Homer's "The Iliad" is one of the most widely read epic poems in history. Because it is an epic poem, however, it is quite long, and keeping track of the characters can be difficult. Two maidens with minor roles in the poem actually play much larger roles within the scope of the epic.
Briseis and Chryseis
In "The Iliad," Chryseis is a maiden whose father is a priest of Apollo. She has been captured by the Greek general Agamemnon. Agamemnon refuses to give her up when Chryseis' father wants to pay ransom to get her back. After a plague caused by an oracle of Apollo devastates the troops, Agamemnon is forced to return Chryseis to her father. He retaliates by taking Achilles' slave girl Briseis, who is the daughter of a prince. Achilles decides that because he has lost Briseis, whom he has genuine affection for, he will not fight in the war against the Trojans. He stays out of the battle until his best friend, Patroclus, is killed wearing his armor.
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