After telling the story of Orpheus,
Grandpa sat quietly. The family began to rustle around and chat amongst
themselves. Then Emma, one of Grandpa’s granddaughters, conversing with
her aunt said, “Well, I just finished college, but I am not sure what I
will do now. I want to serve a greater purpose, but I am afraid to
leave home.” With this statement, Grandpa reared his head around and
spoke, “Emma, I want you to come sit close and listen to my next story,
the tale of Aeneas, a tale of setting out and struggling to reach
success.”
The family, having thought that Grandpa was done telling stories, fell silent again with their full attention given to him, as he sat rocking slowly next to the fire.
Grandpa began, “Now, as most of you know, Troy was sacked by the Greeks with the help of their Trojan Horse scheme. I bet you don’t know about Aeneas. Aeneas was a prince of Troy during the Trojan War. As Troy was set aflame and being sacked by the Greeks, Aeneas began fighting the Greeks, but they were just too many. Venus, Aeneas’ mother, took Aeneas from the battle and told him to flee with his family and leave Troy. Well he followed his mom’s advice –a good rule of thumb I might add– and fled with his father, Anchises, whom Aeneas carried upon his shoulders, his son Ascanius, and his wife Creusa.
"They made it to a rendezvous point where they were to meet other Trojan refugees and flee across the sea. But when Aeneas turned around, Creusa was nowhere to be seen. Aeneas, in shock, ran back through Troy desperately trying to find Creusa, but he found only her ghost. She said to him:
“‘Beloved husband, why do you grieve? You still have much travail ahead, but soon enough you will come to the land of the flowing Tiber and establish a new kingdom and a royal bride. It was not our fate to reach this place together, so take heart that I am free in death and no slave of any Greek. Take care of the son of our own love… Farewell, Aeneas!’ With that, she vanished forever, never to be seen by Aeneas again.”
Grandpa paused, and the family was silently yearning for him to go on. Then Emma spoke up, “But Grandpa, my family’s not dead, and my home’s not destroyed, so what does this have to do with me?”
Grandpa replied, “Emma, this is only the beginning of the story, so just keep listening. You see, Aeneas did not want to flee. Unlike our glorified modern society, the ancients had a deep sense of honor. Aeneas would have rather died in honor defending his homeland than flee, and indeed it would have been easier to do so. Do you think it would be easy to leave everything you know and flee, knowing your troubles were not over?
“That is what you have to think about, Emma. All his roots were destroyed. His extended family and friends were killed, his city destroyed, his wife dead, his home burned, and his hated enemies were victorious, so yes, it would have been very easy for him to just don his armor and fight to his certain death. It would have been brave and honorable, but it was not the will of the gods, nor was it his fate. Just like you, you can easily stay here, and that would be honorable, but will you fulfill your destiny? If you think you are destined for more, then never settle on the comfortable or the easy, Emma.”
Emma made a shy grin as she looked in her grandfather’s smiling eyes. Grandpa then continued, saying, “So Aeneas and the refugees sailed and came across many places, but none of them were the destined place for his new city. He then came to Carthage in Libya, where he met Queen Dido. You see, the goddess Juno hated Aeneas and conspired against him. She wanted her beloved Carthage to become the greatest city in the world, but if Aeneas were to succeed in founding his new city, it would be unrivaled even by Carthage. Thus, Juno wanted him to stay in Carthage and forget his duty. So it was that as Aeneas told Dido his tale, and, not without Juno's influence, Dido fell in love with Aeneas… they even knocked boots!”
With this, one of Grandpa’s daughters exclaimed, “Dad, would you not talk like that in front of the children?!” to which Grandpa responded, “Well, that’s what happened! And as a result, Dido thought they were married, even though they actually were not.
"But anyway, Aeneas had to leave after his extended stay. Aeneas loved Dido, and could have been king of Carthage. That would have been easy. But Jove drove him on and reminded him of his task. So, reluctantly, he sailed off to Italy where he was to marry a woman namd Lavinia, and then found Lavinium, which would be the foundation of mighty Rome. But as he was sailing off, Dido, in a passionate fury, killed herself. Aeneas would see her again when he journeyed to the underworld to see the prophetic vision of his city, but, even in death, she refused to acknowledge him.
“So it was. Aeneas came to Italy, and married Lavinia. But coming to a strange land and marrying a beautiful girl was not easy in those times. Although the father preferred Aeneas, the queen, inspired by hateful Juno, favored Turnus, the local suitor. So Aeneas and Turnus fought a great war, which would ultimately establish Aeneas, and his city, as supreme in that promised land of the Tiber River. His fate was now completed, and he would marry Lavinia and lay the foundation for mighty Rome.
“So you see, Emma, Aeneas, like you, knew he had a great fate ahead of him. He lost everything in the Trojan War, and forsook the ease of his beloved, Dido, and in the end, achieved greatness.
