Aeneas

Trojan hero in Greco-Roman mythology

Aeneas was a Trojan prince and hero. His father was Anchises, his mother was the Greek goddess Aphrodite (Venus in the case of Roman sources). Both Homer and Virgil mention him in their stories. Virgil wrote a whole series of books about him. These books are called Aeneis in their original Latin. The usual English translation of the title is Aeneid.

Aeneas carrying Anchises, about 500 BC, Louvre

The books relate to the story of "pious Aeneas".[1] and about how the city of Rome came to be.

The tale starts with Aeneas carrying his father out of the burning Troy, and end with Romulus and Remus founding Rome (after Aeneas landed on the coast, after sailing the Mediterranean Sea for a long time). Aeneas also appears in Book 5 of the Iliad written by Homer.

William Shakespeare also wrote a story mentioning Aeneas. Christopher Marlowe wrote a play about Aeneas and Dido, the queen who fell in love with him. There is also an opera about Dido and Aeneas, written by Henry Purcell.

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  1. Moseley, Nicholas. "Pius Aeneas," The Classical Journal, Vol. 20, No. 7 (Apr., 1925), pp. 387-400; retrieved 2011-10-31.