Who is Aeneas god of what. Aeneas and Romulus: myths about the prehistory and foundation of Rome. The meaning of the word aeneas

And Aphrodite (Rom. Venus). Born by a goddess on Mount Ida or on the banks of Simoent, Aeneas was brought up by mountain nymphs until he was five years old. Aeneas at first did not take part in the defense of Troy and joined the Trojans only after he was expelled from his native places by Achilles (Hom. Il. XX 89-96 and 187-194). The name of Aeneas is called in the Iliad among the most glorious Trojan heroes (XI 56-58), he participates in many important battles, although in decisive meetings with Diomedes and Achilles Aeneas is defeated and avoids death only thanks to the intervention of Aphrodite, Apollo and Poseidon (V 297 -317, 432-448; XX 79-352); usually hostile to the Trojans, Poseidon saves Aeneas, because. it is destined by fate to preserve the royal family Dardana(XX 302-308; Hymn. Hom. IV 196-199). This motif was developed in the cycle poem "The Devastation of Ilion", where it was depicted how Aeneas, seeing an ominous omen in the death of Laocoön, left Troy even before the attack of the Achaeans; he apparently continued to reign in the foothills of Ida, or on the eastern shore of the Hellespont, near the city of Dardanus. In later sources, the motive for the flight of Aeneas from the devastated Troy appeared. One of these options penetrated no later than the turn of the 6th-5th centuries. BC. to the Etruscans and formed the basis of the myth about the resettlement of Aeneas in Italy and the founding of Rome by him. This version, which absorbed additional episodes and local Italian legends over the course of several centuries, became dominant by the middle of the 1st century. BC. and received the final treatment from Virgil in the Aeneid. According to Virgil, on the last night of Troy, Aeneas tried to fight the Achaeans who entered the city, but received an order from the gods to leave Troy along with the elderly Anchises and his young son Askanius (Yul); wife of Aeneas Creusa by the will of the same gods, she disappeared at the very beginning of her journey from Troy. Taking with him the sacred images of the Trojan gods, Aeneas, accompanied by satellites on 20 ships, sets off in search of a new homeland. Along the way, he ends up in Thrace and Macedonia, Crete and the island of Delos, Laconia and Arcadia, the islands of the Ionian Sea and Epirus, where he meets Andromache, who married Helen. Twice Aeneas is brought to Sicily, where Anchises dies and Aeneas arranges funeral games on his grave. A terrible storm, having fallen on the ships of Aeneas, destroys most of them, and Aeneas himself is thrown into Carthage. Here he is hospitably greeted by the queen Dido, whose love keeps Aeneas in Carthage for a long time. When, finally, at the behest of the gods, Aeneas sets off further on his journey, he reaches the Italian city of Kuma and, with the help of the local prophetess - the Kuma Sibyl, descends into the kingdom of the dead, receives a prediction about his fate and the future of his descendants. The further path leads Aeneas to Latium, where the local king Latin is ready to give Aeneas the hand of his daughter Lavinia and provide a place to found a new city, but for this Aeneas has to enter into a difficult struggle with Turn, the leader of the local tribe of rutuli, also claiming the hand of Lavinia. Aeneas wins the duel of Turn, and the Trojan deities get a new home in the Italian land, which becomes the successor to the glory of the Trojans. If on the Aeolian coast of Asia Minor in the 8th-7th centuries. BC. the genealogy of Aeneas, the son of Aphrodite, who also traced his origin from his father to Zeus himself (Hom. Il. XX 208-241), reflected the dynastic claims of the noble family of the Aeneads (hints of rivalry between the family of Priam and the family of Aeneas are found in the Iliad) , XIII 459-461; XX 302-307), then in Rome in the last decades of the 1st c. BC. the name of Aeneas gained particular popularity due to the fact that representatives of the Julius clan (including Julius Caesar and Augustus) considered themselves descendants of his son Ascanius (Yula). Since there was a gap of several centuries between the traditional dates of the fall of Troy (1184 BC) and the founding of Rome (754 BC), this last event was attributed not to Aeneas, but to his distant descendants, who completed the list of kings of Alba Longa , which was allegedly laid by Askaniy.

Aeneas

The powerful and beautiful wife of the Thunderer Jupiter, the goddess Juno, has long hated the Trojans for the indelible insult inflicted on her by Prince Paris: he awarded the golden apple not to her, the mistress of the gods, but to the goddess Venus. In addition to this insult, Juno knew about the prediction that promised her beloved city of Carthage, rich and glorious for its valor, which she herself patronized, death from the descendants of the Trojans who escaped from Troy destroyed by the Greeks. And besides, the Trojan Aeneas, who became the head of the surviving inhabitants of Troy, was the son of Venus, who shamed Juno in the dispute of the goddesses for the title of the most beautiful. Overwhelmed by the desire to avenge old grievances and prevent future ones, the goddess Juno rushed to the island of Aeolia, the homeland of clouds and fogs. There, in a vast cave, the king of the winds, Eolus, held in heavy chains "internecine winds and thunderous storms." She began to ask Eol to unleash the winds and sink the ships of the Trojans in a terrible storm. Eol obediently complied with the request of the great goddess. He struck the wall of the huge cave of winds with his trident, and all of them rushed into the open sea with a roar and howl, raising waves high, pushing them against each other, catching menacing clouds from everywhere, circling and scattering the ships of the Trojans like pitiful chips. Aeneas, horrified, watched his comrades in arms perish, as the Trojan ships disappeared one after another in the seething abyss. Occasionally, drowning swimmers, torn sails, and shipboards appeared on the surface of the waves. And all this was absorbed by the sea abyss without a trace. Three ships were thrown into the shallows by a huge wave, and fragments of oars, masts and the corpses of the Trojans were covered with sand, three were thrown onto the coastal rocks.

The ruler of the seas, Neptune, disturbed by a furious storm that broke out without his knowledge, rising to the surface and seeing the ships of Aeneas scattered over the waves, realized that these were the intrigues of Juno. With a powerful blow of the trident, he tamed the fury of the waves and the frenzy of the winds, and with a formidable cry: “Here I am!” - ordered them to immediately return to the cave to Eol. Neptune himself, racing through the waves in a chariot drawn by hippocampi, calmed the agitated surface of the sea, with his trident removed the ships that had settled in them from the rocks, carefully moved the rest from the shallows and ordered the waves to drive the Trojan ships to the coast of Africa. Here stood the magnificent city of Carthage, founded by Queen Dido, who fled from Sidon, where she suffered a heavy grief - her beloved husband Sychey was treacherously killed near the altar by her own brother. The Trojans, led by Aeneas, landed on the shore, warmly greeted by the inhabitants of Carthage. The beautiful Dido hospitably opened the doors of her magnificent palace for them.

At a feast arranged in honor of the escaped Trojans, at the request of Dido, Aeneas began to talk about the capture of Troy by the Greeks thanks to the cunning of King Odysseus, the destruction of the ancient stronghold of the Trojans, and his flight from the city engulfed in fire at the command of the shadow of Hector, who appeared to Aeneas in a prophetic dream on the night of the insidious attack of the Greeks on the sleeping Trojans. The shadow of Hector ordered Aeneas to save the Trojan penates from the enemies and bring out of the city his father, the aged Anchises and the little son Askania-Yul. Aeneas passionately painted to the excited Dido a terrible picture of a night battle in a city captured by enemies. Aeneas woke up from groans and the ringing of weapons that he heard through a dream. Having climbed onto the roof of the house, he understood the meaning of the destructive gift of the Danaans (Greeks), and also understood the terrible meaning of his dream. Seized with rage, Aeneas gathered young soldiers around him and rushed at their head to a detachment of Greeks. Having exterminated the enemies, the Trojans put on the armor of the Greeks and destroyed many, misled by this cunning. However, the fire flared up more and more, the streets were covered with blood, the corpses lay on the steps of temples, on the doorsteps of houses. Crying, cries for help, clash of weapons, cries of women and children - what could be worse! The flames of the conflagration, pulling out bloody scenes of murder and violence from the darkness of the night, aggravated the horror and confusion of the survivors. Aeneas, throwing on a lion's skin, put on the shoulders of his father Ankhis, who did not have the strength to walk, took little Ascanius by the hand. Together with his wife Creusa and several servants, he made his way to the gate and left the dying city. When they all reached the temple of Ceres, which stood far away on a hill, Aeneas noticed that Creusa was not among them. In desperation, leaving his companions in a safe place, he again made his way to Troy. There Aeneas saw a terrible picture of complete defeat. Both his own dwelling and Priam's palace were sacked and set on fire by the Greeks. Women and children stood humbly, awaiting their fate, in the temple of Juno were stacked treasures plundered by the Greeks in sanctuaries and palaces. Wandering among the burnt ruins, Aeneas tirelessly called on Creusa, hoping that she would respond. He decided that his wife got lost in the dark or simply fell behind on the way. Unexpectedly, the shadow of his wife appeared before Aeneas and quietly asked not to grieve for her, since the kingdom in a foreign land was destined for him by the gods, and his wife should be of a royal family. Creusa, looking at Aeneas with tenderness, bequeathed to him the care of her little son. Aeneas tried in vain to hold her in his arms; it dissipated in the air like a light mist.

Aeneas, immersed in grief, did not notice how he left the city and reached the agreed place where his loved ones were waiting. Raising the old Anchises on his mighty shoulders again and taking his son by the hand, Aeneas went to the mountains, where he had to hide for a long time. He was joined by those of the Trojans who managed to escape from the ruined city. Having built ships under the leadership of Aeneas, they sailed unnoticed from their native shores, leaving their homeland forever. Aeneas wandered for a long time through the stormy expanses of the ever-noisy sea with his companions. Their ships passed the numerous islands of the Aegean Sea and, with a fair wind, landed on the shores of the island of Delos, where the famous sanctuary of Apollo was located. There, Aeneas turned with prayers to the bright god, begging to grant the unfortunate Trojans a new homeland, a city and sanctuaries where they could end their difficult wanderings. In response, shaking the temple and the mountains surrounding it, the curtains opened up in front of the statue of Apollo and the voice of God foretold that the Trojans would find the land from which they originate and build a city in it, where Aeneas and his descendants would be rulers. And all peoples and lands will subsequently submit to this city.

