Vestalia was a Roman religious festival in honor of Vesta , the goddess of the hearth and the burning continuation of the sacred fire of Rome. It was held from 7–15 June, and was reserved as a women's-only event.
55-457: Domestic and family life in general were represented by the festival of the goddess of the house and of the spirits of the storechamber — Vesta and the Penates — on Vestalia . On the first day of festivities the penus Vestae ( sanctum sanctorum of the temple of Vesta which was usually curtained off) was opened, for the only time during the year, at which women offered sacrifices. As long as
110-524: A brief but fierce storm sent up against the group at Juno 's request, Aeneas and his fleet made landfall at Carthage after six years of wanderings. Aeneas had a year-long affair with the Carthaginian queen Dido (also known as Elissa), who proposed that the Trojans settle in her land and that she and Aeneas reign jointly over their peoples. A marriage of sorts was arranged between Dido and Aeneas at
165-513: A curse that would forever pit Carthage against Rome, an enmity that would culminate in the Punic Wars . She then committed suicide by stabbing herself with the same sword she gave Aeneas when they first met. After the sojourn in Carthage, the Trojans returned to Sicily where Aeneas organized funeral games to honor his father, who had died a year before. The company traveled on and landed on
220-595: A fact have escaped record in the writings of Julius Caesar when that Roman military supreme commander had personally surveyed the lands there he had conquered for Rome by 48 BC? And indeed, why should the son Brutus have escaped from Latin histories altogether, given that they did deal with Silvius and Ascanius, and 'all they're [sic] childera & what became of them & how they endyd that succeeded them as kyngis'? Other details Rastell found were able to be discounted without resort to factual records, or with only very few facts needed other than everyday experience. Were
275-557: A god inhabiting a mortal body. However, there is no certainty regarding the origin of his name. In imitation of the Iliad , Virgil borrows epithets of Homer, including: Anchisiades, magnanimum , magnus , heros , and bonus . Though he borrows many, Virgil gives Aeneas two epithets of his own, in the Aeneid : pater and pius . The epithets applied by Virgil are an example of an attitude different from that of Homer, for whilst Odysseus
330-420: A god. Aeneas was recognized as the god Jupiter Indiges . It's also been stated that Prince Aeneas is the ancestor to the founders of Rome, the twin brothers Romulus and Remus; the two orphan boys who are seen suckling from a she-wolf. [1] The English once widely claimed as history an original peopling of their island—prior to the event, a land only of fantastical giants—by descendants of Aeneas, though even in
385-545: A libretto by André Alexis ) as a companion piece to Purcell's opera. Despite its many dramatic elements, Aeneas's story has generated little interest from the film industry. Ronald Lewis portrayed Aeneas in Helen of Troy , directed by Robert Wise, as a supporting character, who is a member of the Trojan Royal family, and a close and loyal friend to Paris, and escapes at the end of the film. Portrayed by Steve Reeves , he
440-615: A purification called stercoratio : the filth was swept from the temple and carried next by the route called clivus Capitolinus and then into the Tiber. The military Feriale Duranum of AD 224 records the first day of Vestalia as Vesta apperit[ur] and the last day as Vesta cluditur . Penates D · P · P C· SV(LP)ICI ·C·F Silver serrate denarius struck by C. Sulpicius C. f. Galba in Rome 106 BC. ref.: Sulpicia 1., Sydenham 572., Crawford 312/1 In ancient Roman religion ,
495-483: A re-telling of the last six books of the Aeneid told from the point of view of Lavinia , daughter of King Latinus of Latium . Aeneas appears in David Gemmell 's Troy series as a main heroic character who goes by the name Helikaon . In Rick Riordan 's book series The Heroes of Olympus , Aeneas is regarded as the first Roman demigod, son of Venus rather than Aphrodite. Will Adams' novel City of
550-475: A result is struck in the foot with a thunderbolt by Zeus. Thereafter he is lame in that foot, so that Aeneas has to carry him from the flames of Troy. Aeneas is a minor character in the Iliad , where he is twice saved from death by the gods as if for an as-yet-unknown destiny but is an honorable warrior in his own right. Having held back from the fighting, aggrieved with Priam because in spite of his brave deeds he
605-467: A result of their liaison. Aphrodite assures him that he will be protected and tells him that she will bear him a son to be called Aeneas. However, she warns him that he must never tell anyone that he has lain with a goddess. When Aeneas is born, Aphrodite takes him to the nymphs of Mount Ida, instructing them to raise the child to age five, then take him to Anchises. According to other sources, Anchises later brags about his encounter with Aphrodite, and as
