The Song of Achilles

Following a successful raid, first goods and then women are distributed as war prizes according to rank. Agamemnon names himself first and Achilles second. Achilles accepts this with a shrug as both he and the men know that Achilles is the superior warrior. Three weeks into the raids, a dark-haired, dark-eyed woman with a bruised face and bloodied leg, stands on a dais. Agamemnon eyes her appreciatively, striking fear in Patroclus. Impulsively, he urges Achilles to request her as his war prize, and Achilles complies. Though annoyed, Agamemnon agrees, and the girl returns with Achilles and Patroclus to the Phthian camp.

An Anatolian farm girl, she does not speak Greek and is frightened when Achilles takes out his knife to cut the ties that bind her hands. To put her at ease, Patroclus kisses Achilles. She allows Patroclus to cut her free and bind her wounds, then he has a tent prepared for her. The following day, Patroclus introduces himself to her, and she identifies herself as “Briseis” (217).

As the raids continue, more girls appear on the dais and throughout the camp. Patroclus urges Achilles to request as many as possible, to save them from becoming bed slaves.