopsus named the exact number and the time of birth. Calchas, bound by a prophecy that he would die when he met a superior seer, collapsed and died. Mopsus inherited the oracle at Claros. His accuracy descended from Tiresias through his mother Manto — three generations of divination supremacy.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The contest between Mopsus and Calchas is the only known prophecy-vs-prophecy duel in Greek myth.
Explore Further
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