Prophecies in Aeneid 3- Nick Cellino

In Aeneid 3, there are four prophecies that are revealed to Aeneas and his men.

The first prophecy occurs when Aeneas and his men are at Delos. They are praying to Phoebus to give them a "home of their own" and a "city that lasts." To this, Phoebus responds with a prophecy. He tells them that the "First land that nurtured your parents' roots will take you back to her welcoming bosom" (Aeneid 3: 93-95). He tells them to seek out this land of their ancestors and that there, Aeneas and his offspring will establish a worldwide dominion. Aeneas and his men are overjoyed at hearing this prophecy. Aeneas's father Anchises says Crete must be the place Phoebus was talking about because that is where one of their ancestors, Teucer, came from. The Trojans go there and establish a city, Pergamea, but soon realize that they have not followed the prophecy correctly. There is a plague that kills many people, and none of the crops were growing.

The second prophecy occurs one night while Aeneas is asleep. He has a vision of the "household spirits of Phrygia," or the gods of his homeland. They reassure Aeneas and tell him not to give up. They tell him:
And it is we who will raise your descendants high to the heavens;
We'll give your city imperial power. You must furnish that mighty
Future with mighty defenses. Don't give up your flight and its
long toil!
(Aeneid 3: 157-160)
The gods are telling him that they are going to make his city successful as an imperial power, but he must build strong walls, or defenses, around his city. They go on to tell him that the place he is now, on Crete, is not the correct site for his city, and they have misinterpreted Phoebus' prophecy. They must go to the place called Hesperia, or Italy, to establish their city. That is where their ancient ancestor Dardanus came from.

The next stop for Aeneas and company is the island of the Harpies, where they receive a third prophecy. After slaughtering the goat and cattle on the island, Celaeno, one of the Harpies, perches on a high cliff and delivers the prophecy. She claims that her words have been given to her by Phoebus, who had gotten them from Jupiter himself. She tells them that they will reach their destination, Italy, but they will not be able to fortify their city with ramparts until "dire famine avenging the wrong done to us by this slaughter drives you to gnaw with your jaws at your tables and then to devour them" (Aeneid 3: 256-258).

Next, they come to the city called Buthrotum, which is a Greek city that is now being ruled by Priam's son Helenus along with Andromache. Helenus gives Aeneas some advice in the form of a prophecy. He tells them that their passage to Italy is going to be a long and difficult trip. They are going to have to cross many obstacles including lakes of the underworld and Circe's island, Aeaea. Then, they will find their city, and there will be signs to show them that they are at the correct place. They will see a large white sow with 30 albino piglets, and this is the site for their future city. He also tells them to be wary of the people around the coast of Italy because many of them are wicked and violent. Once they are at Italy, they should cover their heads with purple veils and light flames to honor the gods. He tells him to make sure that all of his descendants continue this tradition after him, and to make sure that they respect Juno in their prayers, above all else. Lastly, he tells them to seek out the "mad seer" of Cumae and beg her to sing her oracles to them.

Aeneid Book IV Similes

Simile #1) 

Page 79, Line 68

"Dido, unfulfilled, burns and and, in ravaging obsession, randomly wanders through the town, like a deer pierced through by an arrow hit long range, when off guard, in the Cretan woods by a shepard armed for hunt. He has his steel tipped shaft in her body, not knowing he's hit his mark. In her fight, she ranges all Dicte's meadows and woods. Barbed deep in her haunch is the reed that will kill her."

Tenor: Dido's infatuation and obsession with Aeneas

Vehicle: A dear being pierced with an arrow

Event: Venus was afraid that Juno would incite the Carthaginians to harm or attack Aeneas and the Trojans, so she told her other son Cupid to make Dido fall in the love with Aeneas so that he would be safe.

Theme: Plays in to the animal and nature theme that we see in the simile's of the Iliad 

Simile #2)

Page 81, Line 143

"He's like Apollo, deserting his wintertime home by the Lycian stream of the Xanthus to visit his mother's homeland of Delos, where he's the sponsor of the ritual dance. Round his altars there mingle Cretans, tatood Agathyrsians, Dryopes. all. celebrating."

Tenor: Aeneas 

Vehicle: Apollo

Event: They are related through the hunt scene because Apollo is known to be very skilled with the bow.

Theme: In Odyssey, Odysseus is constantly referred to as godlike and is compared to gods (mainly Zeus).

Simile #3)

Page 86, Line 300

"Mind of of control, all ablaze, she screams through the city, Bacchic cries when Thyiad frenzied  by brandished Thyrsus and loud Bacchic cries when Thebes' biennial orgies madden her soul, when Cithaeron's voice howls shrill in the night time."

Tenor" Dido's out of control screams through the city

Vehicle: A crying Bacchic (refers to the god Bacchus who is known for riots and intoxication)

Event: When Dido finds out that Aeneas is about to leave, she practically throws a fit because she is in love with him and was even contemplating marrying him, even though she swore not to remarry after her husband died. 

Simile #4)

Page 89, Line 401

"Into and out of the city you'd see them, everywhere, streaming. Ants getting ready for winter do this: they attack an enormous mountain of grain and they carry it off to the provision their anthill. Spanning fields, their black formation snakes across grassland, hauling spoils: one long slim track."

Tenor: Trojans loading their ships with supplies 

Vehicle: Ants getting ready for winter by gathering spoils

Event: The Trojans were really eager to get to Italy and therefore were not too pleased with Aeneas stalling with Dido. When their relations end, the crew is extremely relieved and excited when he tells them to pack the ships with supplies because they are going to depart soon.

Theme: Animals/nature

Simile #5)

Page 91, Line 441

"So in the Alps, wild gales from the north gust this way and that way, vying among themselves to uproot some vigorous oak tree, massive with centuries' growth: there's a roar and the uppermost foliage flies off and carpets the ground ask the trunk shudders. Yet the old oak tree sticks to the crags, and as high as its crest reaches up towards heaven's brightness, its roots stretch downs as low into Tartarus' darkness."

Tenor: Aeneas

Vehicle: A firmly planted oak tree that cannot be moved 

Event: When Dido tries to convince Aeneas to stay and not go to Italy, Aeneas has to stand his ground because it is his fate set by the gods that he go to Italy, even though part of him wants to stay. 

Theme: Nature

The Aeneid!

This week we leap from eighth century Greece to the early Roman empire-- a big change!  Here are a few resources you might find useful:

Suetonius' Life of Virgil
A Bibliographical Guide to Virgil's Aeneid
Virgil.org-- links to bibliography, maps, and much more
Aeneid 4 Read Aloud in Latin
Virgilmurder  If you are fond of conspiracy theories, you'll enjoy this site; its author believes that Augustus murdered Virgil because of covert criticism of his rule in the Aeneid.

Two Muses inspire Virgil, seated with his scroll