InGreek mythology,Chryses (/ˈkraɪsiːz/;Greek,ΧρύσηςKhrýsēs, meaning "golden") was a Trojan priest ofApollo atChryse, near the city ofTroy.
According to a tradition mentioned byEustathius of Thessalonica, Chryses andBriseus (father ofBriseis) were brothers, sons of a man named Ardys (otherwise unknown).
During theTrojan War (prior to the actions described inHomer'sIliad),Agamemnon took Chryses' daughterChryseis (Astynome) fromMoesia as a war prize. When Chryses attempted to ransom her, Agamemnon refused to return her. Chrysesprayed toApollo, and he, in order to defend the honor of his priest, sent a plague sweeping through the Greek armies. Agamemnon was forced to give Chryseis back in order to end it. The significance of Agamemnon's actions lies not in his kidnapping Chryseis (such abductions were commonplace in ancient Greece), but in his refusal to release her upon her father's request.[1]