Bryseis

Lyna (Regent)

Hatha Cymi Archila (Tribal Carver)

Tamboo Archila (Social Director)

Bryseis is an Amazon by birth, but her native village had been destroyed when Caesar came. What he didn't kill, he captured and sold into slavery. By the grace of Artemis, she managed to escape with a few of the other children from her village. She was only 8 years old. The children scattered and sought to find shelter and food where they could. Bryseis wandered for days, her main source of food being fish, nuts and berries. Eventually she stumbled into a small village along a winding river. A woman, an innkeeper's wife, took pity on the child and fed her some food from her inn. Upon hearing the tragic tale, Sirlyn decided to raise Bryseis as her own, regardless of the fact that she was an Amazon. Sirlyn promised herself that the child would know her heritage and when the time was right, she would let the girl go and find her place among sister Amazon tribes. But for now, Bryseis needed a home and Sirlyn could give her that.

Years passed and Bryseis blossomed into an exotic beauty. She often spent her time in the nearby forest learning to hunt on her own and thinking about her lost tribe. There was no one left of her family. That much she knew. Her tribe's storyteller had told her of other Amazons that had lived far away and that they were all sisters under the light of the Goddess Moon. One day, she would leave and search out her forgotten family.

She was a favorite in the village, her wildness tolerated. The young men came to notice her more and more and some even sought to make her their wife, even when she was only 16. Bryseis enjoyed the simple life of her village, but longed for the life that had been taken from her. Sirlyn often told her what she knew of the adventures of Amazons, and what she couldn't tell Bryseis, the visitors to the inn could.

One day, when Bryseis was 18, she told Sirlyn, who had been her surrogate mother for years, that she was ready to seek out her life as an Amazon. Sirlyn knew this day would come, regretting that it had to come at all. Bryseis had brought such joy to Sirlyn's life. Reluctantly, she let Bryseis leave, but only after giving her a small gift to remind her of what had been her life in the village. Sirlyn held out to Bryseis a small silver chain to be worn around the wrist. The chain had small beads dangling from it and a small heart-shaped locket. Sirlyn told her would-be daughter that the locket contained her love and that she only need to look at the heart to feel Sirlyn's love.

Bryseis grabbed her mother and held her for several moments, both shedding tears. Finally they pulled away, the girl telling her mother that she would return to visit when she found her place among the Amazons. The girl lifted her sack of supplies and headed out, in search of her heritage.

Her father is Dremond, who is a centaur. He had a brief (and forbidden) summer romance with Palyseis, Bryseis' mother, that resulted in Bryseis' birth. Bryseis discovered the truth while on a wedding journey with a fellow Amazon and the striking resemblance between Dremond and Bryseis was too much to be ignored.

After Kou left unexpectedly on nok'tana, Deoris promoted her from Head Archer to Lyna. 

Bryseis' totem is the butterfly. She is hutmates with Etelka. She has a light brown horse with a honey-colored mane and tail named Xanthe. She speaks Greek.

Tae'Nah athelfi arche: 5 November 2003

Xena Warrior Princess is  © Studios USA, Universal City Studios, Inc. Webset design and content ©2007 Crescent Designs for Themiscyra Amazon Nation. Many thanks to Mike's Xena Page for most of the captures.