Aenas
Aeneas (praiseworthy) In Greek and Roman mythology, Trojan hero appearing in the Latin epic poem the Aeneid. Aeneas was the son of Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite, the brother of Lyrus. He was born on the mountains of Ida and brought up until his fifth year by his brother-in-law Alcathous or, according to a variant myth, by the nymphs of Ida. Though he was a close relative of King Priam of Troy, Aeneas did not enter the war until his cattle had been stolen by the Greek hero Achilles. Priam did not love Aeneas because he knew that Aeneas and his descendants would be the future rulers of the Trojans. At Troy he was highly esteemed for his piety (āpious Aeneasā he is called in The Aeneid), prudence, and valor. Often the gods came to his assistance. Thus, Aphrodite and Apollo shielded him when his life was threatened by Diomed, and Poseidon snatched him out of combat with Achilles. His escape from Troy is told in several variations. In one he makes his way through the enemy to Ida. In another Aeneas was spared by the Greeks because he had always sought peace and the return of Helen to Greece. A third variation tells how he made his escape during the confusion following the fall of the city. In yet another he is said to have formed a new kingdom out of the wreck of the people and handed it down to his progeny. Several cities on Ida claimed Aeneas as their founder. The myth of Aeneasās emigrating and founding a new kingdom beyond the seas is postHomeric. His tale, as it is known in Western art and literature, is told in Vergilās Aeneid. Dante, in The Divine Comedy, regards Aeneas as the founder of the Roman Empire. Aeneas is placed by Dante in limbo in company with his ancestress Electra, as well as Hector and Julius Caesar. In British mythology Brutus, the first king of Britain, is the great-grandson of Aeneas. In Shakespeareās Troilus and Cressida, the character of Aeneas is not developed, but in Julius Caesar (1.2.112) and Henry VI, Part II (5.2.62) reference is made to Aeneasās bearing his father, Anchises, on his shoulders. In Cymbeline (3.4.60) the hero is āfalse Aeneas,ā referring to his desertion of Dido.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright Ā© 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante