Kassia 1's name appears also as Kassiane (cf. Beck, Kirche, below). Called Ikasia in Leo Gramm. and Eikasia in Georg. Mon. Cont., Ps.-Symeon and Zonaras. She was one of the girls of noble family (ἐξ εὐγενῶν) assembled (in late 829/early 830) for the bride show of the emperor, Theophilos 5, by his mother Euphrosyne 1; she was very beautiful (ὡραιοτάτη πάνυ) and was supposedly the first to catch his eye, but her prompt response, when he quoted at her the line "Through woman came sin into the world", was modestly (μετ' αἰδοῦς) to say "but through a woman better things began", which deterred him; later, having missed the imperial crown, she founded a convent and became a nun, accepting the tonsure and living for God alone until her death; she was a writer and left many writings at her death (συγγράμματα αὐτῆς πλεῖστα καταλέλοιπεν): Leo Gramm. 213-214, Georg. Mon. Cont. 790, Ps.-Symeon 624-625, Zon. XV 25. 11-19. She composed liturgical poetry, epigrams and maxims, some of which verse survives; see Hunger, Literatur II 168 (called the only female poet in Byzantine literature, apart from the empress Eudokia), Beck, Kirche, p. 519.

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