
Briseis was the wife of Mynes and the concubine of Achilles during the Trojan War.
Biography[]

Briseis as a captive
Briseis was the daughter of Briseus, and she was the cousin of Hector and Paris of Troy. Briseis was later sent to marry Mynes, the son of the King of Lyrnessus. In 1190 BC, during the Trojan War, the Achaean Greek warrior Achilles led an assault on the Trojan ally of Lyrnessus and slew Briseus and Mynes, enslaving Briseis. Briseis contemplated assassinating Achilles, but his kindness shown to her (especially when he threatened to kill Agamemnon for demanding that he hand over Briseis for his own use) led to her falling in love with him and becoming his concubine. Agamemnon later took Briseis as his own servant, leading to Achilles deserting the Greek army. It was only after Achilles slew Hector to avenge the death of his cousin and lover Patroclus that Agamemnon released Briseis as a reward, and Achilles allowed for Briseis to return to Troy when King Priam snuck into Achilles' camp to negotiate the return of his son's body. Achilles later rendezvoused with Briseis as the Greeks stormed the city in 1240 BC, and Briseis failed to prevent Paris from shooting an arrow through Achilles' heel; Achilles died in Briseis' arms. After Achilles' death, Briseis prepared his body for the afterlife and was passed onto one of his comrades along with his armor and other possessions.