_The Aeneas Legend._--Stesichorus of Himera, among other writers, made Aeneas, a Homeric hero (cf. _Il._ xx. 307-8), settle in Italy; and Naevius is said to have adopted the legend in the form given by Timaeus, the Sicilian historian of the third century B.C. The legend probably arose from the worship of Aphrodite on the coasts of Italy, and was disseminated by the Greeks of Cumae to please the Romans. The connexion of Rome with Troy had been officially recognized for two hundred years (cf. Sueton. _Claud._ 25), and, though not a popular belief, had been accepted in literature from the time of Naevius. _Sources of the Aeneid._--1. Earlier Roman poets as Naevius, Ennius, Pacuvius, Accius, Lucilius, Hostius, Varro Atacinus, Lucretius. For details see under these names. 2. Cato's _Origines_ and Varro's _Antiquitates_, for Italian legends and peoples. 3. _Ius pontificium_ and _ius augurale_, as found in the books of sacred colleges (Macrob. i. 24, 16). Cf. the ritual meaning of _porricio_ (v. 776), _porrigo_ (viii. 274), the habit of praying with veiled head (iii. 405), prayer to Apollo of Soracte (xi. 785). 4. Greek sources: (_a_) particularly the _Iliad_ and _Odyssey_, but also the Homeric Hymns and Cyclic Poems. Thus the games in Book v. = the games in honour of Patroclus in _Il._ xxiii.; the shield of Aeneas (viii. 626-731) = the shield of Achilles in _Il._ xviii.; (_b_) Apollonius Rhodius, for the passion of Dido = that of Medea; (_c_) Greek tragedies, _e.g._ the lost _Laocoon_ of Sophocles for ii. 40 _sqq._ _Religion in the Aeneid._--1. The mythology is mainly from Homer. From Latin myths come Faunus, Saturnus, Janus, Picus. Euhemerism is shown by the last three being represented as originally kings of Rome. 2. The power of the gods is denoted by _fatum_ or _fata_; cf. x. 112-3, 'rex Iuppiter omnibus idem: fata viam invenient.' 3. The description of the lower world in Book vi. is from the descent into Hades in _Od._ xi., but is modified by Pythagorean ideas (vi. 748-751, metempsychosis), Stoic ideas (vi. 724 _sqq._, pantheism, cf. _Georg._ iv. 219-227) and Platonic myths (_e.g._ in the _Gorgias_, _Phaedo_, and _Republic_), and rendered more definite by the introduction of heroes of the Republic. Note that Virgil emphasizes its mythical nature by dismissing Aeneas through the ivory gate (of false dreams). 4. Other beliefs: (_a_) The golden bough (vi. 203-9) compared to the mistletoe, the symbol of the lower world with many Indo-European peoples; (_b_) Divinities attached to special places, _e.g._ viii. 349-354 of the _religio_ attaching to the Capitol, ii. 351-2 guardian deities: cf. Carmentis, pater Tiberinus, etc.; (_c_) Worship of the dead, and belief in their continued influence on human affairs, iii. 66-8, 301-5. _Political significance._--1. The pre-eminence of the Julian race and of Augustus himself. Cf. i. 286,