Delighted by the prediction, the Trojans began to wonder what kind of land Apollo intended for them. Wise Anchises, knowing that the Cretan Tevkr was considered the founder of sacred Troy, decided to send Trojan ships to the shores of Crete. But when they arrived on the island, a plague broke out in Crete. Aeneas and his companions had to flee from there. In dismay, Anchises decided to return to Delos again and turn to Apollo again. But the gods revealed to Aeneas in a dream that the true ancestral home of the Trojans is in Italy, which the Greeks call Hesperia, and that it is there that he should send his ships. And here again the Trojans trusted the waves of the sea. They saw many miracles, they managed to avoid many dangers. With difficulty they passed the predatory jaws of Scylla and whirlpools of Charybdis, made their way past the dangerous coast inhabited by evil cyclops, escaped the ferocity of the monstrous harpies, and finally saw the terrible eruption of Mount Etna, this "mother of horrors." Having anchored off the coast of Sicily to give rest to his companions, Aeneas suffered a terrible loss here - the elder Anchises, his father, could not bear all the hardships of endless wanderings. His suffering is over. Aeneas buried him on Sicilian soil, and he, trying to get to Italy, was, thanks to the machinations of the goddess Juno, abandoned to the shores of Africa.

With excitement, Queen Dido listened to the story of Aeneas. And when the feast ended and everyone dispersed, she could not divert her thoughts from the beautiful courageous stranger, who with such simplicity and dignity told her about his sufferings and misadventures. His voice sounded in her ears, she saw the high forehead and the clear, firm gaze of a guest of noble birth and adorned with valor. None of the many leaders - Libyans and Numidians, who offered her to marry after the death of her husband, did not evoke such feelings in her soul. Of course, Dido could not know that this sudden passion that seized her was inspired by her mother Aeneas, the goddess Venus. Unable to fight the feelings that flooded over her, Dido decided to confess everything to her sister, who began to convince the queen not to resist this love, not to wither alone, gradually losing her youth and beauty, but to marry her chosen one. After all, it was no accident that the gods drove the Trojan ships to Carthage - apparently, this is their will.

Tormented by passion and doubts, Dido either took Aeneas with her around Carthage, showing him all the wealth of the city, its abundance and power, then arranged magnificent games and hunts, then again invited him to feasts and listened to his speeches, not taking her eyes off the narrator. Dido was especially attached to the son of Aeneas, Ascanius-Yul, because he vividly reminded her of her father both in posture and in his face. The boy was brave, took part in the hunt with pleasure and bravely galloped on a hot horse in the footsteps of the raised beast.

The goddess Juno, who did not want Aeneas to establish a new kingdom in Italy, decided to detain him in Carthage, betrothing him to Dido. Juno turned to Venus with a proposal to end the enmity of Carthage with Italy by connecting Aeneas and Dido by marriage. Venus, understanding Juno's cunning, agreed with a grin, because she knew that the oracle's prediction would inevitably come true and Aeneas would end up in Italy.

Once again, Dido invited Aeneas to hunt. Both of them, shining with the beauty and splendor of their clothes, reminded those around them of the immortal gods themselves. In the midst of the hunt, a terrible thunderstorm began. Dido and Aeneas took refuge in a cave and here, under the auspices of Juno, they married. Rumors spread everywhere that the beautiful and impregnable queen of Carthage called herself the wife of the Trojan Aeneas, that both, forgetting about the affairs of their kingdoms, think only of love pleasures. But the happiness of Dido and Aeneas was short-lived.

By the will of Jupiter, Mercury rushed to Africa and, finding Aeneas completing the construction of the Carthaginian fortress, began to reproach him for forgetting the instructions of the oracle, for the luxury and pampering of life. Aeneas was tormented for a long time, choosing between love for Dido and a sense of duty to the Trojans who had entrusted their fate to him, who were patiently waiting for their arrival in the homeland promised to them. And the sense of duty won. He ordered the ships to be secretly prepared for departure, still hesitant to tell loving Dido the terrible news of eternal separation. But Dido herself guessed this, having learned about the preparations of the Trojans. Like a mad woman, she rushed about the city and, burning with anger, reproached Aeneas for black ingratitude and dishonor. She predicted for him a terrible death at sea and on land, regrets for the beloved he had abandoned, an inglorious end. Many bitter words Dido poured out on Aeneas. Calmly, although with heartache - for he loved the generous and beautiful queen, - Aeneas answered her. He cannot resist the will of the gods, his native land is there, beyond the sea, and he must take his people and their penates there, otherwise he will truly be dishonest. If here, in Carthage, is his love, then there, in Italy, is his fatherland. And he has no choice. Grief finally clouded the mind of Dido. She ordered that a huge fire be erected from giant trunks of oak and pine and put on top of the weapons of Aeneas, which remained in her bedroom. With her hands, she decorated the fire with flowers, like a funerary structure. Aeneas, fearing that his resolve might be shaken by the tears and suffering of his beloved queen, decided to spend the night on his ship. And, as soon as he closed his eyelids, Mercury appeared to him and warned that the queen planned to prevent the sailing of the Trojan ships. Therefore, you should immediately set off at dawn and go out to the open sea.

Aeneas cut the ropes, gave command to the rowers and brought the ships out of the harbor of Carthage. And Dido, who did not close her eyes, tossing about all night on a luxurious bed, went to the window and in the rays of the morning dawn saw the sails of Aeneas far out to sea. In impotent rage, she began to tear apart her clothes, tore strands of golden hair, shouted out curses to Aeneas, his family and the land to which he aspired. She called on Juno, Hekate, the Furies to witness her dishonor and begged them to ruthlessly avenge the culprit of her suffering. Having made a terrible decision, she climbed onto the fire and plunged the sword of Aeneas into her chest. A terrible cry rang through the palace, the maids sobbed, the slaves screamed, the whole city was seized with confusion. At this moment, Aeneas cast his last glance at the Carthaginian coast. He saw the walls of Dido's palace lit up with flames. He did not know what happened there, but he understood that the queen had done something terrible, equal to her rejected love and outraged pride.

And again the ships of the Trojans fell into a terrible storm, as if the gods heeded the curses of the angry Dido. Aeneas landed on the shores of Sicily and, since the anniversary of the death of his father Anchises, honored his tomb with sacrifices and military games. And then, obeying the will of the gods, he went to the city of Kuma, where there was a temple of Apollo with the Sibyl who prophesied his will. Aeneas went to the mysterious cave where the Sibyl lived.

There she predicted a hard but glorious fate for the leader of the Trojans. Aeneas turned to the Sibyl with a request to help him descend into the underworld and meet with his dead father Anchises. The Sibyl answered Aeneas that the entrance to the underworld is open to everyone, but it is impossible for a mortal to return from there alive. First of all, it was necessary to propitiate the formidable gods of the kingdom. Under the leadership of the Sibyl, Aeneas obtained a sacred golden branch, which should have been presented as a gift to the mistress of the underworld, Proserpina. Then, at the direction of the ancient soothsayer, he performed all the necessary rites and performed sacrifices. Chilling horror sounds were heard - the earth hummed, the ominous dogs of the goddess Hekate howled, and she herself began to open the entrance to the underworld. The Sibyl ordered Aeneas to draw his sword, for the path he intended to follow required a firm hand and a strong heart. Making his way among all sorts of monsters - hydras, chimeras, gorgons, Aeneas directed his faithful sword against them, but the Sibyl explained to him that these were only ghosts of monsters roaming in an empty shell. So they got to the place where the underground river Acheron - a stream muddy with mud - flows into the river Cocytus. Here Aeneas saw a bearded, in dirty rags, the carrier of the souls of the dead - Charon, who took some into his boat, and left others on the shore, despite their sobs and pleas. And again the prophetic Sibyl explained to Aeneas that this whole crowd were the souls of the unburied dead, whose bones on earth did not receive eternal peace. Seeing the golden branch in the hands of Aeneas, Charon unquestioningly accepted him and the Sibyl into his boat. Lying in a cave on the other side, the three-headed dog Cerberus, rearing the snakes hanging on his necks, began to announce the banks of the gloomy river with a ferocious bark. But the Sibyl threw to him pieces of magical plants mixed with honey. All three mouths of the infernal dog greedily swallowed this delicacy, and the monster, smitten with sleep, sprawled on the ground. Aeneas and the Sibyl jumped ashore. Here the ears of Aeneas were filled with the moans of the innocently executed and the piercing cry of the dead babies. In the myrtle grove, Aeneas saw the shadows of those who died from unhappy love. And suddenly he met Dido face to face with a fresh wound in her chest. Shedding tears, Aeneas vainly prayed to forgive him for the involuntary betrayal that the gods forced him to. Silently, a beautiful shadow departed, turning away from Aeneas, nothing trembled in her pale face. In despair, the noble Aeneas forgot about the purpose of his coming. But the Sibyl firmly led him past the wrought-iron doors of Tartarus, from behind which came groans, heart-rending cries and the sounds of terrible blows. There, in monstrous torment, villains were tormented, guilty of serious crimes against gods and people. Following the Sibyl, Aeneas approached the threshold of the palace of the ruler of the underworld and performed the ceremony of offering a golden branch to Proserpina. And finally, a beautiful country with laurel groves and green lawns opened up before him. And the sounds that filled it spoke of bliss, spilled in the very air, enveloping the hills and meadows of this bright land. Birds chirped, murmuring, transparent streams flowed, magic songs and sonorous strings of Orpheus's lyre were heard. On the banks of the full-flowing Eridanus, among the fragrant herbs and flowers, the souls of those who left behind a good reputation on earth spent their days - those who fell in an honest battle for the fatherland, who did good and beauty, who brought joy to people - artists, poets, musicians. And in one of the green hollows Aeneas saw his father Anchises. The elder greeted his son with a happy smile and friendly speeches, but no matter how Aeneas tried to hug his dearly beloved father, he slipped out of his hands, like a light dream. Only a gentle look and wise speeches were available to the feelings of Aeneas. In the distance, Aeneas saw the slowly flowing river Lethe. On its shores crowded the souls of heroes who were to appear for the second time in the world of the living. But in order to forget everything that they saw in their former life, they drank the water of Lethe. Among them, Anchises named to Aeneas many of his descendants, who, after he settles in Italy, will erect an eternal city on seven hills and glorify themselves through the ages with the art of "governing the peoples, establishing the customs of the world, sparing the conquered and fighting the recalcitrant." In parting, Anchises gave Aeneas instructions - where to land in Italy, how to deal with hostile tribes in order to achieve a lasting victory. So, talking, he led his son to the doors of Elysium, carved from ivory. Aeneas, accompanied by the Sibyl, entered the world of the living and boldly moved towards the trials that awaited him.