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#1732772175585660-530: A single day, and all cooperating to kill those 32 husbands in a single night; or in combination with analysis of logistical realities, such as the suggested voyage of all 32 murderous widows to Britain without dispersion or diversion, over three thousand miles. Rastell was further able to discount the likelihood of any factuality to that ancient tale, due to his failure to discover, after diligent research, any authentic record of its origin or explanation as to why such record should be absent. Snorri Sturlason , in
715-457: Is poikilios ("wily"), Aeneas is described as pius ("pious"), which conveys a strong moral tone. The purpose of these epithets seems to enforce the notion of Aeneas' divine hand as father and founder of the Roman race, and their use seems circumstantial: when Aeneas is praying he refers to himself as pius, and is referred to as such by the author only when the character is acting on behalf of
770-558: Is 12 books of the legendary foundation of Lavinium which explains that Aeneas is one of the few Trojans who were not killed or enslaved when Troy fell. Aeneas, after being commanded by the gods to flee, gathered a group, collectively known as the Aeneads , who then traveled to Italy and became progenitors of the Romans . The Aeneads included Aeneas's trumpeter Misenus , his father Anchises , his friends Achates , Sergestus , and Acmon ,
825-584: Is a favorite of the Sun God Apollo . Aphrodite and Apollo would frequently rescue Aeneas from combat with Diomedes of Argos , who nearly kills him, and carry him away to Pergamos for healing. Even the Sea God Poseidon , who usually favors the Greeks, comes to Aeneas's rescue after he falls under the assault of Achilles , noting that Aeneas, though from a junior branch of the royal family,
880-666: Is a title character in Henry Purcell 's opera Dido and Aeneas ( c. 1688 ), and Jakob Greber 's Enea in Cartagine ( Aeneas in Carthage ) (1711), and one of the principal roles in Hector Berlioz ' opera Les Troyens ( c. 1857 ), as well as in Metastasio 's immensely popular opera libretto Didone abbandonata . Canadian composer James Rolfe composed his opera Aeneas and Dido (2007; to
935-528: Is also a brief physical description found in the 6th-century John Malalas ' Chronographia : "Aeneas: short, fat, with a good chest, powerful, with a ruddy complexion, a broad face, a good nose, fair skin, bald on the forehead, a good beard, grey eyes." Aeneas appears as a character in William Shakespeare 's play Troilus and Cressida , set during the Trojan War. Aeneas and Dido are
990-586: Is cast as an ancestor of Romulus and Remus . He became the first true hero of Rome. Snorri Sturluson identifies him with the Norse god Víðarr of the Æsir . Aeneas is the Romanization of the hero's original Greek name Αἰνείας ( Aineías ). Aineías is first introduced in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite when Aphrodite gives him his name from the adjective αὶνóν ( ainon , "terrible"), for
1045-568: Is destined to become king of the Trojan people. Bruce Louden presents Aeneas as "type": The sole virtuous individual (or family) spared from general destruction, following the mytheme of Utnapishtim , Baucis and Philemon , Noah , and Lot . Pseudo-Apollodorus in his Bibliotheca explains that "... the Greeks [spared] him alone, on account of his piety." The Roman mythographer Gaius Julius Hyginus ( c. 64 BCE – CE 17) in his Fabulae credits Aeneas with killing 28 enemies in
1100-510: Is genuine within the poem, and to what extent its deployment by Virgil is sarcastic. In the Aeneid , Aeneas is described as strong and handsome, but neither his hair colour nor complexion are described. In late antiquity however sources add further physical descriptions. The De excidio Troiae of Dares Phrygius describes Aeneas as "auburn-haired, stocky, eloquent, courteous, prudent, pious, and charming. His eyes were black and twinkling". There
1155-541: Is gleaned from other ancient sources, including Livy and Ovid 's Metamorphoses . According to Livy, Aeneas was victorious, but Latinus died in the war. Aeneas founded the city of Lavinium , named after his wife. He later welcomed Dido's sister, Anna Perenna , who then committed suicide after learning of Lavinia's jealousy. After Aeneas's death, Venus asked Jupiter to make her son immortal. Jupiter agreed. The river god Numicus cleansed Aeneas of all his mortal parts and Venus anointed him with ambrosia and nectar, making him
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#17327721755851210-420: Is tending his cattle among the hills near Mount Ida . When Aphrodite saw him, she was immediately smitten. She adorns herself as if for a wedding among the gods and appears before him. He is overcome by her beauty, believing that she is a goddess, but Aphrodite identifies herself as a Phrygian princess. After they make love, Aphrodite reveals her true identity to him and Anchises fears what might happen to him as