“Contrary to what we believe today, ease and comfort are not the greatest goals and achievements in life. No, great achievements come, rather, by weathering struggle and suffering on the way to achieving our fate, goals, and success. A wiser man than me once said ‘Nothing worth having comes easy’, and the same was true for Aeneas, just as the same is true for you, Emma.”
Grandpa, rocked back and once again looked into the fire. Emma sat contemplating her grandfather’s advice, but she was not alone in this.
On to Heracles...
Back to Orpheus...
Back to Cover Page...
Author's note:
My main sources were Bulfinch's Mythology and Wikipedia. I left out some of the key details to focus on the main themes that I wanted Grandpa to emphasize. For example, before Aeneas reaches Latium (where he will fight the war), he has an encounter with the Sibyl, a prophetic priestess. They go down to the underworld, and the terror they see is not too different from the story of Orpheus. But, instead of rescuing someone, Aeneas goes down in order to get a prophecy from his dead father.
Also, I mention Anchises in the beginning, but do not mention his death. This is because it is better to leave it out since I chose to leave out Aeneas’ meeting with him later. Also when the two meet, Anchises tells Aeneas about the creation of man and reincarnation, but most importantly, Anchises gives him a prophetic vision into the future of his city that will become Rome. This is an important part of the original tale, but I left it out because it was not essential to the theme, and it would have been too long explain everything.
Additionally, Dido plays a much greater role in the original story. I did, however, get the gist of it in this retelling.
The war at the end is also a major part of the original Aeneid, but I just skimmed over it to give a sense that Aeneas still had to struggle to fulfill his fate. In the war sequence, Aeneas has to make allies with some Etruscans in order to defeat Turnus. Also, many of Aeneas' friends die in the war. Although this would provide more evidence of Aeneas’ suffering, it would just be too long to re-tell.
Lastly, The Aeneid ends with the Aeneas' slaying of Turnus. Aeneas' founding of Lavinium comes to us through popular legend, though not included in the original Aeneid.
Overall, the original and the re-telling are about taking the difficult road of fate. Also, look for similarities and contrasts between this tale, and that of Odysseus still to come.
Image: Enea in fuga da Troia (Aeneas in flight from Troy) Punto Democratico
Bibliography:
"Adventures of Aeneas..." Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes. 1855. Sacred Texts
"Aeneas." Wikipedia. Accessed: 18 Oct. 2008
"Aeneid." Wikipedia. Accessed: 18 Oct. 2008
The Aeneid. Vergil. Trans. Patric Dickinson. New York: The New American Library. 1961. Note: Although this is my copy of The Aeneid, you can find his updated translation at Google Books: The Aeneid
The family, having thought that Grandpa was done telling stories, fell silent again with their full attention given to him, as he sat rocking slowly next to the fire.
Grandpa began, “Now, as most of you know, Troy was sacked by the Greeks with the help of their Trojan Horse scheme. I bet you don’t know about Aeneas. Aeneas was a prince of Troy during the Trojan War. As Troy was set aflame and being sacked by the Greeks, Aeneas began fighting the Greeks, but they were just too many. Venus, Aeneas’ mother, took Aeneas from the battle and told him to flee with his family and leave Troy. Well he followed his mom’s advice –a good rule of thumb I might add– and fled with his father, Anchises, whom Aeneas carried upon his shoulders, his son Ascanius, and his wife Creusa.
"They made it to a rendezvous point where they were to meet other Trojan refugees and flee across the sea. But when Aeneas turned around, Creusa was nowhere to be seen. Aeneas, in shock, ran back through Troy desperately trying to find Creusa, but he found only her ghost. She said to him:
“‘Beloved husband, why do you grieve? You still have much travail ahead, but soon enough you will come to the land of the flowing Tiber and establish a new kingdom and a royal bride. It was not our fate to reach this place together, so take heart that I am free in death and no slave of any Greek. Take care of the son of our own love… Farewell, Aeneas!’ With that, she vanished forever, never to be seen by Aeneas again.”
Grandpa paused, and the family was silently yearning for him to go on. Then Emma spoke up, “But Grandpa, my family’s not dead, and my home’s not destroyed, so what does this have to do with me?”
Grandpa replied, “Emma, this is only the beginning of the story, so just keep listening. You see, Aeneas did not want to flee. Unlike our glorified modern society, the ancients had a deep sense of honor. Aeneas would have rather died in honor defending his homeland than flee, and indeed it would have been easier to do so. Do you think it would be easy to leave everything you know and flee, knowing your troubles were not over?
“That is what you have to think about, Emma. All his roots were destroyed. His extended family and friends were killed, his city destroyed, his wife dead, his home burned, and his hated enemies were victorious, so yes, it would have been very easy for him to just don his armor and fight to his certain death. It would have been brave and honorable, but it was not the will of the gods, nor was it his fate. Just like you, you can easily stay here, and that would be honorable, but will you fulfill your destiny? If you think you are destined for more, then never settle on the comfortable or the easy, Emma.”