His ships quickly reached the mouth of the Tiber River and went upstream, reaching the area called Latium. Here Aeneas and his companions landed on the shore, and the Trojans, like people who had wandered the seas for too long and had not seen real food for a long time, seized the cattle grazing on the shores. The king of this region, Latinus, came with armed soldiers to protect his possessions. But when the troops lined up, ready for battle, Latin called the leader of the aliens for negotiations. And, having listened to the story of the misfortunes of the noble guest and his companions, the king of Latins offered Aeneas his hospitality, and then, having concluded a friendly alliance between the Latins and the Trojans, wished to seal this union with the marriage of Aeneas with the royal daughter Lavinia (this is how the prediction of the unfortunate Creusa, the first Aeneas' wife). But the daughter of Tsar Latina, before the appearance of Aeneas, was betrothed to the leader of the Rutul tribe, the mighty and courageous Turn. This marriage was also wanted by Lavinia's mother, Queen Amata. Incited by the goddess Juno, enraged that Aeneas, against her will, reached Italy, Turn raised the rutuli to fight the strangers. He managed to win over to his side and many Latins. King Latin, enraged by the hostile attitude towards Aeneas, locked himself in his palace.

And again the gods took a direct part in the war that broke out in Latium. Juno was on the side of Turnus, Venus supported Aeneas. The war went on for a long time, many Trojan and Italian heroes perished, including the young Pallas, who defended Aeneas, who was slain by the mighty Turn. In the decisive battle, the advantage was on the side of the soldiers of Aeneas. And when envoys from the Latins came to him with a request to hand over the bodies of those who fell in battle for burial, Aeneas, full of the most friendly intentions, offered to stop the general bloodshed, solving the dispute by his single combat with Turn. After listening to the proposal of Aeneas, conveyed by the ambassadors, Turnus, seeing the weakness of his troops, agreed to a duel with Aeneas.

The next day, the dawn had barely risen, the troops of the Rutuli and Latins, on the one hand, and the Trojans with the allies of Aeneas, on the other, gathered in the valley. Latins and Trojans began to mark the place for the duel. Shining in the sun with their weapons, the warriors surrounded the battlefield with a wall. On a chariot drawn by four horses, the king of Latins arrived, breaking his seclusion for the sake of such an important event. And then Turnn appeared in brilliant armor with two heavy spears in his hands.

His white horses swiftly brought the mighty warrior to the battlefield. Even more brilliant was Aeneas in new armor, presented to him by his mother Venus, which was forged at her request by the god Vulcan himself. Numerous spectators did not have time to come to their senses, as both leaders quickly approached and swords rang from powerful blows, shields flashed, with which skillful warriors repelled enemy attacks. Both received minor wounds. And so Thurn, not doubting his power, raised his huge sword high for a decisive blow. But the sword broke against the indestructible shield forged by Vulcan, and Turnus, left unarmed, set off to flee from Aeneas, who was inexorably overtaking him. Five times they ran around the entire battlefield, Turn in despair grabbed a huge stone and threw it at Aeneas. But the stone did not reach the leader of the Trojans. Aeneas, aptly aiming a heavy spear, from a distance threw it at Turna. And although Turnn covered himself with a shield, a powerful throw pierced the scaly shield, and a spear pierced into the thigh of the leader of the rutuls. Mighty Turn's knees buckled, he bowed to the ground. There was a desperate cry of the Rutuli, shocked by the defeat of Turn. Approaching the enemy, defeated to the ground, Aeneas was ready to spare him, but suddenly he saw on Turnn's shoulder a bandage that flashed with a familiar pattern, which he had removed from the murdered Pallas, Aeneas' friend. Unbridled anger seized Aeneas, and, not heeding the pleas for mercy, he plunged his sword into the chest of the defeated Turn.

Having eliminated his terrible rival, Aeneas married Lavinia and founded the new city of Latium-ma - Lavinium. After the death of King Latinus, Aeneas, who became the head of the kingdom, had to repel the attacks of the powerful Etruscans, who did not want to tolerate the newcomers, who won the glory of valiant and brave warriors. Having made an alliance with the Rutul tribe, the Etruscans decided to put an end to the impudent foreigners and their leader. But the Trojans and Latins, inspired by their courageous king, prevailed in a decisive battle with their enemies. This battle was the last for Aeneas and the last feat accomplished by him. The warriors of Aeneas considered him dead, but many said that he appeared to his companions beautiful, full of strength, in shining armor and said that the gods took him to themselves as their equal. In any case, the people began to revere him under the name of Jupiter. The son of Aeneas Ascanius had not yet reached the age at which it was possible to entrust the young man with full power, and his name was ruled by Queen Lavinia, an intelligent and far-sighted woman. She managed to keep the state intact and prosperous. Having matured, Ascanius left the queen to manage the city of Lavinius, and he himself, with his friends and associates, moved to the foot of the Alban mountain, founding a city called Alba Longa, since it stretched along the mountain range. Despite his youth, Ascanius managed to achieve recognition from powerful neighboring tribes, and the border between the Latins and the Etruscans was marked along the course of the Tiber River. Ascanius was succeeded by his son Silvius, so named because he was born in the forest. The kingdom of Silvius passed from one descendant of Aeneas to another. Among them were the kings Tiberin (who drowned in the Tiber and became the god of this river) and Aventine (one of the hills on which the great city of Rome was later located was named after him). And, finally, King Numitor received power, during whose reign all the events related to the history of the founding of the city of Rome took place.

Chapter 19

What piers, Aeneas, Aeneas,

Will you find with an intently diligent gaze?

With what comrade, gentle vagabond,

Will you stir up the blueness of the gray seas?

Forget you burning Troy

And you will say: "I will build a city on blood."

M. Kuzmin, "Aeneas"

Aeneas was the son of the Dardanian king Anchises and the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite. Bold, powerful, courageous and judicious, courageously handsome, Aeneas had all the prerequisites to become an exceptional figure in the Greek epic. He stood out among other heroes and his origin. His mother was a goddess whom no one could resist, and his paternal ancestor (albeit in the seventh generation) was Zeus himself. The son of Zeus was Dardanus, the founder of Dardania and the family that ruled there until the end of the Trojan War. Under the grandson of Dardanus, Tros, this family was divided into two branches: the branch of Assarak (the eldest son of Tros) ruled Dardania, from which Troad emerged with its capital Troy, which was founded by Il, the founder of the younger branch of the Dardanids. Aeneas connected his fate with the fate of the Trojans: after Priam's son Hector, Aeneas was the most selfless defender of Troy. He married the daughter of Priam Creusa, who gave birth to his son Askanias (Yula), and took his father Ankhiz to Troy. The Trojan people revered Aeneas as a god.

In the battles on the Trojan plain, Aeneas accomplished many feats. Among the Achaeans killed by him was the leader of the Thessalian army, Medont, and the leader of the Athenian army, Ias. Aeneas was not afraid to engage in a duel with the mighty Cretan king Idomeneus and even with the most glorious Achaean hero Achilles. After the overthrow of Patroclus, Aeneas and Hector forced the Greeks to seek salvation in their camp by the sea. What is true is true - in battle he was always kept (and in fights with Diomedes and Achilles he was completely saved) by the almighty gods, especially his mother Aphrodite, but in this he did not differ from other fighters who also had divine ancestors. Aeneas was rightly called "the pride of the brave Dardanians", "a hero, much more glorious." However, the personal heroism of Aeneas, as well as the heroism of Hector and all the Trojans, could not prevent the fall of Troy.

Fate, dooming Troy to death, intended salvation for Aeneas, and the gods who rescued the Dardanian were nothing more than its executors. He was destined to save the family of Dardanus, rule the Trojan people and transfer power to his descendants. Of all the Trojan leaders, only Aeneas and Antenor managed to escape from the burning Troy. Aeneas led his father Anchises and his son Ascanius out of the city. But he could not find his wife Creusa: she mysteriously disappeared.

The story of the wanderings of Aeneas and his companions was described by Virgil in his poem "Aeneid". After the fall of Troy, Aeneas retired to Mount Ida, taking with him his aged father Anchises, the son of Ascanius, and the images of the patron gods of the city of Priam. All winter he, with the remnants of the Trojan people who had gathered to him, built ships, and with the onset of spring he set off on them to look for a new fatherland for himself and the Trojans. At first they landed on the Thracian coast lying opposite Troy and wanted to stay here already, having built a city for themselves, but were forced to leave this place due to an unfortunate omen. Once, when Aeneas, preparing to make sacrifices to the gods, the patrons of the new city, wanted to decorate the altars with young trees and followed them into the nearby forest, he saw an unheard-of, terrible miracle - drops of thickened black blood fell from the roots of the trees he pulled out. Having approached the third tree, Aeneas heard a plaintive cry, and a voice from somewhere in the depths of the earth said: “Oh, why are you tearing my body apart? Leave the dead alone, don't stain your innocent hands with blood, and run away from this cruel and greedy country! I am the son of Priam, Polydorus, slain by Polymestor. On this very spot I fell, pierced by a cloud of spears; the trees that you see have grown out of them!” Terrified, Aeneas hurried back to the city and announced what he had seen to his father and other leaders. Everyone immediately decided to leave this lawless country and set sail from it, having previously calmed the soul of Polydor by sacrifice.

For seven long years Aeneas wandered through the Aegean, Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, visited many countries and endured many vicissitudes of fate. In Crete, the refugees almost fell victim to a pestilence. In the Ionian Sea, on one of the islands, they survived the attack of terrible harpies. The battle was terrible, but the Trojans fought back. But in the end, one of the harpies, Celena, sat on the top of the rock and ominously exclaimed: “Do you want to expel us from our land? Hear what will happen to you for this. You will reach Italy, as you are told, but before you build yourself a city, there you will suffer a terrible famine, so that you will be forced to gnaw at the very tables for lack of food! Saying this, the harpy flew off into the forest. Disheartened by this prediction, the Trojans ran with prayer to the gods, asking them to avert the impending disaster, and hastily left the inhospitable island. Further, passing the kingdom of Odysseus, whom they hated, they, moving along the western coast of Greece, sailed to Epirus. Here the Trojans were surprised to learn that Helen, the son of Priam, who was married to Andromache, the wife of Hector, reigns over the Greeks in this land. Aeneas went to the nearest city, because he really wanted to see his old friend. Before reaching the city, in a grove he met Andromache, who was making a libation to the gods in memory of Hector dear to her. While they were talking, Helen came and led the dear guest to his city, which he built on the model of his native Troy. The rest of the Trojans, who remained on the pier, were also invited into the city, where they were treated for many days. Before leaving, Gelen, and he was a soothsayer, predicted what other dangers they would face along the way, and then let them go, bestowing them with rich gifts. They had to sail further along the eastern coast of Italy, to the south, so that, having rounded it, turn north again, since, according to Gehlen’s prediction, the place intended for the Trojans was on the western coast of Italy, on the Tiber.