1265-467: Is the untimely bray of a donkey that startles Priapus and causes him to flee. Before that, he says donkeys were honored on 9 June in thanks for the services they provided in the bakeries. The final day, 15 June, was Quando Stercum Delatum Fas ["when dung may be removed lawfully"]. The penus Vestae was solemnly closed, the Flaminica Dialis observed mourning, and the temple was subjected to
1320-467: The pater familias in the "little universe" of the domus . Like other domestic deities, the Penates had a public counterpart. An etymological interpretation of the Penates would make them in origin tutelary deities of the storeroom, Latin penus , the innermost part of the house, where they guarded the household's food, wine, oil, and other supplies. As they were originally associated with
1375-563: The Di Penates ( Latin: [ˈdiː pɛˈnaːteːs] ) or Penates ( English: / p ɪ ˈ n eɪ t iː z / pin- AY -teez ) were among the dii familiares , or household deities , invoked most often in domestic rituals. When the family had a meal, they threw a bit into the fire on the hearth for the Penates. They were thus associated with Vesta , the Lares , and the Genius of
1430-586: The Rutuli , but Latinus received a prophecy that Lavinia would be betrothed to one from another land – namely, Aeneas. Latinus heeded the prophecy, and Turnus consequently declared war on Aeneas at the urging of Juno, who was aligned with King Mezentius of the Etruscans and Queen Amata of the Latins. Aeneas's forces prevailed. Turnus was killed, and Virgil's account ends abruptly. The rest of Aeneas's biography
1485-579: The "terrible grief" ( αὶνóν ἄχος ) he has caused her by being born a mortal who will age and die. It is a popular etymology for the name, apparently exploited by Homer in the Iliad . Later in the Medieval period there were writers who held that, because the Aeneid was written by a philosopher, it is meant to be read philosophically. As such, in the "natural order", the meaning of Aeneas' name combines Greek ennos ("dweller") with demas ("body"), which becomes ennaios or "in-dweller"—i.e. as
1540-544: The Aeneans fleeing Troy's destruction and, spurned by the words of a prophetess thought crazed, goes to a new country (Italy) where he will start an empire greater than Greece and Troy combined that shall rule the world for 1000 years, never to be outdone in the tale of men (the Roman Empire). In the 2018 TV miniseries Troy: Fall of a City , Aeneas is portrayed by Alfred Enoch . He also featured as an Epic Fighter of
1595-776: The Aeneid. Continuations of Trojan matter in the Middle Ages had their effects on the character of Aeneas as well. The 12th-century French Roman d'Enéas addresses Aeneas's sexuality. Though Virgil appears to deflect all homoeroticism onto Nisus and Euryalus , making his Aeneas a purely heterosexual character, in the Middle Ages there was at least a suspicion of homoeroticism in Aeneas. The Roman d'Enéas addresses that charge, when Queen Amata opposes Aeneas's marrying Lavinia . Medieval interpretations of Aeneas were greatly influenced by both Virgil and other Latin sources. Specifically,
1650-648: The Dardania faction in the Total War Saga: Troy in 2020. Scenes depicting Aeneas, especially from the Aeneid , have been the focus of study for centuries. They have been the frequent subject of art and literature since their debut in the 1st century. The artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo was commissioned by Gaetano Valmarana in 1757 to fresco several rooms in the Villa Valmarana, the family villa situated outside Vicenza . Tiepolo decorated
1705-590: The Green Knight (late 14th century) the Pearl Poet, like many other English writers, employed Aeneas to establish a genealogy for the foundation of Britain, and explains that Aeneas was "impeached for his perfidy, proven most true" (line 4). Aeneas had an extensive family tree. His wet-nurse was Caieta , and he is the father of Ascanius with Creusa , and of Silvius with Lavinia . Ascanius, also known as Iulus (or Julius), founded Alba Longa and
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1760-475: The Latins after Latinus, being either his grandson or step-grandson. Even if one ignores obviously far-fetched elements of this foundation myth of Britain, Johannes Rastell , writing in 1529, questioned along these lines: Supposing the original Brits were descendants of a line of Latin kings—Brute the son of Silvius, son of Ascanius, son of Aeneas who came to the Italian peninsula from Troy—then why should such
1815-483: The Lost assumes that much of the information provided by Virgil is mistaken, and that the true Aeneas and Dido did not meet and love in Carthage but in a Phoenician colony at Cyprus, on the site of the modern Famagusta . Their tale is interspersed with that of modern activists who, while striving to stop an ambitious Turkish Army general trying to stage a coup, accidentally discover the hidden ruins of Dido's palace. Aeneas
