The Roman Myth of Aeneas, Lavinia, and the King Who Started It All

The figure of Aeneas of Troy first appears in the Homeric epics of Greek mythology, but he emerges as a central figure in Roman mythology, described most thoroughly in Virgil’s Aeneid. In Roman legends, Aeneas is involved in the founding of Rome. He is said to have become a king of the Latins early in their history through marrying Lavinia, the daughter of King Latinus. But who are Latinus and Lavinia in Italian and Roman mythology, and how did Aeneas become connected to them?

Since Troy is located in northwest Anatolia, what does Aeneas of Troy have to do with the legendary history of early Rome? How did he get from Troy to Italy? The first hint of an answer comes from Homer’s Iliad, written in c. 650 BCE. In this epic poem, the god Poseidon refers to the fact that Aeneas will go on to rule the Trojans in the future, and his descendants will become kings after him.

That is as much as Homer tells us, but later records fill in the details of what happened next. The most comprehensive source for what happened is Virgil’s Aeneid, written in the 1st century BCE. As a result of the famous Trojan War, the city of Troy was completely destroyed and reduced to ashes. The surviving Trojans were forced to seek a new home elsewhere. Aeneas was the leader of the Dardanians, close relatives of the Trojans, during the war and became the leader of the surviving Trojans and Dardanians.

In the earliest versions of stories about Aeneas’s arrival in Italy, there is no indication that any notable adventures or detours occurred along the way. However, in Virgil’s account, the journey to get to Italy is a significant part of the narrative. Many scholars believe that this was essentially Virgil’s response to the Odyssey of the ancient Greeks, which tells the story of Odysseus’s journey to return to Ithaca after the war. One aspect that he evidently made up is Aeneas meeting and falling in love with Dido of Carthage. Earlier records contradict this by placing the founding of Carthage about half a century before the Trojan War.

After spending some time with Dido, Virgil presents Aeneas as treacherously sailing away to Italy, leaving her completely heartbroken.

In Italy, Aeneas finally entered the territory that would later become the land of the Romans. He is said to have arrived at the city of Corythus. This is generally identified with Cortona, a town in Tuscany today. After this, he travelled to the city of Latium. The ruler of this city was King Latinus. He was the king of the Latin tribes in central Italy. King Latinus was not simply a king, but he was the eponymous founder of those tribes. His wife was Queen Amata.

Oracles had informed Latinus of the coming arrival of foreigners to his land. This motivated him to receive them kindly.

There is some controversy and confusion surrounding King Latinus. A king named Latinus appears in Hesiod’s Theogony, written in the 7th century BCE, but it is unclear if this is meant to be the same person. In that source, Latinus is made the brother of Telegonus and Agrius, sons of Odysseus by Circe, and the three of them rule the Tyrrhenians.

Evidently, these children were supposed to have resulted from the union of Odysseus and Circe while Odysseus was trapped on Circe’s island, Aeaea, for a year. This was during his journey back to Ithaca from Troy. Since his seven-year stay at Ogygia with Calypso occupied the latter part of the journey, Latinus was evidently conceived only a few years after the fall of Troy. Nevertheless, in the Aeneid, King Latinus is already an adult with a daughter ready for marriage by the time Aeneas arrives. Since this account takes place only a few years after the Trojan War, it is a chronological impossibility, especially since Latinus is described as old in the Aeneid.

Furthermore, the Aeneid makes King Latinus a son of the god Faunus and the nymph Marica. The different lineage and chronological issues strongly suggest that the Latinus of Greek mythology was not the same as the Latinus of Roman mythology. It is true that Hesiod’s Latinus is said to have ruled the Tyrrhenians (also known as the Etruscans) alongside his brothers. However, this is more likely a reference to the Tyrrhenians who are recorded as living in Epirus, not far from Ithaca, rather than the Tyrrhenians of Italy.

King Latinus had a daughter named Lavinia. According to some sources, the names ‘Latinus’ and ‘Lavinus’ are variations of the same name. This would mean that Lavinia had the female form of her father’s name. According to another tradition, Lavinus was the brother of Latinus and uncle of Lavinia. This would mean that Lavinia was named after her uncle. In any case, all three names are obviously closely connected.

According to Virgil’s Aeneid, many men sought the hand of Lavinia in marriage. However, her mother, Queen Amata, was particularly favourably disposed towards King Turnus of the Rutuli. He was said to have been a powerful king, hence why Queen Amata wanted him as her son-in-law. Unfortunately for Amata, the oracles who spoke to King Latinus about the arrival of the Trojans also had something to say about Lavinia. They told Latinus to give his daughter in marriage to the foreigners. The resulting dispute between Aeneas and Turnus culminated in a full-blown war between the Trojans and the Rutuli.

War With Turnus

In the war that followed, Aeneas received the help of the Tyrrhenians, or Etruscans. He also received the help of a Greek king named Evander, who ruled a city called Pallantium. This was located where Rome would later be built. Evander’s son, Pallas, led a body of troops into battle alongside Aeneas and the Etruscans.

The war between Turnus and Aeneas over Lavinia’s hand in marriage takes up a large portion of the Aeneid. During the war, Pallas was tragically slain. Finally, the conflict ended when Turnus and Aeneas engaged in single combat. Aeneas defeated Turnus by throwing a spear through his thigh. On his knees, Turnus begged for his life. At first, Aeneas was inclined to yield and let his enemy live. However, Aeneas then noticed that Turnus was wearing Pallas’ belt over his shoulder. This infuriated Aeneas, and he killed him in a rage. With this, the war was over. Aeneas was free to be Lavinia’s husband without interference from others.

After Latinus’ reign, Aeneas became the new king of the Latins. He then went on to found Lavinium. Virgil does not explicitly describe Aeneas’ founding of this city, although he does briefly refer to the fact that it would at some point be “seen,” and he mentions this in connection with Aeneas. The name of this city may be a reference to Lavinia. Alternatively, it may be named after Latinus. This is indicated by the argument that Latinus and Lavinus are alternative forms of the same name. Given Latinus’ prominence as the king of the Latins and the father of Aeneas’ wife, naming a city in his honor makes sense from a mythological point of view. Another point of view, rejecting what Roman myth says about it, is that it simply refers to the Latins, for whom it was their capital city.

Some time later, Aeneas’s son, Ascanius, is said to have led many of the inhabitants to a new city, Alba Longa. Over three centuries later, according to Virgil, the city of Rome was founded as an offshoot of this latter city.

Aeneas, Lavinia, and Latinus in Roman Mythology

In conclusion, Aeneas plays a very important part in Roman myth, despite first appearing in ancient Greek texts. After the fall of Troy, he is said to have led a migration of Trojans to Italy. There, he met King Latinus. On balance, it is likely that this Latinus is not the figure of that name who appears as Odysseus’ son in Hesiod’s Theogony. He was the king of the Latins in central Italy and was happy to give his daughter, Lavinia, in marriage to Aeneas. However, King Turnus of the Rutuli went to war against Aeneas because he wanted to marry Lavinia. This war eventually ended in Turnus’ death.

Aeneas then succeeded Latinus as the king of the Latins and founded the city of Lavinium. The name of this city could come from Lavinia, but it could also come from King Latinus. Aeneas’ son, Ascanius, went on to found the city of Alba Longa, from which Rome eventually came several centuries later.