Having descended to the south, they, on the advice of the soothsayer, landed on the eastern coast of Sicily, near Etna, bypassing the Sicilian Strait, since Scylla and Charybdis threatened disaster there. When the Trojans anchored, a creature suddenly ran out of the nearby forest on the shore, barely having a human likeness, emaciated and in a beggarly robe. The man announced about himself that he was one of the companions of Odysseus and was accidentally forgotten in this country and since then, fearing the terrible cyclops, he has constantly been hiding in the forests. We already know that this country was in Sicily or in its immediate vicinity. The Trojans, forgetting their old enmity, took pity on the unfortunate man and took him in. But while they were listening to the stranger's story, suddenly the giant Polyphemus appeared on the rock with his herd. He was blind and walked, feeling the way not with a stick, but with a whole pine tree. Having reached the seashore, he washed his scorched eye, groaning and gnashing his teeth in pain, then entered the water - it did not even reach his waist. Keeping the deepest silence, the Trojans hurriedly cut the anchor ropes and started to run. The blind giant, hearing the noise of the oars, rushed after the ships, but could not overtake them. From this whole story, we can draw a firm conclusion that the relationship between the Trojans and the Cyclopes (“peoples of the sea”) was not hostile: the Trojans simply realized that they had come to visit at the wrong time.

From the land of the Cyclopes, Aeneas and his companions headed south, circled Sicily and sailed to the western tip of the island, where their compatriot Atestes settled. He received the travelers amiably and did not let them go for a long time. Here, to the greatest grief of Aeneas, his father Anchises died.

Having buried his father, Aeneas set off again, but a cruel storm carried him away from the European coast, to Libya, where the Dardanian king met his mother, the goddess Venus (Roman Aphrodite). She told him that he was near the city of Carthage, and the land around was inhabited by Libyans. Queen Dido rules in Carthage. Persecuted by her brother, she fled with her friends from the Phoenician country, from the city of Tyre. Having bought land from the Libyan leaders, Dido built a new city. Aeneas was incredibly surprised at the huge buildings, houses, streets, lined with stone. Noisy activity was in full swing everywhere: walls were erected, loopholes were erected. Some workers carried heavy stones, others hewed columns to decorate the theater. In one place they began to build the foundation of a new house, in another they dug a harbor. “O happy people, you are already building the walls of your city!” - exclaimed Aeneas, looking at the battlements. In the middle of the city, in a small grove, a magnificent temple was erected to the goddess Juno (the Roman parallel to the Greek Hera). Approaching him, Aeneas was amazed to see a number of paintings depicting heroic battles and the suffering of the Trojans. He was glad that the Carthaginians sympathized with his people. While he was admiring the pictures, Queen Dido came, accompanied by armed youths, like Venus in beauty and figure. She sympathized with the companions of Aeneas, who asked her for asylum and help in repairing ships. “Who does not know,” she said, “the great Aeneas, beautiful Troy and her sad fate? We do not live so far from the rest of the world, so as not to hear about your glory, and our hearts are not so cruel as not to sympathize with your sad fate.

Dido invited guests to a feast. When, among the merry conversation of the feasting, cups began to be distributed and Aeneas began to tell, at the request of the queen, about the fate of Troy and his wanderings, a fiery love for the hero penetrated Dido's heart. The more the queen looked at him, the more passion flared up in her chest. Aeneas did not remain indifferent to the feelings of Dido, but at the behest of the gods he had to set off again. Aeneas ordered secretly to prepare the fleet for sailing. Deaf to the pleas and reproaches of Dido, he firmly boarded his ship and left the coast of Carthage forever. Then the unfortunate, abandoned queen decided to die. By her order, a high fire was erected in the courtyard of the palace. Dido mounted him and, when the fire blazed, she pierced her chest. The last, dying glance of the dying woman was turned in the direction where, in the distance, barely whitening, sails could be seen quickly moving away from the Libyan shores.

After sailing from Carthage, the Trojans again overtook the storm and nailed their ships to the western tip of Sicily, to the kingdom of Acestes. Exactly a year has passed since Aeneas was here for the first time and lost his father, so now, on the anniversary of the death of Anchises, he arranged a feast and games on his grave in memory of the deceased. While men and boys competed in games, the Trojan wives tried to burn their fleet to put an end to their wanderings on the seas. The Trojans, seeing this, ran to the ships in fright, but there was no human ability to stop the fire. Then Jupiter (Roman Zeus), heeding the prayers of Aeneas, sent heavy rain and filled the fire. As a result of this event, Aeneas left in Sicily all the wives and husbands unfit for war and unable to endure the difficulties of travel, having built for them the city of Atsesta (now Segesta).

As soon as the ships were fixed, Aeneas again launched into the sea and sent his flotilla to the shores of Italy. Passing by the Siren Islands, which once lured ships to pitfalls with their magical singing, but, fulfilling the will of fate, took their own lives after Odysseus sailed past them with impunity, the Trojans safely entered the pier of the city of Qom. Here Aeneas descended into the realm of shadows to see his father, Anchises, and ask him about the future. From Qom, the Trojans sailed north to the island of Caete, named after the nurse of Aeneas, who died here. Further north lay the island of the sorceress Circe. The Trojans hurried past it at night and heard from a distance the terrible roar of lions, bears, boars and wolves, into the images of which the sorceress turned all the unfortunate people who landed on her shore.

Finally, they reached the mouth of the Tiber, which, meandering along the river valley, flowed into the sea. The Trojans, having come ashore, settled down under the shade of the trees and began to cook the simplest dishes for themselves - they tore the fruits and put them, for lack of tables, on dry bread cakes. Not satisfying their hunger with fruits, the Trojans began to gnaw on the very cakes. Then the son of Aeneas, Ascanius (his other name is Yul), exclaimed: “We eat our tables!” Everyone rejoiced loudly when they heard these words, because they saw how harmlessly for them the formidable prediction of the harpy Celena was fulfilled, and they knew that at last the goal of their journey had been achieved. Aeneas joyfully exclaimed: “My greetings to you, O land assigned to me by fate! Praise be to you, penates of Troy, which have always accompanied me hitherto! Here is our new fatherland!” The next morning, Aeneas made a camp on the seashore, surrounding it with a moat and rampart for safety.

Latium - the country where Aeneas landed, the aged king Latinus peacefully ruled. He had an only daughter, Lavinia, whose hands were coveted by the leaders of near and far countries. The most beautiful of the suitors was Turn, the leader of the rutuls. The mother of the bride, Amata, was more favorable to him than to the rest of the suitors. But various omens pointed to the undesirability of this marriage and pointed to another suitor, who should come from a foreign country and raise the glory of their family to heaven. Therefore, when Aeneas, upon arrival, sent a brilliant embassy to the king to ask for places where the Trojans could settle, the king Latin gave them a favorable answer and offered the hand of his daughter to the hero Ilion.

This, of course, infuriated Thurn. But he was not the only one who did not like the appearance of strangers. At the instigation of Amata in the country of Latina, an uprising rose against the aliens, which was led by Turn. Latin himself, already unable to influence the actions of his subjects, locked himself in his house, leaving the reins of government to his wife. Turnus with a large army attacked the city of Aeneas. But the Etruscans, old enemies of the Rutuli, and also King Evander, a native of Greek Arcadia, came to the aid of the besieged. Many Latins perished in the brutal war. When their relatives asked Aeneas for peace, he answered them that he did not intend to fight the Latins, but was ready to fight Turnn. The king of the rutuli accepted the challenge and fell in a duel with Aeneas. After this victory, Aeneas completed the city and united the two peoples, the Trojans and the Latins.

Let us pay attention to one striking circumstance. Aeneas sailed in search of a new fatherland for eight years, exactly the same as Menelaus! Unlike Menelaus, Aeneas did not enter the harbors of Egypt, but he spent some time in Libya. The Libyans, along with the "peoples of the sea" at that time fought against Egypt, and there is no doubt that the warriors of Aeneas were involved in this campaign. True, Virgil does not say anything about this, but the fact that Aeneas wandered for exactly eight years gives us reason to assert that Aeneas began to organize the peaceful life of his tribe only after the successful completion of the second campaign of the “peoples of the sea”. And to stay on the sidelines at a time when the entire Mediterranean was agitated was only possible for the cunning Odysseus, and even then alone.

According to Virgil, the Etruscans helped Aeneas settle in a new place. What kind of people are these, and how did they end up on the Apennine Peninsula? Herodotus, who lived about 25 centuries ago, believed that the Etruscans came to Italy from distant Asia Minor, from the kingdom of Lydia, located in the southwest of the Anatolia peninsula. During a terrible famine, the king of the Lydians decided to divide his people into two parts and send one of them, led by his son Tyrrhenus, across the sea on ships. After long wanderings, the subjects of Tyrrhenus reached the shores of Italy, where they founded the country and began to be called Tyrrhenians. The Greek historian Hellanicus of Lesbos, who lived in the time of Herodotus, believed, however, that the Etruscans came to Italy from Greece, where they bore the name of the Pelasgians. Herodotus attributed to the Pelasgians much that has to do with the Tyrrhenians. But the Pelasgians and Tyrrhenians for Herodotus were still different peoples. Hellanicus identified them for the first time in Greek historiography. Following him, their contemporaries Thucydides and Sophocles did it.

A new look at the origin of the Etruscans was formulated by Dionysius of Halicarnassus (I century BC). In his opinion, the Etruscans did not come from anywhere: they inhabited the Apennine peninsula from time immemorial. The great geographer of antiquity, Strabo, as if linking all these views, spoke about one Etruscan city, that it was originally founded by the indigenous people, then captured by the Pelasgians, and even later passed to another people - the Tyrrhenians ... As you can see, the information of ancient authors is very contradictory. A similar difference of opinion is observed among historians of our time, however, they all agree that the Etruscan people were formed as a result of a mixture of tribes of different ethnic origins. This is a fact, but here's what is most interesting: according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the Etruscans called themselves races, and in the dictionary of Stephen of Byzantium (VI century), the Etruscans are absolutely unconditionally called a Slavic tribe. A. S. Khomyakov wrote about this: “For a long time everyone has been convinced that more than one element was part of the Etruscan people ... Recognizing the Etruscans as a mixed tribe, we do not find ... an explanation for the name Razen and many features in the development of the people. We have too few remnants of the Etruscan language for us to rely on their completely arbitrary interpretation and draw shaky conclusions from it; but it is impossible not to admit that most of the names of local and city leads us to a guess about ... the main element that became part of Etruria, namely the Slavic element. Cities: Antium, in which the name of the Antes echoes, Clusium ( key, reminiscent of the Illyrian Key, Illyria is an area in the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula), Cortona or Gortyn, Perusia (Porushie), Angara (Ugarye), Clastidium, otherwise Clasticium (Klyastitsy), Spina (now Dorso di Spina); the rivers Arnus (Yarny), Tsetsina (Current), Lake Kluzina (Klyuchino) and many other names are purely Slavic. But, obviously, these will take too little. Let us pay attention to two other circumstances that are much more important: 1) never in the most flowering time of their greatness, during their military enterprise, did the Razens attack the Venets; 2) when the Celts and Romans destroyed the once strong and rich union of the Etrurian cities, those of the different people who preferred freedom in a poor country to slavery in the Etrurian freedom, made their way through the land of the Cisalpine Gauls and found refuge with the great Wends (Vindelics). Here, in impregnable gorges, they built the new city of Retsun ( Razen, or Razhen, from razhy) and fought for a long time against the gigantic power of Rome, forming a proud alliance with the Veneti. It is hard to believe that the invincible Wends reluctantly ceded their land to them; it is even more difficult for the Razens, breaking through the entire strength of the Celts, to seek a new war, and not the hospitality of their native tribe.

Khomyakov as a whole quite accurately described the problem of the Etruscan Slavs. But it, like any question that has been discussed for decades, is interesting in its particulars. Why, for example, did the Etruscans call themselves races? After all, many professional historians, not finding any serious answer to this question, refuse to discuss the idea of ​​Etruscan-Slavic ties. And they are right in many respects, since Khomyakov himself admits that there are "too few" Slavic signs left. The metahistorical approach developed in our book, however, allows us to shed light on this problem in a new way.

Let's start with the natives of Sicily. Thucydides reports that, according to legend, the oldest inhabitants of Sicily were the Cyclopes and Laestrigons who lived in one part of it. The Cyclopes were descendants of the Aryans and came to Southern Europe from the territory of the Russian Plain in the 4th-3rd millennium BC. e. The Laestrigons, or "born robbers", are most likely the pirates of Sicily. Their teams could be international, but it seems that they obeyed the masters of the island - the Cyclopes.

In the Latin tradition, the Cyclopes were called Sicules, from their name came the name of the island of Sicily (Sikelia). In addition to the Siculi, Ligii or Ligurians are also mentioned among the most ancient inhabitants of Italy. These are the Lycians! We have already talked about the Lycians, who lived in the II millennium BC. e. in Asia Minor and moved there from Crete. But another part of this people, known to ancient historians as the Leagues, migrated to Europe. The Lygia lived in Upper Italy and Southern France, on the Balearic (Beloyar!) Islands, Corsica and Sardinia (later they were forced out of here by the Celts). Yes, yes, we can definitely talk about the penetration of the maritime civilization of the Aryans up to the eastern (Mediterranean) coast of Spain.

The Siculos-Skolos and Ligians-Lycians were the first wave of migration to Southern Europe from the territory of the Russian Plain. In terms of time, it can be assumed that it fell on the era of active settlement by the same tribes of the south of Greece and Crete (the turn of the 4th and 3rd millennium BC). The Greeks called these settlers Pelasgians. The second powerful migration wave from the Russian Plain dates back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e. It is associated with the movement to Europe of those Aryan tribes who brought with them the cult of the god Tur. The Greeks remembered them in the form of centaurs, i.e. horse Tauris. In Greece, their role was not so significant, since the country was already inhabited by militarily strong Achaeans. But the lands of Italy remained by that time still sparsely inhabited. The Etruscans revered Tur under the name of Turmes, and his female counterpart Turan acted as the Etruscan Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The Greeks began to call the people who worshiped this goddess the Tyrrhenians, and the sea that they controlled, the Tyrrhenian. It is quite clear that the Tyrrhenes were not the only inhabitants of such fertile lands, among their neighbors were the Indo-European tribes who came here a little later from the north - the Italians (Latins and others). And maybe the word "Etruscans" (and the Romans began to use it!) Was born by combining the names of Italians and Russians ...

The most important migration in the history of ancient Italy, however, took place at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e., when immigrants from Asia Minor moved here. Who could leave this peninsula at that time? We will hardly be mistaken if we assume that this was the population of the Asia Minor Rusena destroyed during the Trojan War. That is why the Etruscans themselves called themselves racens! Keeping their family name, they seemed to restore the connection of times, kept in touch with those generations of their ancestors who participated in the creation of the great civilizations of the Ancient East.

The French scientist L’Arbois de Jubanville found out that one of the ancient Egyptian inscriptions mentions the attack of the Ruthen people, together with the Assyrians (under the leadership of the latter) on Egypt. Such an event could only take place in the 12th century. BC e. or, more likely, one or two centuries later, when Assyria really began to dominate in Asia Minor and dictated terms to the people of the defeated Arsava (Rusen) - Rusen (Ruten). Consequently, after the defeat in the Trojan War, part of the population of Rusena remained in Asia Minor and continued to call themselves Rusens. At the turn of II and I millennium BC. e. the most enterprising of them sailed west in search of a new homeland.

In the last quarter of the 19th century, on the island of Lemnos off the coast of Anatolia, not far from the location of ancient Troy, a tombstone was found that was of great interest to scientists. The stele, now kept in the National Museum of Athens, depicts the face of an armed warrior in profile and has two inscriptions. One of them is located above the warrior's head, and the other is on the side surface of the stele. The language of these inscriptions, made in archaic Greek letters, is characterized as related to Etruscan. The stele described above is not the only document of its kind. Numerous other inscriptions in the same language have been found on Lemnos. All of them date back to the 7th century. BC e. These finds led scientists to suggest that on the way from Anatolia to Italy, the Etruscans (or some part of them) could linger on the island of Lemnos for a time - long enough to leave traces of themselves.

Nizhny Novgorod historian Professor E. V. Kuznetsov in his work “Ancient Rus: Migrations”, having studied the location of Russian toponyms on the map of Southern Italy, even indicated a possible route for the settlement of the Protorus, moving from the coast of Asia Minor. According to the analysis of E. V. Kuznetsov, it is likely that the settlers moved to the west of the Mediterranean, not skirting either the protrusion of the Calabrian Peninsula or the island of Sicily, but, shortening the path, crossed the peninsula using the water communications flowing here and a short portage connecting them.

In 1961, the book "The Etruscans Begin to Talk" was published, challenging the hypotheses traditional in the scientific community. It was the fruit of thirty years of work by Dr. Zachary Mayani, who worked at the University of Paris. In the course of his research, Mayani came to the conclusion that the Etruscan language belongs to the Indo-European ones and that, on the basis of Etruscan inscriptions, two currents can be distinguished, the merger of which gave rise to “this strange civilization”: one from the banks of the Danube, the other from Anatolia. Mayani believes that the Etruscans, the "people of bronze", did not manage to completely destroy the traces of their origin: they are visible in their weapons, and in the use of columns in the construction of tombs, and in their predilection for polychromy in the visual arts, and - even more clearly - in the manner of depicting animals, and above all - in the very originality of Etruscan culture.

Two streams of settlers, one from the Danube basin, the other from Anatolia (as Herodotus claimed), eventually formed a highly heterogeneous population of the area that we call Etruria and which they tried to turn into their new homeland. It is in the diversity of the Etruscans that Dr. Mayani sees one of the reasons (perhaps the most important) for which they failed to form into a single nation.

Apparently, it is appropriate to recall Toynbee's theory here: he speaks of the Etruscans as a possible model of the influence of foreign settlers on a group of earlier colonists. Since the bravest and most enduring usually survive, their descendants are, as a rule, a strong people; those who did not dare to join the emigrants and preferred to stay in their native lands disappear from the pages of history over time. In addition, the descendants of settlers tend to strictly observe the old traditions and adhere to the old beliefs, at least until they feel that they are rooted in the new land. Numerous parallels between the Etruscans and the peoples of the Middle East confirm that such a process took place in Etruria.

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Aeneas

Based on the poem of the Roman poet Publius Maron Virgil (I century BC) "Aeneid" and "Roman history from the founding of the city" by Titus Livy (59 BC - 17 AD).

The powerful and beautiful wife of the Thunderer Jupiter, the goddess Juno, has long hated the Trojans for the indelible insult inflicted on her by Prince Paris: he awarded the golden apple not to her, the mistress of the gods, but to the goddess Venus. In addition to this insult, Juno knew about the prediction that promised her beloved city of Carthage, rich and glorious for its valor, which she herself patronized, death from the descendants of the Trojans who escaped from Troy destroyed by the Greeks. And besides, the Trojan Aeneas, who became the head of the surviving inhabitants of Troy, was the son of Venus, who shamed Juno in the dispute of the goddesses for the title of the most beautiful. Overwhelmed by the desire to avenge old grievances and prevent future ones, the goddess Juno rushed to the island of Aeolia, the homeland of clouds and fogs. There, in a vast cave, the king of the winds, Eolus, held in heavy chains "internecine winds and thunderous storms." She began to ask Eol to unleash the winds and sink the ships of the Trojans in a terrible storm. Eol obediently complied with the request of the great goddess. He struck the wall of the huge cave of winds with his trident, and all of them rushed into the open sea with a roar and howl, raising waves high, pushing them against each other, catching menacing clouds from everywhere, circling and scattering the ships of the Trojans like pitiful chips. Aeneas, horrified, watched his comrades in arms perish, as the Trojan ships disappeared one after another in the seething abyss. Occasionally, drowning swimmers, torn sails, and shipboards appeared on the surface of the waves. And all this was absorbed by the sea abyss without a trace. Three ships were thrown into the shallows by a huge wave, and fragments of oars, masts and corpses of Trojans were covered with sand, three were thrown onto coastal rocks. The ruler of the seas, Neptune, disturbed by a furious storm that broke out without his knowledge, rising to the surface and seeing the ships of Aeneas scattered over the waves, realized that these were the intrigues of Juno. With a powerful blow of the trident, he tamed the fury of the waves and the frenzy of the winds, and with a formidable cry: "Here I am!" - ordered them to immediately return to the cave to Eol. Neptune himself, racing through the waves in a chariot drawn by hippocampi, calmed the agitated surface of the sea, with his trident removed the ships that had settled in them from the rocks, carefully moved the rest from the shallows and ordered the waves to drive the Trojan ships to the coast of Africa. Here stood the magnificent city of Carthage, founded by Queen Dido, who fled from Sidon, where she suffered a heavy grief - her beloved husband Sykhei was treacherously killed near the altar by her own brother. The Trojans, led by Aeneas, landed on the shore, warmly greeted by the inhabitants of Carthage. The beautiful Dido hospitably opened the doors of her magnificent palace for them.

