Aeneas In Greco - Roman mythology , Aeneas ( ; Greek : , " Aineías " , possibly derived from Greek meaning " praise " ) was a Trojan hero , the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite ( Venus ) . His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy , making Aeneas Priam ' s second cousin , once removed . He is a character in Greek mythology and is mentioned in Homer ' s " Iliad " , and receives full treatment in Roman mythology as the legendary founder of what would become Ancient Rome , most extensively in Virgil ' s " Aeneid " . He became the first true hero of Rome . Portrayal in myth and epos . In the " Iliad " , Aeneas is a minor character , where he is twice saved from death by the gods as if for an as - yet unknown destiny . He is the leader of the Trojans ' Dardan ian allies , as well as a third cousin and principal lieutenant of Hector , son of the Trojan king Priam . Aeneas ' s mother Aphrodite frequently comes to his aid on the battlefield ; he is a favorite of Apollo . Aphrodite and Apollo rescue Aeneas from combat with Diomedes of Argos , who nearly kills him , and carry him away to Pergamos for healing . Even Poseidon , who normally 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 , is destined to become king of the Trojan people . He kills 28 people in the Trojan War , and his career during that war is retold by Roman historian Gaius Julius Hyginus ( c . 64 BCE – CE 17 ) in his " Fabulae " . The history of Aeneas is continued by Roman authors , building on different myths and histories . During Virgil ' s time Aeneas was well - known and various versions of his adventures were circulating in Rome , including " Roman Antiquities " by 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 ( through an epitome by Justin ) . Likewise important in Virgil ' s day was the account of Rome ' s founding in Cato the Elder ' s " Origines " . Aeneas in Virgil . As seen in the first books of the " Aeneid , " Aeneas is one of the few Trojans who were not killed in battle or enslaved when Troy fell . When Troy was sacked by the Greeks , 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 Romans . The Aeneads included Aeneas ' s trumpeter Misenus , his father Anchises , his friends Achates , Sergestus and Acmon , 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 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 Alyssa ) , who proposed that the Trojans settle in her land and that she and Aeneas reign jointly over their peoples . A marriage of sorts is arranged between Dido and Aeneas at the instigation of Juno , who was told of the fact that her favorite city would eventually be defeated by the Trojans ' descendants , and Aeneas ' s mother Venus ( the Roman adaptation of Aphrodite ) , realizes that her son and his company need a temporary reprieve to reinforce themselves for the journey to come . However , the messenger god Mercury was sent by Jupiter and Venus to remind Aeneas of his journey and his purpose , compelling him to leave secretly . When Dido learned of this , she uttered 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 organizes funeral games to honor his father , who had died a year before . The company travels on and lands on the western coast of Italy . Aeneas descends into the underworld where he meets Dido ( who turns away from him to return to her husband ) and his father , who shows 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 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 is gleaned from 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 and the river god Numicus cleansed Aeneas of all his mortal parts and Venus anointed him with Ambrosia and Nectar , making him a god . Aeneas was recognized as the god Jupiter Indiges . Aeneas after Virgil . 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 , claiming that Aeneas loved boys . Medieval interpretations of Aeneas were greatly influenced by Latin renderings of Virgil . Specifically , the accounts by Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis , which were reworked by 13th - century Italian writer Guido delle Colonne ( in " Historia destructionis Troiae " ) , colored many later readings . From delle Colonne , for instance , the Pearl Poet and other English writers get the suggestion that Aeneas was able to leave Troy city with his possessions and his family by way of treason , for which he was chastised by Hecuba . In " Sir Gawain and 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 ) . Family and legendary descendants . 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 was the first in a long series of kings . According to the mythology outlined by Virgil in the " Aeneid , " Romulus and Remus were both descendants of Aeneas through their mother Rhea Silvia , making Aeneas progenitor of the Roman people . Some early sources call him their father or grandfather , but considering the commonly accepted dates of the fall of Troy ( 1184 BCE ) and the founding of Rome ( 753 BCE ) , this seems unlikely . The Julian family of Rome , most notably Julius Cæsar and Augustus , traced their lineage to Ascanius and Aeneas , thus to the goddess Aphrodite . Through the Julians , the Palemonids make this claim . The legendary kings of Britain trace their family through a grandson of Aeneas , Brutus . Physical appearance . In Virgil ' s " Aeneid " , Aeneas is described as strong and handsome , but his hair colour or complexion are not described . In late antiquity however sources add further physical descriptions . The " Daretis Phrygii de excidio Trojae historia " of Dares Phrygius describes Aeneas as ‘ ‘ auburn - haired , stocky , eloquent , courteous , prudent , pious , and charming . ’ ’ There is also a brief physical description found in 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 . ’ ’ Literature , theatre and film . Aeneas is the subject of the French mediaeval romance " Roman d ' Enéas " . Aeneas is also a titular character in Henry Purcell ' s opera " Dido and Aeneas " ( c . 1688 ) , and one of the principal roles in Hector Berlioz ' opera " Les Troyens " ( c . 1857 ) . In modern literature , Aeneas appears in David Gemmell ' s Troy series as a main heroic character who goes by the name Helikaon . Aeneas is a main character in Ursula K . Le Guin ' s " Lavinia " , 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 is one of the mythical founders of the Ventrue Clan in the role - playing game by White Wolf Game Studios . Despite the many Hollywood elements , Aeneas has received little interest from the film industry . Portrayed by Steve Reeves , he was the main character in the 1961 sword - and - sandal peplum " 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 . Aenea ( sic ) is a significant female character in Dan Simmons ' " Hyperion Saga " . 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 . It is at this point that Paris gives Aeneas Priam ' s sword , in order to give legitimacy and continuity to the Royal Line of Troy – and lay the foundations of Rome . In the 2010 Rick Riordan novel The Lost Hero Aeneas is mentioned but in this book his mother is Venus rather than Aphrodite .