Chrysis (priestess)

Chrysis was a priestess of Apollo in the town of Chryse, near Troy, mentioned in Homer's Iliad. Her father, Chryses, was also a priest of Apollo. In the Iliad, Chrysis is abducted by the Achaeans (Greeks) during a raid. She is given as a prize to Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaean army.

Chryses attempts to ransom his daughter, offering a substantial payment to Agamemnon and invoking Apollo. When Agamemnon angrily refuses, Chryses prays to Apollo to punish the Achaeans. Apollo, in response to the prayer, sends a plague upon the Achaean army, causing widespread sickness and death.

Eventually, after ten days of plague, the Achaean seer Calchas reveals that Apollo's wrath is due to Agamemnon's dishonoring of Chryses and the refusal to return Chrysis. Agamemnon reluctantly agrees to return Chrysis to her father, but demands Briseis, Achilles' war prize, as compensation. This event sparks the central conflict of the Iliad, the rage of Achilles.

The return of Chrysis to Chryse is depicted in the Iliad. Odysseus escorts her back to her father and performs sacrifices to appease Apollo, thus ending the plague. Chrysis herself plays a relatively passive role in the narrative, but her abduction and the subsequent events are crucial to the plot of the Iliad. Her character serves as a catalyst for the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles and highlights the importance of piety and respect for the gods in ancient Greek society.