At a feast arranged in honor of the escaped Trojans, at the request of Dido, Aeneas began to talk about the capture of Troy by the Greeks thanks to the cunning of King Odysseus, the destruction of the ancient stronghold of the Trojans, and his flight from the city engulfed in fire at the command of the shadow of Hector, who appeared to Aeneas in a prophetic dream on the night of the insidious attack of the Greeks on the sleeping Trojans. The shadow of Hector ordered Aeneas to save the Trojan penates from the enemies and bring her father out of the city - the aged Anchises and the little son Askania-Yul. Aeneas passionately painted to the excited Dido a terrible picture of a night battle in a city captured by enemies. Aeneas woke up from groans and the ringing of weapons that he heard through a dream. Having climbed onto the roof of the house, he understood the meaning of the destructive gift of the Danaans (Greeks), and also understood the terrible meaning of his dream. Seized with rage, Aeneas gathered young soldiers around him and rushed at their head to a detachment of Greeks. Having exterminated the enemies, the Trojans put on the armor of the Greeks and destroyed many, misled by this cunning. However, the fire flared up more and more, the streets were covered with blood, the corpses lay on the steps of temples, on the doorsteps of houses. Crying, cries for help, clash of weapons, cries of women and children - what could be worse! The flames of the conflagration, pulling out bloody scenes of murder and violence from the darkness of the night, aggravated the horror and confusion of the survivors. Aeneas, throwing on a lion's skin, put on the shoulders of his father Anchises, who did not have the strength to walk, took little Ascanius by the hand. Together with his wife Creusa and several servants, he made his way to the gate and left the dying city. When they all reached the temple of Ceres, which stood far away on a hill, Aeneas noticed that Creusa was not among them. In desperation, leaving his companions in a safe place, he again made his way to Troy. There Aeneas saw a terrible picture of complete defeat. Both his own dwelling and Priam's palace were sacked and set on fire by the Greeks. Women and children stood humbly, awaiting their fate, in the temple of Juno were stacked treasures plundered by the Greeks in sanctuaries and palaces. Wandering among the burnt ruins, Aeneas tirelessly called on Creusa, hoping that she would respond. He decided that his wife got lost in the dark or simply fell behind on the way. Unexpectedly, the shadow of his wife appeared before Aeneas and quietly asked not to grieve for her, since the kingdom in a foreign land was destined for him by the gods, and his wife should be of a royal family. Creusa, looking at Aeneas with tenderness, bequeathed to him the care of her little son. Aeneas tried in vain to hold her in his arms; it dissipated in the air like a light mist.

Aeneas, immersed in grief, did not notice how he left the city and reached the agreed place where his loved ones were waiting. Raising the old Anchises on his mighty shoulders again and taking his son by the hand, Aeneas went to the mountains, where he had to hide for a long time. He was joined by those of the Trojans who managed to escape from the ruined city. Having built ships under the leadership of Aeneas, they sailed unnoticed from their native shores, leaving their homeland forever. Aeneas wandered for a long time through the stormy expanses of the ever-noisy sea with his companions. Their ships passed the numerous islands of the Aegean Sea and, with a fair wind, landed on the shores of the island of Delos, where the famous sanctuary of Apollo was located. There, Aeneas turned with prayers to the bright god, begging to grant the unfortunate Trojans a new homeland, a city and sanctuaries where they could end their difficult wanderings. In response, shaking the temple and the mountains surrounding it, the curtains opened up in front of the statue of Apollo and the voice of God foretold that the Trojans would find the land from which they originate and build a city in it, where Aeneas and his descendants would be rulers. And all peoples and lands will subsequently submit to this city. Delighted by the prediction, the Trojans began to wonder what kind of land Apollo intended for them. Wise Anchises, knowing that the Cretan Tevkr was considered the founder of sacred Troy, decided to send Trojan ships to the shores of Crete. But when they arrived on the island, a plague broke out in Crete. Aeneas and his companions had to flee from there. In dismay, Anchises decided to return to Delos again and turn to Apollo again. But the gods revealed to Aeneas in a dream that the true ancestral home of the Trojans is in Italy, which the Greeks call Hesperia, and that it is there that he should send his ships. And here again the Trojans trusted the waves of the sea. They saw many miracles, they managed to avoid many dangers. With difficulty they passed the predatory jaws of Scylla and the whirlpools of Charybdis, made their way past the dangerous coast inhabited by evil cyclops, escaped the ferocity of the monstrous harpies, and finally saw the terrible eruption of Mount Etna, this "mother of horrors". Having dropped anchor off the coast of Sicily to give rest to his companions, Aeneas suffered a terrible loss here - the elder Anchis, his father, could not bear all the hardships of endless wanderings. His suffering is over. Aeneas buried him on Sicilian soil, and he, trying to get to Italy, was, thanks to the machinations of the goddess Juno, abandoned to the shores of Africa.

With excitement, Queen Dido listened to the story of Aeneas. And when the feast ended and everyone dispersed, she could not distract her thoughts from the beautiful courageous stranger, with such simplicity and dignity
who told her about his sufferings and misadventures. His voice sounded in her ears, she saw the high forehead and the clear, firm gaze of a guest of noble birth and adorned with valor. None of the many leaders - Libyans and Numidians, who offered her to marry after the death of her husband, did not evoke such feelings in her soul. Of course, Dido could not know that this sudden passion that seized her was inspired by her mother Aeneas, the goddess Venus. Unable to fight the feelings that flooded over her, Dido decided to confess everything to her sister, who began to convince the queen not to resist this love, not to wither alone, gradually losing her youth and beauty, but to marry her chosen one. After all, it was no accident that the gods drove the Trojan ships to Carthage - apparently, this is their will. Tormented by passion and doubt, Dido then took Aeneas around Carthage with her, showing him all the wealth of the city. his abundance and power, then arranged magnificent games and hunts, then again invited him to feasts and listened to his speeches, not taking her flaming gaze from the narrator. Dido was especially attached to the son of Aeneas, Ascanius-Yul, because he vividly reminded her of her father both in posture and in his face. The boy was brave, took part in the hunt with pleasure and bravely galloped on a hot horse in the footsteps of the raised beast.

The goddess Juno, who did not want Aeneas to establish a new kingdom in Italy, decided to detain him in Carthage, betrothing him to Dido. Juno turned to Venus with a proposal to end the enmity of Carthage with Italy by connecting Aeneas and Dido by marriage. Venus, understanding Juno's cunning, agreed with a grin, because she knew that the oracle's prediction would inevitably come true and Aeneas would end up in Italy.

Once again, Dido invited Aeneas to hunt. Both of them, shining with the beauty and splendor of their clothes, reminded those around them of the immortal gods themselves. In the midst of the hunt, a terrible thunderstorm began. Dido and Aeneas took refuge in a cave and here, under the auspices of Juno, they married. Rumors spread everywhere that the beautiful and impregnable queen of Carthage called herself the wife of the Trojan Aeneas, that both, forgetting about the affairs of their kingdoms, think only of love pleasures. But the happiness of Dido and Aeneas was short-lived.

By the will of Jupiter, Mercury rushed to Africa and, finding Aeneas completing the construction of the Carthaginian fortress, began to reproach him for forgetting the instructions of the oracle, for the luxury and pampering of life. Aeneas was tormented for a long time, choosing between love for Dido and a sense of duty to the Trojans who had entrusted their fate to him, who were patiently waiting for their arrival in the homeland promised to them. And the sense of duty won. He ordered the ships to be secretly prepared for departure, still hesitant to tell loving Dido the terrible news of eternal separation. But Dido herself guessed this, having learned about the preparations of the Trojans. Like a mad woman, she rushed about the city and, burning with anger, reproached Aeneas for black ingratitude and dishonor. She predicted for him a terrible death at sea and on land, regrets for the beloved he had abandoned, an inglorious end. Many bitter words Dido poured out on Aeneas. Calmly, albeit with heartache - for he loved the generous and beautiful queen, - Aeneas answered her. He cannot resist the will of the gods, his native land is there, beyond the sea, and he must take his people and their penates there, otherwise he will truly be dishonest. If here, in Carthage, is his love, then there, in Italy, is his fatherland. And he has no choice. Grief finally clouded the mind of Dido. She ordered that a huge fire be erected from giant trunks of oak and pine and put on top of the weapons of Aeneas, which remained in her bedroom. With her hands, she decorated the fire with flowers, like a funerary structure. Aeneas, fearing that his resolve might be shaken by the tears and suffering of his beloved queen, decided to spend the night on his ship. And, as soon as he closed his eyelids, Mercury appeared to him and warned that the queen planned to prevent the sailing of the Trojan ships. Therefore, you should immediately set off at dawn and go out to the open sea.

Aeneas cut the ropes, gave command to the rowers and brought the ships out of the harbor of Carthage. And Dido, who did not close her eyes, tossing about all night on a luxurious bed, went to the window and in the rays of the morning dawn saw the sails of Aeneas far out to sea. In impotent rage, she began to tear apart her clothes, tore strands of golden hair, shouted out curses to Aeneas, his family and the land to which he aspired. She called on Juno, Hekate, the Furies to witness her dishonor and begged them to ruthlessly avenge the culprit of her suffering. Having made a terrible decision, she climbed onto the fire and plunged the sword of Aeneas into her chest. A terrible cry rang through the palace, the maids sobbed, the slaves screamed, the whole city was seized with confusion. At this moment, Aeneas cast his last glance at the Carthaginian coast. He saw the walls of Dido's palace lit up with flames. He did not know what happened there, but he understood that the queen had done something terrible, equal to her rejected love and outraged pride.

And again the ships of the Trojans fell into a terrible storm, as if the gods heeded the curses of the angry Dido. Aeneas landed on the shores of Sicily and, since the anniversary of the death of his father Anchises, honored his tomb with sacrifices and military games. And then, obeying the will of the gods, he went to the city of Kuma, where the temple of Apollo was located with the Sibyl who prophesied his will. Aeneas went to the mysterious cave where the Sibyl lived.