1870-488: The New Year on March 1 , Roman magistrates first sacrificed to Capitoline Jupiter at Rome, and then traveled to Lavinium for sacrifices to Jupiter Indiges and Vesta, and a ceremonial visit to the "Trojan" Penates. Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology , Aeneas ( / ɪ ˈ n iː ə s / ih- NEE -əs , Latin: [äe̯ˈneːäːs̠] ; from Ancient Greek : Αἰνείας , romanized : Aineíās )
1925-719: The Penates are those through whom we breathe in our inner core (penitus) , through whom we have a body, through whom we possess a rational mind." The Penates of Rome ( Penates Publici Populi Romani ) had a temple on the Velia near the Palatine . Dionysius of Halicarnassus says it housed statues of two youths in the archaic style. The public cult of the ancestral gods of the Roman people originated in Lavinium , where they were also closely linked with Vesta . One tradition identified
1980-661: The Prologue of the Prose Edda , tells of the world as parted in three continents : Africa , Asia and the third part called Europe or Enea. Snorri also tells of a Trojan named Munon (or Mennon), who marries the daughter of the High King (Yfirkonungr) Priam called Troan and travels to distant lands, marries the Sybil and got a son, Tror, who, as Snorri tells, is identical to Thor . This tale resembles some episodes of
2035-944: The Trojan War. Aeneas also appears in the Trojan narratives attributed to Dares Phrygius and Dictys of Crete . The history of Aeneas was continued by Roman authors. One influential source was the account of Rome's founding in Cato the Elder 's Origines . The Aeneas legend was well known in Virgil's day and appeared in various historical works, including the Roman Antiquities of the Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus (relying on Marcus Terentius Varro ), Ab Urbe Condita by Livy (probably dependent on Quintus Fabius Pictor , fl. 200 BCE), and Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus (now extant only in an epitome by Justin ). The Aeneid which
2090-538: The accounts by Dares and Dictys, which were reworked by the 13th-century Italian writer Guido delle Colonne (in Historia destructionis Troiae ), colored many later readings. From Guido, for instance, the Pearl Poet and other English writers get the suggestion that Aeneas's safe departure from Troy with his possessions and family was a reward for treason, for which he was chastised by Hecuba . In Sir Gawain and
2145-423: The curtain remained open, mothers could come, barefoot and disheveled, to leave offerings to the goddess in exchange for a blessing to them and their family. The animal consecrated to Vesta, the donkey, was crowned with garlands of flowers and bits of bread on 9 June. Ovid says that donkeys were adorned with necklaces of bread-bits in memory of the myth where Vesta is nearly violated by Priapus . In that myth, it
2200-469: The early inhabitants of Britain giants, descended from the Devil in union with 32 daughters of a king Dioclisian of Syria ? To Rastell, if the devil had power to sow such seeds at the earlier time, then why not in his own time? Where were the giants today? Other fanciful elements he deduced from intuitive psychological insights: for example the greatly diminished chance of 32 daughters married to 32 kings on
2255-541: The goddess Venus. Through the Julians, the Palemonids make this claim. The legendary kings of Britain – including King Arthur – trace their family through a grandson of Aeneas, Brutus . Aeneas's consistent epithet in Virgil and other Latin authors is pius , a term that connotes reverence toward the gods and familial dutifulness. There is significant scholarly debate, however, over the degree to which this epithet
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2310-519: The gods to fulfill his divine mission. Likewise, Aeneas is called pater when acting in the interest of his men. The story of the birth of Aeneas is told in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite , one of the major Homeric Hymns . Aphrodite has caused Zeus the king of the Gods to fall in love with mortal women. In retaliation, Zeus decided to put a desire over her heart for the mortal Prince Anchises, who
2365-471: The healer Iapyx , the helmsman Palinurus , and his son Ascanius (also known as Iulus, Julus, or Ascanius Julius). He carried with him the Lares and Penates , the statues of the household gods of Troy, and transplanted them to Italy. Several attempts to find a new home failed; one such stop was on Sicily , where in Drepanum , on the island's western coast, his father, Anchises, died peacefully. After
2420-541: The instigation of Juno, who was told that her favorite city would eventually be defeated by the Trojans' descendants. Aeneas's mother Venus (the Roman adaptation of Aphrodite) realized that her son and his company needed a temporary respite to reinforce themselves for the journey to come. However, the messenger god Mercury (the adaptation of Hermes) was sent by Jupiter (who was Zeus in this version) and Venus to remind Aeneas of his journey and his purpose, compelling him to leave secretly. When Dido learned of this, she uttered
