Briseis

Briseis (Greek Βρισηΐς Briseis ) is a character from Homer's Iliad. The daughter of Brises and wife of King Mynes was the favorite slave of Achilles. Her real name was Hippodamia, " Briseis " is actually a patronymic which means " Brises ' daughter ."

She was captured by Achilles in Lyrnessus, the city of Mynes. At the conquest of Lyrnessus Mynes and the three brothers of Briseis were killed, she herself was awarded to Achilles as a slave and concubine. In her own words she could hope that Achilles married her. The commander Agamemnon took Achilles Briseis away when he had to return to her father his own slave, Chryseis because of an oracle and to avert further arrows of Apollo.

Then Achilles withdrew from the battle for Troy. Since this meant a decisive weakening of the Greeks, Agamemnon, Briseis returned, along with seven other women and an oath not to have slept with her. Love the Briseis to Achilles is the content of the letters of the Heroides, a collection of love letters of famous mythological women that was written by the Roman poet Ovid.

Reception

• When Heinrich Schliemann in the summer of 1879 looking for a nanny for his ( Greek ) children and decided after recommendation by Rudolf Virchow for the Berlin lawyer daughter Marie Mellien, he made ​​it a condition that Marie herself grew a Greek name for the duration of employment. From the names offered by Schliemann for that they chose " Briseis ".

• In Wolfgang Petersen's film version of the myth of Troy Briseis is portrayed by Rose Byrne.

• After Briseis discovered by Joel Hastings Metcalf in Taunton on November 4, 1907 Asteroid ( 655) Briseis is named.