Aeneid Character List

Publius Vergilius Maro

Virgil

Dis

God of the underworld

Juno

Divine antagonist; loves Carthage/hates the Romans destined to destroy it, rival to Venus

Charon

Ferryman in the underworld across the river Styx/Acheron

Elysium

Paradise in the underworld, where Aeneas finds his father, contains the destiny of Rome + Agustus

Lethe

River of forgetfulness in the underworld, prophesies Caesar and Romulus

Lavinia

Daughter of Amata and Latinus- is betrothed to and marries Aeneas, which sparks war

Nisus

a brave Trojan warrior and the lover of Euryalus

Sibyl

Prophetess of Apollo, guides Aeneas to the underworld in book 6

Penates

household and ancestral statues carried by Aeneas, connected to Lares

Neptune

God of the sea, calms a storm in book 1

Dido

Queen of Carthage, falls in love with Aeneas and kills herself once Aeneas leaves

Harpies

bird-women, attack Trojans and prophesy they will eat their own tables

Crete

Visited after Delos, mistaken as their final destination, so plague and drought struck their settlement

Laocoon

Trojan priest killed by sea monsters after warning the people of the Trojan horse

Sinon

Greek warrior who tricked the Trojans into thinking the Trojan horse was an offering to Athena

Palinurus

helmsman for Aeneas

Bacchus

god of wine

Sychaeus

Dido's first husband

Turnus

King of Rutuli tribe- main antagonist of Aeneas, primary suitor of lavinia before Aeneas arrives to Latium. leads war against Aeneas.

Palatine

future site of rome, where Evander rules his city called Pallantium

Aventine

an Italian warrior-king and the son of Hercules who fights as an ally of Turnus against Aeneas

Mars

god of war- greek name: Ares

Hephaestus

god of the forge- roman name: Vulcan

Athena

goddess of wisdom and warcraft- roman name: Minerva

Pallas

young arcadian prince and warrior- son of evander, ward of Aeneas

Iapyx

a Trojan healer and physician favored by the god Apollo

Asclepius

the son of Apollo who was struck down by Jupiter's thunderbolt for using his healing powers to raise the dead

Diana

goddess of the hunt- greek name: artemis

Priam

King of Troy before its destruction- father of Hector and Paris, husband of Queen Hecuba

Anchises

elderly Trojan prince, father of Aeneas, and former mortal lover of the goddess Venus

cocytus

river of wailing

Aeolus

divine ruler and keeper of the winds

Aeolus

Son of Hippotes, ruler of the winds

Ascanius

Aeneas's son, prophesied to found the city Alba Longa

Evander

Greek King from Arcadia who founded the city of Pallanteum on the future site of Rome; father of Pallas- sent him with Aeneas to learn military leadership

Iris

Divine messenger of Juno

Lares

household gods, carried by Aeneas

Lausus

son of King Mezentius; in book 10, he jumps in front of Aeneas's sword to save his injured father

Latinus

King of Latium - aged and peaceful, welcomes Aeneas and Trojans to Italy; cannot control his wife Amata who starts a war with the Trojans

Amata

Queen of Latium, wife of King Latinus, mother of Lavinia

Camila

Volscian warrior queen and huntress who fights against Aeneas

Acestes

King of Sicily that helps the Trojans