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.