Block 3: Ancient Rome Myth of Aeneas

The Myth of Aeneas is both a hero myth and a early times myth. A hero myth is is a story of a hero on their journey. The Myth of Aeneas is the story of Aeneas on his heroic journey. It is an early times tells about something that happened a long time ago. The myth of Aeneas tells about how Rome was founded.

This is a modern image of what archeologists think
Troy, the hometown of Aeneas, looked like.

Aeneas is the son of the goddess Venus and the Trojan prince Anchises. He was raised by nymphs and received his education from Cheiron, the king of centaurs (half human and half horse). He was part of the royal family in Troy, his hometown.

One day, the Greeks came and attacked Troy. This started a war between the Trojans and the Greeks. Aeneas did not help the war effort until Neptune persuaded him to do so after Achilles stole some of his cattle. When he did enlist, he served under the command of the Trojan prince, who at the time was named Hector, the cousin of Aeneas. At one point, Apollo encouraged him to challenge the god Achilles to a fight. But Aeneas was later removed by Neptune. Neptune wanted him to become the future ruler of Troy.  

This is a painting of Prince Hector's body being dragged around the city by chariot.

On the day Troy was sacked, the king Prium was killed. The Greek soldiers ran through the city. Aeneas, Anchises and the remaining Trojans who survived the war, all embarked on an odyssey to make landfall at different places in the Mediterranean Sea in hopes of establishing new civilization. Aeneas carried Aphrodite and his son Ascanius with him. He went back to the flaming city to get his wife Creusa, but she had already died in the fire. That night, they stayed on Mt. Ida near Troy. There they prepared for their sea voyage by building their ships. Their first stop was Thrace.

This is a drawing of Teucer.

At Thracem Aeneas was met by the ghost of Priam’s son, Polydorus, who informed him to leave this city. They continued to Delos to speak with the oracle of Apollo, who informed him to leave and find the “ancient mother” of his people. Anchises said that the oracle was talking about Crete, the homeland of Teucer, an ancestor of Troy’s founder.

This is a painting on a clay pot of harpies attacking
the boat of Aeneas.

Arriving at Crete, Aeneas had a dream that the oracle was referring to Italy, the home of Dardanus, another one his ancestors.The Trojans traveled to Epirus on Greece’s western coast. Here, a Trojan prophet named Helenus, advised Aeneas to travel to Sicily. On the way at sea, they were attacked by Harpies and Aeolus. But Neptune protected them on their journey.  When they arrived at Sicily, Anchises died. Aeneas buried him at Drepanum where a shrine already stood in honor of his immortal mother, Venus. Eventually, they landed at Carthage. Aeneas and his people were greeted by Queen Dido, the founder of Carthage.

This is a painting of Aeneas talking to Queen Dido.

When they arrived, Cupid disguised himself as Aeneas’s brother and persuaded Dido to love Aeneas. And soon enough they fell in love with each other. Mercury was sent twice to remind him of the mission he had to accomplish. With great sadness and sorrow, Aeneas and his crew left Carthage. The heart-broken Dido asked her sister, Anna, to build a huge heap of everything Aeneas left behind, particularly Aeneas’s sword. As Aeneas’s ships sailed away, Dido cursed at him for a hard journey and that his descendants have a long war with Carthage. Dido then lit the pyre and threw herself onto Aeneas’s sword. She burned to ashes soon afterwards.

Aeneas and his crew arrived a Sicily once more and had a funeral in honor of Anchises. After colonizing Sicily Aeneas moved on to Italy. Once in Italy, the king of the area they landed in, Latinus, received them with great welcome. But everyone else, notably Turnus, the ruler of Rutuli and Latinus’s wife, did not welcome Aeneas and his crew. They especially protected the marriage rights of Aeneas and Lavinia, Latinus’s daughter. War broke out and the Trojans were victorious, destroying Turnus. Aeneas and Lavinia married and founded Lavinium.

This is 1500s map containing Latium.

After the war Aeneas united the Trojans and the Latins to form a powerful civilization. Over the generations the new kings founded new cities. More and more people populated the civilization. This civilization that Aeneas had founded was the prelude the creation of the Roman empire.

This is a image showing the land controlled by the
Roman Empire.

The myth of Aeneas was very important to the Romans. Aeneas was thought to be the ancestor of the Romans. Aeneas was the founding father of the civilization that came before the Roman Empire. After his journey, Aeneas had settled down and made a new civilization. The people of this civilization eventually evolved into the Roman Empire. This civilization would become the foundation of the Roman Empire.Most Romans credit the founding of Rome to Romulus and Remus. But is some versions the Romans say that Aeneas was actually the founder of Rome because of all the cities that his descendants founded and the expansion of the civilization. Either way Aeneas is the ancestor and preluding figure of the Roman Empire. If Aeneas had never come to Italy the Roman Empire would have never come to be. Aeneas was even destined to become the founder. It says in the myth the Venus had prophesied that Aeneas would become the founder of a great and undying empire.

This is an artistic representation of what President Barack
Obama would look like as a super hero.

The myth of Aeneas can be connected to President Barack Obama and a super hero. In this myth, Aeneas defends his city, Troy, from the Greeks. In a similar way, a super hero defends his/her city from crime. Aeneas was pushed by Neptune to defend Troy from the Greeks after Achilles stole some of his cattle. In a similar way, President Obama is pushed into doing things by his administration. Aeneas is inspired by his mother Venus and father Anchises to complete his mission. President Obama acknowledged his mother for inspiring him on the right path. This shows that ancient myths are being implemented into modern day systems. It is important because this is clear evident that old traditions and myths are not lost forever, there are still in use even today.

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