There she predicted a hard but glorious fate for the leader of the Trojans. Aeneas turned to the Sibyl with a request to help him descend into the underworld and meet with his dead father Anchises. The Sibyl answered Aeneas that the entrance to the underworld is open to everyone, but it is impossible for a mortal to return from there alive. First of all, it was necessary to propitiate the formidable gods of the kingdom. Under the leadership of the Sibyl, Aeneas obtained a sacred golden branch, which should have been presented as a gift to the mistress of the underworld, Proserpina. Then, at the direction of the ancient soothsayer, he performed all the necessary rites and performed sacrifices. Chilling horror sounds were heard - the earth hummed, the sinister dogs of the goddess Hecate howled, and she herself began to open the entrance to the underworld. The Sibyl ordered Aeneas to draw his sword, for the path he intended to follow required a firm hand and a strong heart. Making his way among all sorts of monsters - hydras, chimeras, gorgons, Aeneas directed his faithful sword against them, but the Sibyl explained to him that these were just ghosts of monsters roaming in an empty shell. So they got to the place where the underground river Acheron - a stream muddy with mud flows into the river Cocytus. Here Aeneas saw a bearded, in dirty rags, the carrier of the souls of the dead - Charon, who took some into his boat, and left others on the shore, despite their sobs and pleas. And again the prophetic Sibyl explained to Aeneas that this whole crowd is the souls of the unburied dead, whose bones on earth have not received eternal peace. Seeing the golden branch in the hands of Aeneas, Charon unquestioningly accepted him and the Sibyl into his boat. Lying in a cave on the other side, the three-headed dog Cerberus, rearing the snakes hanging on his necks, began to announce the banks of the gloomy river with a ferocious bark. But the Sibyl threw to him pieces of magical plants mixed with honey. All three mouths of the infernal dog greedily swallowed this delicacy, and the monster, smitten with sleep, sprawled on the ground. Aeneas and the Sibyl jumped ashore. Here the ears of Aeneas were filled with the moans of the innocently executed and the piercing cry of the dead babies. In the myrtle grove, Aeneas saw the shadows of those who died from unhappy love. And suddenly he met Dido face to face with a fresh wound in her chest. Shedding tears, Aeneas vainly prayed to forgive him for the involuntary betrayal that the gods forced him to. Silently, a beautiful shadow departed, turning away from Aeneas, nothing trembled in her pale face. In despair, the noble Aeneas forgot about the purpose of his coming. But the Sibyl firmly led him past the wrought-iron doors of Tartarus, from behind which came groans, heart-rending cries and the sounds of terrible blows. There, in monstrous torment, villains were tormented, guilty of serious crimes against gods and people. Following the Sibyl, Aeneas approached the threshold of the palace of the ruler of the underworld and performed the ceremony of offering a golden branch to Proserpina. And finally, a beautiful country opened before him
with laurel groves, green lawns. And the sounds that filled it spoke of bliss, spilled in the very air, enveloping the hills and meadows of this bright land. Birds chirped, murmuring, transparent streams flowed, magic songs and sonorous strings of Orpheus's lyre were heard. On the banks of the full-flowing Eridan, among the fragrant herbs and flowers, the souls of those who left behind a good reputation on earth spent their days - those who fell in an honest battle for the fatherland, who created goodness and beauty, who brought joy to people - artists, poets, musicians. And in one of the green hollows Aeneas saw his father Anchises. The elder greeted his son with a happy smile and friendly speeches, but no matter how Aeneas tried to hug his dearly beloved father, he slipped out of his hands, like a light dream. Only a gentle look and wise speeches were available to the feelings of Aeneas. In the distance, Aeneas saw the slowly flowing river Lethe. On its shores crowded the souls of heroes who were to appear for the second time in the world of the living. But in order to forget everything that they saw in their former life, they drank the water of Lethe. Among them, Anchises named to Aeneas many of his descendants, who, after he settles in Italy, will erect an eternal city on seven hills and glorify themselves through the ages with the art of "governing the peoples, establishing the customs of the world, sparing the conquered and slaying the recalcitrant." In parting, Anchises gave instructions to Aeneas - where he should land in Italy, how to deal with hostile tribes in order to achieve a lasting victory. So, talking, he led his son to the doors of Elysium, carved from ivory. Aeneas, accompanied by the Sibyl, entered the world of the living and boldly moved towards the trials that awaited him.

His ships quickly reached the mouth of the Tiber River and went upstream, reaching the area called Latium. Here Aeneas and his companions landed on the shore, and the Trojans, like people who had wandered the seas for too long and had not seen real food for a long time, seized the cattle grazing on the shores. The king of this region, Latinus, came with armed soldiers to protect his possessions. But when the troops lined up, ready for battle, Latin called the leader of the aliens for negotiations. And, having listened to the story of the misfortunes of the noble guest and his companions, the king of Latins offered Aeneas his hospitality, and then, having concluded a friendly alliance between the Latins and the Trojans, wished to seal this union with the marriage of Aeneas with the royal daughter Lavinia (this is how the prediction of the unfortunate Creusa, the first wife of Aeneas, was fulfilled). ). But the daughter of Tsar Latina, before the appearance of Aeneas, was betrothed to the leader of the Rutul tribe, the mighty and courageous Turn. This marriage was also wanted by Lavinia's mother, Queen Amata. Incited by the goddess Juno, enraged that Aeneas, against her will, reached Italy, Turn raised the rutuli to fight the strangers. He managed to win over to his side and many Latins. King Latin, enraged by the hostile attitude towards Aeneas, locked himself in his palace.

And again the gods took a direct part in the war that broke out in Latium. Juno was on the side of Turnus, Venus supported Aeneas. The war went on for a long time, many Trojan and Italian heroes perished, including the young Pallas, who defended Aeneas, who was slain by the mighty Turn. In the decisive battle, the advantage was on the side of the soldiers of Aeneas. And when envoys from the Latins came to him with a request to hand over the bodies of those who fell in battle for burial, Aeneas, full of the most friendly intentions, offered to stop the general bloodshed, solving the dispute by his single combat with Turn. After listening to the proposal of Aeneas, conveyed by the ambassadors, Turnus, seeing the weakness of his troops, agreed to a duel with Aeneas.

The next day, the dawn had barely risen, the troops of the Rutuli and Latins, on the one hand, and the Trojans with the allies of Aeneas, on the other, gathered in the valley. Latins and Trojans began to mark the place for the duel. Shining in the sun with their weapons, the warriors surrounded the battlefield with a wall. On a chariot drawn by four horses, the king of Latins arrived, breaking his seclusion for the sake of such an important event. And then Turnn appeared in brilliant armor with two heavy spears in his hands. His white horses swiftly brought the mighty warrior to the battlefield. Even more brilliant was Aeneas in new armor, presented to him by his mother Venus, which was forged at her request by the god Vulcan himself. Numerous spectators did not have time to come to their senses, as both leaders quickly approached and swords rang from powerful blows, shields flashed, with which skillful warriors repelled enemy attacks. Both received minor wounds. And so Thurn, not doubting his power, raised his huge sword high for a decisive blow. But the sword broke against the indestructible shield forged by Vulcan, and Turnus, left unarmed, set off to flee from Aeneas, who was inexorably overtaking him. Five times they ran around the entire battlefield, Turn in despair grabbed a huge stone and threw it at Aeneas. But the stone did not reach the leader of the Trojans. Aeneas, aptly aiming a heavy spear, from a distance threw it at Turna. And although Turnn covered himself with a shield, a powerful throw pierced the scaly shield, and a spear pierced into the hip of the leader of the rutuls. Mighty Turn's knees buckled, he bowed to the ground. There was a desperate cry of the Rutuli, shocked by the defeat of Turn. Approaching the enemy, defeated to the ground, Aeneas was ready to spare him, but suddenly he saw on Turnn's shoulder a bandage that flashed with a familiar pattern, which he had removed from the murdered Pallas, Aeneas' friend. Unbridled anger seized Aeneas, and, not heeding the pleas for mercy, he plunged his sword into the chest of the defeated Turn. Having eliminated his terrible rival, Aeneas married Lavinia and founded the new city of Latium - Lavinia. After the death of King Latinus, Aeneas, who became the head of the kingdom, had to repel the attacks of the powerful Etruscans, who did not want to tolerate the newcomers, who won the glory of valiant and brave warriors. Having made an alliance with the Rutul tribe, the Etruscans decided to put an end to the impudent foreigners and their leader. But the Trojans and Latins, inspired by their courageous king, prevailed in a decisive battle with their enemies. This battle was the last for Aeneas and the last feat accomplished by him. The warriors of Aeneas considered him dead, but many said that he appeared to his companions beautiful, full of strength, in shining armor and said that the gods took him to themselves as their equal. In any case, the people began to revere him under the name of Jupiter

Aeneas, son of Anchises, leaves Troy. - The Trojan Penates send Aeneas on his way. - Storm of Juno. - Aeneas and Dido. - Death of Dido. - Cum Sibyl: the myth of the golden branch. - The landing of Aeneas at the mouth of the Tiber: the myth of the war of the Trojans with the rutuli. - Founding of Alba Longa by Aeneas and Ascanius. - God Mars and Rhea Silvia: the myth of the birth of Romulus and Remus. - Romulus and Remus are fed by a she-wolf. - The myth of the founding of Rome. - The abduction of the Sabine women.

Aeneas, son of Anchises, leaves Troy

Hero of the Trojan War Aeneas, the son of the goddess Aphrodite (Venus) from Ankhiz, the king of the Dardani and a relative of Priam, fought bravely against the Greeks. Aeneas, like, was a favorite of the Trojans for his courage and intelligence.

Aphrodite and Apollo constantly guard and protect Aeneas. During his duel with Achilles, the god Poseidon saves Aeneas, surrounding him with an impenetrable cloud, because Aeneas was destined, by the will of the gods, after the death of the whole family of Priam, to become the Trojan king.

The fate of Aeneas, his wanderings and the founding of a new kingdom in Italy are not mentioned at all by Homer. Only almost a millennium later, the Roman poet Virgil collected all the ancient myths about this hero into one whole poem called "Aeneid".

During the fire and sack of Troy, Aeneas tries, but unsuccessfully, to repel the attacking Greeks. Aeneas decides to take his family, domestic gods, sacred palladium, leave his native city and go to look for a new fatherland in foreign countries.

Aeneas' aged and relaxed father Anchises refuses to accompany him, but the gods patronize Aeneas' intentions. It is at the time when Aeneas' wife, Creusa, and his father are trying to persuade him not to leave his homeland, that a miracle happens: a bright flame appears over the head of Aeneas' son Ascanius, or Iula, which, as it were, touches the child's hair. Frightened parents, wanting to put out this flame, douse Askania's head with water, but the flame does not go out. Anchises sees this as an omen of a glorious future awaiting his grandson, and he agrees to leave Troy with Aeneas.

