In Greek mythology, Teiresias is the renowned Theben prophet of Apollo and advises Odysseus when he visits the underworld. In book 10, Odysseus begs Circe to allow him to go home to Ithaca, and the goddess responds by instructing Odysseus to travel to the underworld, where he must consult the shade of Teiresias. In order to get to the underworld, Circe tells Odysseus to sail across Oceanus, pour libations to the dead, and sacrifice a black ram to Teiresias. Odysseus follows Circe's instructions and journeys to the underworld. In the underworld, Odysseus makes the necessary sacrifices and manages to keep the terrifying spirits away with his sword until he meets Teiresias's shade.

When Teiresias's shade appears, he instructs Odysseus to put his sword away and proceeds to drink the blood. The shade of Teiresias tells Odysseus that Poseidon will get revenge by making his journey home extremely difficult but assures him that he will eventually return to Ithaca. Teiresias then advises Odysseus and his crew to leave Helios's cattle alone when they land on the island of Thrinacia. The blind seer warns Odysseus that his crew will be destroyed if they harm any of the cattle. The shade goes on to tell Odysseus that he will take revenge on the unscrupulous suitors once he returns home and instructs him to make a rich sacrifice to Poseidon upon his return. He also predicts that Odysseus will die far away from the sea at a ripe old age.