Who was Aeneas?

Aeneas was the son of Venus and was among the most famous Trojans on the Trojan side. After a long journey over land and sea he reached Italy where he killed those that did not want him to enter the country, married the daughter of a powerful king, and founded a city. Aeneas and the Trojans built many settlements after they left Troy but were forced to leave them because of misfortunes or bad omens. Then Aeneas was told in a dream that they would settle in a far off land and that was where they would live. All the Trojans were excited that they would at some time have a land of their own. But they did not know of the dangers ahead. Like the Argonauts they came upon the harpies but they were driven back into the sea to escape them. Next they met Hector's wife Andromache. She was delighted to see them and greeted them with great joy. Her new husband, the Trojan prophet Helenus gave them helpful advice about how to get to Italy while avoiding the hazards. He told them that they could not take the shortest way there but had to go up and around the western coast and that is where they would build their city. They kept sailing and when they reached Sicily landed with no worries because Helenus had not warned them not go there. If not for one of Ulysses's men that had been left on accident after they had drilled out the Cyclopes eye. He ran to them and told them that the island was occupied by Cyclopes'. They quickly boarded the ships and began to set sail. When they were a little off shore Polyphemus came down to clean his eye out and heard the splashing of the oars. He tried to go after them but the water was too deep where they were even for his height. After they had escaped they were met by a very large storm that revealed the bottom of the sea. They soon learned that Juno was behind it. She knew that Aeneas would destroy her favorite city so she decided to try to stop him. This might have worked if Neptune had not stopped the waves and made it an easy passage to go ashore near Carthage. Juno knew that there was a queen there named Dido. She knew that if she could get Aeneas and Dido together then there would be less chance of him leaving. But Venus wanted Aeneas to settle Rome so she told Cupid to only make Dido fall in love with Aeneas but let Aeneas just recieve her gifts. Aeneas stayed there awhile but left after Mercury came to him to tell him to move on. When Aeneas told the Dido that he had to leave she fled and hid where no one could find her. They left that night and as they left they saw a bright fire. They did not know that when Dido found that Aeneas had left she had killed herself and this was her funeral pyre. Journeying from Carthage to the west coast was going. Unfourtuneately, their trusted pilot Painurus drowned. When he reached Italy, he searched for the cave of Sibyl of Cumae, just like Helenus commanded him to. Once he met Sibyl, she offered to help Aeneas through the underworld, where he would hear something compelling from his dead father Anchises. She also warned him of the dangers that layed ahead. She told him that in order to be admitted into Hades kingdom, that he must cut of a golden bough of a living tree. When Aeneas and Achates were searching for such a sacred bough, they caught sight of two of Venus' doves, which led them to Lake Avernus. This dark, foul-smelling lake was where Sibyl had had said the entrance to the underworld was. Having found the entrance and the magical bough and lugging around the

extra weight of one of the magical doves, he returned to Sibyl. Together they set out into the unknowns of the underworld. Aeneas and the prophetess journeyed through the dark cave and into the black depths of the underworld. Although they came across horrors so satanic that they couldn't be mentioned on this school sponsored web page , the two brave souls pressed on. Soon they came the two great rivers Cocytus and Acheron, where they were ferried across by Charon, who usually only gave rides to the less fortunate. When the brave two-some reached the Fields of Mourning, Aeneas ran across Dido, and wept like a tenyear-old girl when he found he had caused her death. I thought he was stronger than most memebers of the female population! What a wimp! After numerous peptalks from Sibyl, Aeneas was able to survive the deadly obstacles of the underworld, and make it to the Elysian Fields. Among the rightous there was his father, Anchises. Their reunion was very joyous, and both of them balled like todlers. After a long heart-to-heart talk with his living son, Anchises told Aeneas to establish his home in Italy and eat at least six servings of fruit daily. Having heard this incredible advice, Aeneas and Sibyl made their way back to earth. The next day, the Trojans sailed to the coast of Italy, and ate lots of fruit. Once again Aeneas and the Trojans were troubled by Juno. When they arrived they were recieved with great joy, because the King Latinus was warned not to let anyone marry his daughter except to a foreigner who would arrive soon. And he was told that his daughter and this stranger would create a race that would hold power over most of the Earth. Then Juno stepped in and went to Hades to summon one of the Furies named Alecto. Juno told Alecto to loose war over the land. Alecto was more than happy to do so. Alecto went to the Queen who told the king that she forbade the marriage. Then Alecto flew to King Turnus, ruler of the Rutulians, who had had his eye on King Latinus daughter Lavinia. Even without Alecto Turnus was enraged. He marched with an army to the city of Latium to stop any treaties between the Trojans and the Latins.

Juno then found a pet deer that belonged to a Latin farmer that was so tame that it would run free during the day and the would come home at night. Everyoned loved it so Juno decided that she would guide Aeneas' boy to shoot the deer which would enrage the country side. Since everyone was wielding arms against the Trojan, Father Tiber, the God of the river they were encamped next to, told them that there was a very poor city with King Evander there. This poor city would one day become one of the greatest of Earth's cities. It would be Rome. The king said that he could do little but the Etruscans across the river could help them. Their traitorous ruler, Mezentius, was helping Turnus.This would enrage the Etruscans and they would surely help them. They ended up fighting many bloody battles and then Aeneas married Lavinia.