The Aeneid characters

Appears from the start

A Trojan prince and veteran of the ruined city who leads a fleet of survivors toward a new homeland promised in Italy. He is a formidable warrior, but his defining obligation is to carry his people, household gods, and divinely appointed future through repeated losses.

Appears from the start

Queen of the gods and the persistent divine enemy of the Trojans. She fears the future power of Rome, remembers earlier offenses connected with Troy, and uses storms and human agents to obstruct Aeneas before he can reach Italy.

Appears from the start

Aeneas's divine mother, the goddess of love. She repeatedly protects her son, questions Jupiter about his promised destiny, and uses disguise and divine influence to secure help for the displaced Trojans.

Also known as Elissa

Appears from the start

The widowed queen and founder of Carthage, building a powerful new city after fleeing violence in Tyre. She receives Aeneas and the shipwrecked Trojans generously and asks to hear the story of Troy's destruction and their travels.

Also known as Iulus

Appears from the start

Aeneas's young son and a survivor of Troy. He represents the continuation of the Trojan line and accompanies his father through exile toward the Italian future promised to their descendants.

First appears in chapter 2

Aeneas's elderly father, carried out of burning Troy by his son. He safeguards the household gods and interprets signs during the refugees' journey, embodying the ancestry and obligations Aeneas must preserve.

First appears in chapter 2

Aeneas's Trojan wife and the mother of Ascanius. She attempts to escape the fallen city with her family while chaos and fighting separate the refugees from one another.

Also known as The Cumaean Sibyl, Deiphobe

First appears in chapter 6

The prophetess of Apollo at Cumae. She delivers a warning about the wars awaiting Aeneas in Italy and agrees to guide him toward the realm of the dead if he completes the required rites.

First appears in chapter 7

A prince of the Rutulians and the leading Italian rival to Aeneas. Already expecting to marry Lavinia, he sees the Trojans' arrival and Latinus's welcome as threats to his honor, marriage, and political position.

First appears in chapter 7

The aging king of Latium and father of Lavinia. Omens have warned him that his daughter should marry a foreigner rather than a local suitor, so he receives the Trojan embassy as a possible fulfillment of destiny.

First appears in chapter 7

The daughter of Latinus and Amata, whose marriage has public as well as personal consequences. Prophecy connects her to a foreign husband, while her family and Turnus are drawn into conflict over that future.

First appears in chapter 7

The queen of Latium, wife of Latinus, and mother of Lavinia. She favors Turnus as her daughter's husband and resists the king's willingness to join Lavinia to the newly arrived Trojan leader.

First appears in chapter 7

A renowned Volscian warrior who leads mounted troops in the Italian alliance opposing the Trojans. Dedicated to the goddess Diana from infancy, she combines royal authority with exceptional speed and skill in battle.

First appears in chapter 8

The exiled Arcadian king established on the future site of Rome. Though his settlement is modest, he welcomes Aeneas, shares memories of local history, and can connect the Trojans with allies against their Italian enemies.

First appears in chapter 8

Evander's young son, entrusted to Aeneas so he can gain experience in war. Brave and eager for distinction, he leads Arcadian troops beside the Trojans and carries his father's hopes into the campaign.

First appears in chapter 7

An Etruscan ruler allied with Turnus against the Trojans, accompanied by his son Lausus. Known for harshness and contempt for the gods, he brings formidable troops to the Italian coalition.