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Gr. & Rom. Myth.  a Trojan, son of Anchises and Venus, and hero of Virgil's Aeneid : escaping from ruined Troy, Aeneas wanders for years before coming to Latium: he is considered the ancestor of the Romans

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Anchises, in Roman mythology, Trojan hero; son of Capys and the Titan Themis; father of Aeneas by Aphrodite; died in Sicily

 In mythology Aeneas was regarded as a Roman god. Homer's 'Iliad' compares him with the legendary Hector. He is the hero of Virgil's 'Aeneid' but was revered by the Romans long before the 'Aeneid' was written. They called him Jupiter indiges "the founder of the race."

Aeneas was not of Roman origin. Anchises, his father, was a member of the Trojan royal house. His mother was the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Anchises was sworn never to reveal his marriage to Aphrodite. When Aeneas was born, however, Anchises boasted to his companions. In punishment, he was blinded.

When Troy was conquered in the Trojan War, Aeneas led his warriors out of the burning city, carrying his blind father on his shoulders. Aeneas and his companions then roamed the Mediterranean area for seven years in search of a new homeland. His ships were wrecked off the African coast, near Carthage. Dido, the Carthaginian queen, fell deeply in love with Aeneas and begged him to stay. When he left, Dido killed herself in grief.

Aeneas and his companions settled briefly in Thrace, Crete, and Sicily, before coming to Latium, on the banks of the Tiber. King Latinus made them welcome. Aeneas aided the ruler in his struggles against the Rutuli. Later, Aeneas married Lavinia, daughter of Latinus. He inherited the kingdom after Latinus died, reigning happily and successfully over his united Trojans and Latins. He was killed in a battle with the Etruscans.

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Related articles: RELIGIOUS INSIGHT, AENEAS, ANCHISES

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