Home's Odyssey and Virgil's Aneid

The Odyssey was written down by the Greek poet Homer around 700 BC. Although the story itself is probably older. It is the story of King Odysseus' who is trying to return from the Trojan War to his kingdom of Ithaca. It was a small island on the far side of Greece from Troy. Odysseus has trouble getting home because the gods are angry at him, because he did not respect them. Especially the god Poseidon was angry with him and he caused Odysseus time and made it take longer to get back to Ithaca.

The Odyssey starts out on Mount Olympus, where the gods are talking about the humans and their determination to blame things on the gods. Athena favored Odysseus and helped him when he was in time of need. Athena then goes to Telemachus disguised as Mentes, she advices him to call an assembly of the men of Ithaca, to complain of the behaviour of the suitors. Then Athena tells him to go on a quest to find his father in Pylos and Sparta. When suitors find out they taunt him but he prays to Athena for help. She helps Telemachus by putting the suitors in a deep sleep so that he could sail to find his father. (Homer 411 and 422)

In The Odyssey is about two separate but powerful men and how they come together to make an inspirational story about one man and how he tries to get home. Odysseus is a great and noble hero, he is an inspiration to us even though the story was just a myth. He is so inspiring because he represents strength and courage. He has the ability to be witty and powerful. He went to the underworld and returned in one piece. He makes the story of the Odyessy more interesting. It provides a picture of life in Ancient Greece and it shows us what it was like then. (bookrags)

The book the Aeneid was still being written by Virgil in 19 B.C before he died . The main character in this story is Aeneas. He is the leader of the Trojans and he is the only surviving person to escape the siege of Troy. Aeneas found the Roman race in Italy and the Golden Age of Rome. The story is basically about how Aeneas is destined to found Rome and how he will accomplish a powerful Roman country. The Aeneid was written in a meter based on a combination of long and short syllables. It was written to be read rather than recited or performed.

The book the Aeneid is Heroic epic and a mythological story. So is the book the Odyssey. Both were written in Latin and both are epic poems written by great authors of Ancient Greece. The theme of the Aeneid is about fate and the suffering of wanderers. but it is also about the glory of Rome and how they conquered. The Odyssey is more about love and sacrifice.

Homer. The Iliad and the Odyssey. 1942. Walter J. Black, Inc.
Online Books about the Aeneid
http://classics.mit.edu/Virgil/aeneid.html

Foundation Myths for Ancient Rome

The two main foundation myths for Ancient Rome were the stories of Romulus and Remus, who were the two boys who were raised by a female wolf and the story of Aeneas, son of the goddess Aphrodite. The story of Romulus and Remus starts out when their mother Rhea was either seduced or raped by the god Mars. She then became pregnant and gave birth to two sons. When Amulius found out he had Rhea imprisoned and he took Romulus and Remus and put them in a basket and threw them in the Tiber River. The Romans trace their ancestry all the way back to a Trojan hero named Aeneas. He was the son of Anchises, a handsome and daring man and the goddess Aphrodite.

Romulus and Remus were born in a time when children were not wanted. They were unwanted because Amulius their uncle, feared that the boys would grow up and overthrow him.Because of this he had them placed in a trough or basket and thrown into the River Tiber. At that time the Tiber river was flooding, and when the waters fell, the basket, came to shore. Both of the twin brothers were found by a female wolf. Instead of killing them she raised them and looked after them. She fed Romulus and Remus with her milk,and the wolf was helped by a woodpecker who brought them food too. Interesting enough both these animals were sacred and valuable to Mars. In the myth it is told that the god Mars sent those animals to save them.

They grew up and later on were found by a shepherd named Faustulus, who took them home and looked after them until they were grown up. Romulus and Remus discovered who they really were and decided to go back and kill their uncle Amulius and put their grandfather back on the throne. They achieved what they had said and after this they decided to build a city of their own.They could not reach an agreement and so each began to build his own city enclosed within the walls.

Aeneas was the son of Anchises and Aphrodite. He was a hero at Troy and he was the bravest after his brother-in-law Hector. Aeneas took part in all the important battles during the ten years they were at war. When the Achaeans finally captured Troy they allowed Aeneas because of his bravery to choose from among his possessions one thing to take with him as he left. The Achaens were very impressed when they saw him choose a stature of his patron god. They told him that he could bring something else. He brought his father, he loaded him on his back. They were so impressed they allowed him to take the rest of his possessions. The myth goes on to say that Aeneastraveled far and wide and finally reached the Italian peninsula where he founded Rome and that the city of Rome was founded later by one of his descendants Romulus. It ends by saying that Aeneas was almost kille by Achilles but was rescued by Zeus. In the myth it was said that Achilles's behavior angered Aeneas so much that he went over to the Trojan side, and fought bravely for them.

The legend or myth starts out with the Greeks attacking Troy and them almost killing all of the people in the city of Troy. The myth doesnt really say why. A prince of Troy escaped the killing and sailed all the way to Italy in a boat, he was prince Aeneas. Aeneas landed in Italy in the city of Laurentum. The king of the Latins was Latinus. He had a beautiful daughter named Lavinia. He later married her and they had a son named Ascanius. Ascanius was the first of of many to come. He founded Rome later on. Then later on Romulus founds Rome and starts his kingdom. (Mark and Tingay 5 and 8)

Mark, Anthony, and Graham Tingay. "The Romans". Usborne, London, 1990.