The Aeneid, is an epic poem written by the Roman poet, Virgil,
Which is based on the time after the Trojan war and the fall of Troy.
The Aeneid follows the adventures of Prince Aeneas, son
of Troy’s doomed King, Priam. And tells the myth about the founding of Rome.
After the Trojan war ended, Aeneas and other Trojan survivors left the fallen city of
Troy and set out for new lands.
They landed on Thrace, but found it a dangerous place full
of murder, and so continued on to Delos and
Crete. There, Aeneas, one night, had a dream where he saw the
gods, telling him to settle in Italy.
Paying heed to the advice, Aeneas set out to Italy the next day.
While sailing to Italy, he and his men encountered many dangers. They battled the
harpies and the Cyclops. After quite a dangerous journey, The group
eventually landed safely on the island of Sicily, where they planned to settle.
Meanwhile on Olympus, The gods had heard a prophecy from the fates, that
the nation Prince Aeneas would build, would one day, defeat and destroy the city of Carthage.
Now Carthage was the favorite city of the mother goddess,
Juno. And so In an effort to save the city, and thwart Aeneas plans, Juno commanded the
winds to drive Aeneas off course. But to her utter dismay, he landed
in the countryside near Carthage.
Aeneas and his men were brought before the queen of Carthage, whose name was Dido. Upon
setting her eyes on Aeneas, Queen Dido immediately felt drawn to him.
She offered her hospitality to Aeneas and his men, and sheltered them all the while
they were in her city. Queen Dido asked Aeneas to tell her his story,
so Aeneas proceeded to her the story of the fall of Troy, including the
tale of the Trojan horse and the defeat of the city.
Aeneas also told of his survival and escape from Troy. That he
and his men wandered for seven years, searching for a new home. They had traveled
from Thrace to Crete, and to Sicily. As they attempted to reach the mainland, they
were blown off course and finally landed in Carthage.
By this time in the story, Queen Dido and Aeneas realized they had fallen in love with
each other. However, the gods insisted that Aeneas continue his journey
to Italy. Being a loyal servant of the gods, Aeneas obliged. Thus, He
sailed off, leaving Dido behind. Queen Dido was greatly saddened, that she
committed suicide.
Aeneas and his men returned to Sicily, and just then, a
fire, supposedly sent by Juno, destroyed four of their ships.
Once they finally arrived in Cumae, Italy, Aeneas went to
the temple of Apollo and asked for guidance.
There, Apollo told Aeneas that he had to enter the underworld, find his father, and ask his
advice.
So, Aeneas set out alone on a mission to the underworld. He endured many
dangers, until he was eventually able to cross the
Acheron River and reach Hades. From there, Aeneas traveled through the underworld to
the Elysian Fields, home of the blessed souls, where he was reunited with his father’s
spirit.
The spirit told Aeneas the history of Rome. He told of the wars Aeneas would fight and
of his destiny, which would lead to Rome ruling
the world. When the story was finished, The motivated and freshly revitalized Aeneas,
returned to the world of the living.
Aeneas’s ships reached Latium, a kingdom ruled by
King Latinus. And a land destined to belong to the Trojans. Aeneas threaded with care,
he sent an envoy to the king with friendly messages.
King Latinus welcomed Aeneas and his men, and even
offered his daughter Lavinia to Aeneas in marriage.
Just when he thought all was going to be fine thenceforth, Juno arose again, She had not
forgotten about Aeneas and the prophecy.
Juno created chaos throughout Latium. She turned
King Turnus of the Rutulians against Aeneas, and the people of Latium against the Trojans.
It happened that Aeneas traveled to Pallenteum to aid King
Evander, and was unaware of the new situation. In his absence, Turnus attacked
the Trojans. Aeneas returned to Troy, fought gallantly alongside his men, killed Turnus,
and won the battle. The Trojans emerged victorius.
At last, Aeneas and the Trojans were free to begin
building their nation, Rome. And the prophecy came to pass.