Emma made a shy grin as she looked in her grandfather’s smiling eyes. Grandpa then continued, saying, “So Aeneas and the refugees sailed and came across many places, but none of them were the destined place for his new city. He then came to Carthage in Libya, where he met Queen Dido. You see, the goddess Juno hated Aeneas and conspired against him. She wanted her beloved Carthage to become the greatest city in the world, but if Aeneas were to succeed in founding his new city, it would be unrivaled even by Carthage. Thus, Juno wanted him to stay in Carthage and forget his duty. So it was that as Aeneas told Dido his tale, and, not without Juno's influence, Dido fell in love with Aeneas… they even knocked boots!”
With this, one of Grandpa’s daughters exclaimed, “Dad, would you not talk like that in front of the children?!” to which Grandpa responded, “Well, that’s what happened! And as a result, Dido thought they were married, even though they actually were not.
"But anyway, Aeneas had to leave after his extended stay. Aeneas loved Dido, and could have been king of Carthage. That would have been easy. But Jove drove him on and reminded him of his task. So, reluctantly, he sailed off to Italy where he was to marry a woman namd Lavinia, and then found Lavinium, which would be the foundation of mighty Rome. But as he was sailing off, Dido, in a passionate fury, killed herself. Aeneas would see her again when he journeyed to the underworld to see the prophetic vision of his city, but, even in death, she refused to acknowledge him.
“So it was. Aeneas came to Italy, and married Lavinia. But coming to a strange land and marrying a beautiful girl was not easy in those times. Although the father preferred Aeneas, the queen, inspired by hateful Juno, favored Turnus, the local suitor. So Aeneas and Turnus fought a great war, which would ultimately establish Aeneas, and his city, as supreme in that promised land of the Tiber River. His fate was now completed, and he would marry Lavinia and lay the foundation for mighty Rome.
“So you see, Emma, Aeneas, like you, knew he had a great fate ahead of him. He lost everything in the Trojan War, and forsook the ease of his beloved, Dido, and in the end, achieved greatness.
“Contrary to what we believe today, ease and comfort are not the greatest goals and achievements in life. No, great achievements come, rather, by weathering struggle and suffering on the way to achieving our fate, goals, and success. A wiser man than me once said ‘Nothing worth having comes easy’, and the same was true for Aeneas, just as the same is true for you, Emma.”
Grandpa, rocked back and once again looked into the fire. Emma sat contemplating her grandfather’s advice, but she was not alone in this.
On to Heracles...
Back to Orpheus...
Back to Cover Page...
Author's note:
My main sources were Bulfinch's Mythology and Wikipedia. I left out some of the key details to focus on the main themes that I wanted Grandpa to emphasize. For example, before Aeneas reaches Latium (where he will fight the war), he has an encounter with the Sibyl, a prophetic priestess. They go down to the underworld, and the terror they see is not too different from the story of Orpheus. But, instead of rescuing someone, Aeneas goes down in order to get a prophecy from his dead father.
Also, I mention Anchises in the beginning, but do not mention his death. This is because it is better to leave it out since I chose to leave out Aeneas’ meeting with him later. Also when the two meet, Anchises tells Aeneas about the creation of man and reincarnation, but most importantly, Anchises gives him a prophetic vision into the future of his city that will become Rome. This is an important part of the original tale, but I left it out because it was not essential to the theme, and it would have been too long explain everything.
Additionally, Dido plays a much greater role in the original story. I did, however, get the gist of it in this retelling.
The war at the end is also a major part of the original Aeneid, but I just skimmed over it to give a sense that Aeneas still had to struggle to fulfill his fate. In the war sequence, Aeneas has to make allies with some Etruscans in order to defeat Turnus. Also, many of Aeneas' friends die in the war. Although this would provide more evidence of Aeneas’ suffering, it would just be too long to re-tell.
Lastly, The Aeneid ends with the Aeneas' slaying of Turnus. Aeneas' founding of Lavinium comes to us through popular legend, though not included in the original Aeneid.
Overall, the original and the re-telling are about taking the difficult road of fate. Also, look for similarities and contrasts between this tale, and that of Odysseus still to come.
Image: Enea in fuga da Troia (Aeneas in flight from Troy) Punto Democratico
Bibliography:
"Adventures of Aeneas..." Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes. 1855. Sacred Texts
"Aeneas." Wikipedia. Accessed: 18 Oct. 2008
"Aeneid." Wikipedia. Accessed: 18 Oct. 2008
The Aeneid. Vergil. Trans. Patric Dickinson. New York: The New American Library. 1961. Note: Although this is my copy of The Aeneid, you can find his updated translation at Google Books: The Aeneid