Then Aeneas gathers his whole family and some people devoted to him, gives his father to carry the Penates and sacred vessels, and he himself carries Anchises on his shoulders.

On Mount Ida, they are joined by the miserable remnants of the Trojans, with whom Aeneas sets off on twenty ships to Thrace.

The abandonment of Troy by Aeneas, accompanied by his family, was very often depicted on art monuments both in antiquity and in recent centuries.

One of the ancient Roman frescoes discovered in Herculaneum shows Aeneas carrying his father on his shoulders; but the ancient artist for some reason depicted all the characters with dog heads.

The Louvre Museum houses a painting by Spada depicting the same mythological story. There is also the famous group of Le Nôtre "Aeneas carries Anchises".

The Trojan Penates guide Aeneas on his way

Protected by the gods, Aeneas landed on the coast of Thrace, founds a city there and calls it by his own name.

Then Aeneas goes to the island of Delos to ask the oracle where he should direct his further path. Not understanding well the oracle's answer, Aeneas sticks to the island of Crete. But there they appear to him in a dream, taken away by him from burning Troy, and ordered to go further: “Listen to what Apollo says with our lips: we are the gods of your hearth, who followed you from sacred Ilion. We will exalt your descendants to the stars of heaven and we will give their city power over the whole world. You prepare a great capital for this great people. You must leave Crete; there is a country known to the Greeks under the name of Hesperia: it is a strong army and a country famous for its fertility. Here is our homeland, go there ”(Virgil).

Storm Juno

Aeneas, obedient to the will of the gods, set off again, but the goddess Juno, who continued to take revenge on the Trojans, sends a terrible storm that dispersed the ships of Aeneas.

The god Neptune again takes the hero Aeneas under his protection and pacifies the storm.

The Vatican has a beautiful illustrated antique manuscript of Virgil's Aeneid. One of the miniatures of this manuscript depicts Aeneas caught in a storm. Various sea monsters swim around the ship of Aeneas; the winds are represented as youths blowing on the ship. Aeneas has a kind of crown or radiance around his head. On ancient monuments of art, such a radiance around the head (nimbus) was an emblem of power and might; subsequently, the first Christian artists began to surround the heads of the saints with such radiance.

A storm washed Aeneas and his companions to the shores of Africa in the very place where Dido, the daughter of the Phoenician king, had just founded the city of Carthage.

Aeneas and Dido

The Trojans turned to the Queen of Carthage, Dido, with a request to show them hospitality. Dido received them not only cordially, but gave Aeneas the most luxurious reception.

The goddess Venus decided to arouse in Dido a fiery love for the Trojan hero, and soon the queen spends whole days listening to the stories of Aeneas about the disasters that befell Troy and about his wanderings.

Art very often depicts the stay of Aeneas with Dido.

No matter how strong the spell of Dido was, Aeneas resisted them and, obeying Jupiter, left the hospitable country.

Death of Dido

Dido begs Aeneas to abandon his intentions and stay with her forever. Seeing that all her requests were in vain and that Aeneas secretly left her, Dido orders a fire to be prepared, climbs on it and kills herself with the sword given to her by Aeneas.

The death of Dido has also served as a theme for works of art more than once.

The sad fate of Dido, who burns herself at the stake, because Aeneas, whom Jupiter destined to become the founder of the Roman state, left her, as if portends the death of Carthage, burned by the Romans.

Cuma Sibyl: the myth of the golden branch

Aeneas and his companions endure a new storm; fleeing from her, he sticks to the shores of Sicily. There, Aeneas arranges funeral games and competitions in memory of his father, who died a year earlier, and intends to weigh anchor again, but the Trojan women, tired of eternal wanderings, burn several ships and refuse to go further. Then Aeneas founds a city in Sicily and leaves in it women, old people and all those who do not want to follow him.

Gathering the remaining soldiers and equipping his surviving ships, Aeneas went on. Arriving in the city of Kuma in Italy, Aeneas turned to cuman sibyl(soothsayer), who gave him advice to descend into the realm of shadows and learn from his father the fate awaiting Aeneas.

Having descended into the kingdom of Hades, Aeneas brings Persephone a gift, on the advice of the Sibyl, he found on the way golden branch and looks for his father Anchises there, who predicts a glorious future for him and his descendants. Ankhiz says that Aeneas, by the will of the gods, will be the progenitor of a brave and warlike people, and his descendants will own half of the world.

The landing of Aeneas at the mouth of the Tiber: the myth of the war of the Trojans with the rutuli

After sailing for several days, Aeneas safely landed on the banks of the Tiber. There, the king of the Latin country accepts him in a friendly manner and offers Aeneas his daughter Lavinia as his wife. But Queen Amata restores against Aeneas Turnus, the king of the Rutuli, to whom Lavinia was previously promised as a wife. Turnus, led by many allies, attacks Latinus and Aeneas. Called by the latter to a duel, Turn dies, struck down by his hand.

During this war, the ships of Aeneas, anchored off the coast of the Tiber, were turned by the gods into Nereids at the moment when Thurn is about to set them on fire. The gods, who intended Aeneas to be the founder of a kingdom in Italy, thus took away from him the last opportunity to leave this country.

Art took advantage of some episodes of the war between Aeneas and the Italians; in particular, the death of two friends, the brave youths Nis and Euryalus, is often reproduced. The closest bonds of friendship united them. Nis and Euryalus die defending each other from the rutuli who attacked them. In the Louvre Museum there is a group of the sculptor Romano depicting the death of these heroes - the companions of Aeneas.

Founding of Alba Longa by Aeneas and Ascanius

Aeneas united with Lavinia, founded the city, naming it after the wife of Lavinia, and after the death of Latina inherited his kingdom.

Aeneas, together with his son Ascanius, founded the city of Alba Longa on the very place where, according to Virgil, according to the oracle, they saw a white pig with many piglets: rivers, under an oak tree, a huge white pig feeding piglets as white as herself; there is precisely the place for the new city that you will build, and then the end of your labors will come ”(Virgil).

Several ancient coins depict Aeneas and his son Ascanius at the moment when they find a white pig.

According to Roman mythology, the hero Aeneas, like later Romulus, the founder of Rome, disappears, surrounded by a cloud. Aeneas becomes invisible to everyone and only appears to Ascanius in full armor and announces to him that Jupiter took him to Olympus and placed him among the immortals.

God Mars and Rhea Silvia: the myth of the birth of Romulus and Remus

The son of Aeneas Ascanius (Iul) reigned for many years and handed over his throne to his descendants, among whom were two brothers - Numitor and Amulius. They began to dispute the throne with each other, and, despite the fact that Numitor was older, Amulius expelled him and took possession of Alba Longa and the throne.

The exiled king Numitor had a daughter, Rhea Sylvia. The usurper Amulius, not wanting his brother to have male offspring, forced his niece to devote herself to the cult of Vesta, that is, to become and thus remain a virgin.

Once, when the Vestal Rhea Sylvia, performing various duties at the temple of Vesta, went to the river for water, she had a dream: the god of war Mars appeared to her and entered into an alliance with her.

In the Pio-Clementine Museum there is an antique bas-relief depicting a visit by Mars to Rhea Silvia, who then soon gave birth to two twins - Romulus and Remus.

Hearing about this, Amulius ordered that the children be thrown into the Tiber, and Rhea Silvia should be put to the usual execution of the criminal vestals.

Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf

“Whether it was the case, or the will of the gods,” says the Roman historian Titus Livius, “but this year the Tiber overflowed very widely. The people who were instructed to abandon the children left the basket with the twins in the surging waves; when the water began to sell, the basket ended up on land, and the she-wolf, who came from the mountains to quench her thirst, attracted by the plaintive cries of abandoned children, began to feed them. The shepherd Faustulus, seeing this miracle, took Romulus and Remus to him and brought them up.

Several ancient Roman coins have been preserved, which depict a she-wolf feeding children, and in the Vatican there is an ancient sculptural group that interprets the same mythological plot.

Both brothers, having become young men, expelled Amulius and again placed their grandfather on the throne of Alba Longa.

The myth of the founding of Rome

Romulus and Remus themselves decided to found a city on the spot where they were found by the shepherd. Having founded the city, the twins Romulus and Remus began to argue about primacy and about which of them should name the city after himself. In order to finally stop the quarrel, they began to pray to the gods to send them some kind of sign or sign. Soon Remus saw six hawks flying around his head, but almost at the same time Romulus announced that twelve hawks were flying towards him; this further increased the strife and fights between the adherents of both brothers.

According to some myths, Rem was killed in one of these fights. Other myths tell that Remus climbed with one jump on the walls erected by Romulus around the new city, and began to mock them; then the enraged Romulus kills his brother, saying: "So everyone who dares to climb these walls will perish."

After the death of his brother, Romulus named the city after himself and began to reign in it.

The Rape of the Sabine Women

The newly founded city of Rome had no inhabitants. Then Romulus granted him the right of asylum. In cities that were granted the right of asylum, even criminals enjoyed immunity. Those who violated the right of asylum suffered the punishment of the gods and the state. After that, players, thieves, slaves fleeing the tyranny of their masters, and people expelled from everywhere began to move to Rome.

Of the neighboring inhabitants, no one wanted to enter into marriage alliances with such a rabble, and the city of Rome was bound to die out, not replenished with the birth of children for lack of women.

The founder of Rome, Romulus, wishing to stop this state of affairs, resorted to the following trick: he arranged a sumptuous feast and invited neighboring inhabitants, the Sabines, with their wives and children. At the sign given to them, the Romans rushed at their guests and kidnapped all the girls who were present at the celebration.

Such violence caused a war between the Romans and the Sabines, but when both armies stood one against the other, the kidnapped Sabines rushed between the opponents and began to beg their fathers and brothers to leave them in Rome with their husbands and make peace.

The Rape of the Sabine Women often served as a theme for numerous monuments of art.

Of the latest works on the mythological plot of the abduction of the Sabine women, paintings by David, Poussin and Rubens are famous.

Shortly after the abduction of the Sabine women, Romulus, having given the city laws and founded public institutions there, ordered to announce through the senator to all the inhabitants that the time would come when this city would be considered the ruler of the world, and that not a single people could stand against the power of Roman weapons.

Then Romulus disappeared or, as the Roman myth says, was taken by the gods to Olympus, and, like his ancestor Aeneas, was accepted by them among the immortal gods.

ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from ancient Greek and Latin; all rights reserved.