The Myth of Aeneas in Sicily
by Ignazio Caloggero
Reference page: Repertory of Cults and Myths
Origins of the Myth
The myth of the Trojan hero Aeneas is part of Greek and Roman mythology. His legendary deeds are recounted in Homer 's Iliad , where he is presented as a hero protected by the gods, and are repeated in Virgil 's Aeneid , where his adventures are recounted from the fall of Troy to the fusion of the Trojan survivors with the Latins.
Aeneas is a Trojan prince, son of Anchises (cousin of Priam, king of Troy) and of the goddess Venus, being the father a descendant of Dardanus, son of Zeus (the Roman Jupiter), Aeneas can count among his ancestors, also the god Zeus. As a young man, the Trojan hero would have been educated by the centaur Chiron, considered the wisest of the centaurs (half men and half horses) and therefore educators of many heroes and divinities. He married Creusa, daughter of Priam and had a son named Ascanio, also known as Iulus.
Strenuous defender of Troy, second only to Ettore, at its fall he fled with his father Anchises who took on his shoulders, his son Ascanio and his wife Creusa who, however, lost during the escape, moreover, just to be lighter, the father carried with himself an urn with the ashes of his ancestors and a small statue with the most sacred gods of Troy, the Penates.
During his journey, Aeneas passed through many Mediterranean countries, and after having been in Sicily he concluded his pilgrimage in Lazio where he married the princess Lavinia, daughter of the local king Latinus, thus becoming the progenitor of the Roman people.
Aeneas and Anchises – Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1617/1618) Borghese Gallery – Rome [1]
The Myth in Sicily
According to legend, Aeneas, together with a group of Trojan survivors, arrived in Sicily, avoiding the areas inhabited by the Greeks, reaching almost the Strait of Messina , but on the advice of the soothsayer Helenus , he wanted to avoid crossing it because the place was made dangerous by the presence of the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, deciding to circumnavigate the island.
During the voyage they had the opportunity to reach the lands inhabited by the Cyclopes , and at the sight of Polyphemus they fled before he could catch them (Aeneid Book III vv 955 ff.).
Continuing the circumnavigation of Sicily they passed near the Gulf of Augusta (Megara) and Cape Pachino , and during the navigation they had the opportunity to glimpse Camarina, Gela, Agrigento and Selinunte . During the stopover in Trapani , their father Anchises , afflicted by ailments and old age, died. (Aeneid Book III vv 1030 ff.), Aeneas, thanks to the availability of the local king Acestes , gave his father a solemn burial at the foot of Mount Erice . A monument dedicated to his father Anchises was erected, to commemorate the episode, on the coast of Pizzolungo ( Stele of Anchises ).
As he resumed his journey, a storm drove him to the coast of Carthage, where he met Queen Dido , with whom he fell in love. He planned to end his journey in Africa, but Zeus ' will forced him to abandon the queen and resume his journey towards what would be his final destination, Latium . Seized by despair, Queen Dido, seeing the Trojan ship with Aeneas aboard, depart, took her own life (Aeneid Book IV, vv. 920 ff.).
On the journey to Latium, he passed through Sicily again, welcomed by Acestes who helped him organize games (Ludi) in honor of his dead father [2].
After the games, Aeneas continued his journey, landing at Cumae , and then passing through Gaeta to finish his journey in Lazio.
According to some versions of the legend, Aeneas founded a temple dedicated to Venus in Erice.
Origin of the Trojan legends in Sicily
Thanks to Heinrich Schliemann's discoveries, we know that the remains of Troy are located in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey ). Among the various layers corresponding to the city's various eras, one features a thick layer of charcoal dating to around 1250 BC, which may refer to Troy's destruction by the Achaeans , which began the Trojan diaspora. This period is not far from the traditional view that Troy was destroyed by a coalition of Greek cities in 1184.
The Aeneid was written between 29 BC and 19 BC but the diaspora of Trojan fugitives who came to Sicily was spoken of much earlier, by Stesichorus (Tisias), who lived in the 7th century BC and Thucydides , who lived in the 5th century BC.
As Emanuele Ciaceri states , it would be a mistake to affirm that the Trojan legend arose and developed in Sicily around the name of Aeneas. It had a varied and gradual development and only later did the narratives on the arrival of Trojan heroes condense around the son of Anchises [3].
The Acestes who welcomed Aeneas was probably Aegestus (also known as Acestes ), son of Agesta , the Trojan daughter of Phenodamas who, together with her sisters, was taken to Sicily (we will delve into this aspect of the legend when we talk about the Elymian people).
According to Thucydides (Book VI), the Elymians were Trojans who escaped the destruction of their city and were later joined by Phocians from Phocaea, a Greek city in Asia Minor.
Aegestus, though born in Sicily, went to the aid of Troy, and after the city's destruction, returned, along with other Trojan fugitives, including Helymus , the bastard son of Anchises and brother of Aeneas. The Sicanians, who considered Aegestus a native and respected the Trojan prince Helymus for his deeds, welcomed them, granting them lands on which to settle. The group thus formed was henceforth called the Elymians, after the Trojan prince.
The Myth in the IWB Register of the Sicily Region
The Sicily Region has entered the Myth of Aeneas in the LIM register (Places of identity and memory) – Places of heroes and heroic legends.
Places indicated on the IWB:
- Archipelago of the Cyclops (Aci Trezza-province of Catania)
- Stele of Anchises, Pizzolungo coast (Erice-prov. Trapani)
- Gulf of Trapani
- Scilla and Cariddi (Messina Strait)
[1] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enea,_Anchise_e_Ascanio#/media/File:Aeneas,_Anchises,_and_Ascanius_by_Bernini.jpg
[2] Aeneid Book Five vv 5 ff.
[3] Emanuele Ciaceri: Cults and Myths in the History of Ancient Sicily page 314
To view the places of the Myth on an Interactive Map, see the following web page: The places of Aeneas
Excerpt from the book “ Myths of Ancient Sicily” by Ignazio Caloggero ISBN:9788832060157 © 2022 Centro Studi Helios srl