2475-475: The main characters of a 17th-century broadside ballad called " The Wandering Prince of Troy ". The ballad ultimately alters Aeneas's fate from traveling on years after Dido's death to joining her as a spirit soon after her suicide. In modern literature, Aeneas is the speaker in two poems by Allen Tate , "Aeneas at Washington" and "Aeneas at New York". He is a main character in Ursula K. Le Guin 's Lavinia ,
2530-531: The public Penates as the sacred objects rescued by Aeneas from Troy and carried by him to Italy. They, or perhaps rival duplicates, were eventually housed in the Temple of Vesta in the Forum . Thus, the Penates, unlike the localized Lares, are portable deities. Archaeological evidence from Lavinium shows marked influence from Greece in the archaic period , and Aeneas was venerated there as Jupiter Indiges . At
2585-481: The royal line of Troy – and lay the foundations of Roman culture. In this film, he is not a member of the royal family and does not appear to fight in the war. In the role-playing game Vampire: The Requiem by White Wolf Game Studios, Aeneas figures as one of the mythical founders of the Ventrue Clan . in the action game Warriors: Legends of Troy , Aeneas is a playable character. The game ends with him and
2640-457: The source of food, they eventually became a symbol of the continuing life of the family. Cicero explained that they "dwell inside, from which they are also called penetrales by the poets". The 2nd-century AD grammarian Festus defined penus , however, as "the most secret site in the shrine of Vesta, which is surrounded by curtains." Macrobius reports the theological view of Varro that "those who dig out truth more diligently have said that
2695-463: The time of the Renaissance , a non-English audience as well as at least one English writer found details of the stories less than convincing. The island known later as Great Britain was also previously known as Alba , a similarity of name supporting a connection with the city of Alba Longa , a pre-Roman city in central Italy, said to have been built by Ascanius, son of Aeneas and third ruler of
2750-462: The western coast of Italy. Aeneas descended into the underworld where he met Dido (who turned away from him to return to her husband) and his father, who showed him the future of his descendants and thus the history of Rome. Latinus , king of the Latins, welcomed Aeneas's army of exiled Trojans and let them reorganize their lives in Latium . His daughter Lavinia had been promised to Turnus , king of
2805-479: The whole story of the Aeneid, from Aeneas escape from to Troy, to his meeting of Dido, his arrival in Italy, and his duel with Turnus. The most recent cinematic portrayal of Aeneas was in the film Troy , in which he appears as a youth charged by Paris to protect the Trojan refugees, and to continue the ideals of the city and its people. Paris gives Aeneas Priam's sword, in order to give legitimacy and continuity to
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#17327721755852860-726: Was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus ). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons of Ilus , founder of Troy ), making Aeneas a second cousin to Priam's children (such as Hector and Paris ). He is a minor character in Greek mythology and is mentioned in Homer 's Iliad . Aeneas receives full treatment in Roman mythology , most extensively in Virgil 's Aeneid , where he
2915-401: Was not given his due share of honor, he leads an attack against Idomeneus to recover the body of his brother-in-law Alcathous at the urging of Deiphobus . He is the leader of the Trojans' Dardanian allies, as well as a second cousin and principal lieutenant of Hector , son and heir of the Trojan king Priam . Aeneas's mother Aphrodite frequently comes to his aid on the battlefield, and he
2970-565: Was the first in a long series of kings . According to the mythology used by Virgil in the Aeneid, Romulus and Remus were both descendants of Aeneas through their mother Rhea Silvia, making Aeneas the progenitor of the Roman people. Some early sources call him their father or grandfather, but once the dates of the fall of Troy (1184 BCE) and the founding of Rome (753 BCE) became accepted, authors added generations between them. The Julian family of Rome, most notably Julius Cæsar and Augustus , traced their lineage to Ascanius and Aeneas, thus to
3025-409: Was the main character in the 1961 sword and sandal film Guerra di Troia ( The Trojan War ). Reeves reprised the role the following year in the film The Avenger , about Aeneas's arrival in Latium and his conflicts with local tribes as he tries to settle his fellow Trojan refugees there. Giulio Brogi , portrayed as Aeneas in the 1971 Italian TV miniseries series called Eneide , which gives
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