Character · Individual
Read-only identity and editorial metadata.
priest of Apollo
Title · Reported
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Chryses comes to the Achaean ships to free his daughter, carrying a great ransom and Apollo’s wreath-wreathed sceptre as he supplicates the chiefs.
“Now Chryses had come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant’s wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus, who were their chiefs.”
Chryses wishes the Achaeans victory and safe homecoming while directly supplicating them to free his daughter and accept ransom in reverence to Apollo.
“‘Sons of Atreus,’ he cried, ‘and all other Achaeans, may the gods who dwell in Olympus grant you to sack the city of Priam, and to reach your homes in safety; but free my daughter, and accept a ransom for her, in reverence to Apollo, son of Jove.’”
Chryses is fiercely threatened and roughly sent away by Agamemnon.
“spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. ‘Old man,’ said he, ‘let me not find you tarrying about our ships, nor yet coming hereafter. Your sceptre of the god and your wreath shall profit you nothing. I will not free her. She shall grow old in my house at Argos far from her own home, busying herself with her loom and visiting my couch; so go, and do not provoke me or it shall be the worse for you.”
Frightened into silence, Chryses walks apart along the sounding shore, raises a tearful prayer, and appeals to any past garlanding of Apollo’s temple or burning of rich sacrifices.
“The old man feared him and obeyed. Not a word he spoke, but went by the shore of the sounding sea and prayed apart to King Apollo whom lovely Leto had borne. ‘Hear me,’ he cried, ‘O god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla and rulest Tenedos with thy might, hear me oh thou of Sminthe. If I have ever decked your temple with garlands, or burned your thigh-bones in fat of bulls or goats, grant my prayer, and let your arrows avenge these my tears upon the Danaans.’”
Achilles remembers Chryses arriving as Apollo’s priest with ransom and wreath-wreathed sceptre to supplicate the Achaean chiefs for his daughter.
“but Chryses, priest of Apollo, came to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo, wreathed with a suppliant’s wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus who were their chiefs.”
Chryses gladly receives his daughter and prays with raised hands for Apollo to stop the pestilence.
“So saying he gave the girl over to her father, who received her gladly, and they ranged the holy hecatomb all orderly round the altar of the god. They washed their hands and took up the barley-meal to sprinkle over the victims, while Chryses lifted up his hands and prayed aloud on their behalf. ‘Hear me,’ he cried, ‘O god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla, and rulest Tenedos with thy might. Even as thou didst hear me aforetime when I prayed, and didst press hardly upon the Achaeans, so hear me yet again, and stay this fearful pestilence from the Danaans.’”
Chryses lays the fat-wrapped thighbones on the wood fire and pours wine over them.
“Chryses laid them on the wood fire and poured wine over them”
Evidence records not already represented by a claim.
“Chryses his priest”