Chryseis

Taken captive at Troy, Chryseis was given to Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, as a war prize and concubine. She is described as a Greek nymph and as the daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo. Her father came to the Greek camp and offered ransom for her return, but Agamemnon refused.

Chryseis belongs to the myths of the Trojan War, where her captivity brings Apollo’s power upon the Greek army. After Chryses prayed to Apollo, the god sent a plague. The seer Calchas declared that the plague would end only when Chryseis was returned to her father. Agamemnon agreed, then demanded Briseis from Achilles as compensation. This caused the quarrel that led Achilles to withdraw from the fighting. In some accounts, Chryseis bore a son named Chryses to Agamemnon, but maintained that Apollo was the boy’s father.