Discuss the Role of the Supernatural in the Aeneid
Discuss the role of the supernatural in Aeneid 3
In ancient poetry, gods were people too; early epic was history but a history adorned by myth. This fantastical, mythical element came via the gods, envisaged as anthropomorphic deities. In Virgil’s Aeneid these gods function in epic as literary vehicles and as characters no less detailed and individual than the people in the poem. In this world where the mortal and the supernatural not only coexist but interweave with one another, the Aeneid follows the mortal Trojans as their world moves from war to peace and as they attempt, often unsuccessfully, to overcome the supernatural obstacles put in their path.
Before any attempt can be made to discuss religion in the Aeneid Book 3, a little must first be understood about the religious beliefs of the ancient world and how they fit into the ideas of the supernatural that we see within the Aeneid. The Graeco-Roman world of the gods was very different to the rigid religious systems that we see today. The Gods took a part in every aspect of life, from Helios directing his golden chariot and making the sun rise in the morning to the Nymphs that were thought to live in every tree and every stream. These beliefs were however, in no way uniform. In their society it was perfectly reasonable, and acceptable, to believe in only certain parts of a very varying religious doctrine or to favour some facets of it above others. Unfortunately this means it is impossible to conjecture what form of religion the average educated Augustan would have believed in, let alone what Virgil himself believed in. Camps’ slightly unsupportable conclusion is that Virgil (and his educated contemporaries) believed in a plurality of powers, but with little faith in the names and characteristics of the traditional anthropomorphic pantheon. Clark also conjectures heavily on what Virgil believed in. A significant point that Clark makes is that “Virgil’s mind was fashioned in a world made fluid by the
In ancient poetry, gods were people too; early epic was history but a history adorned by myth. This fantastical, mythical element came via the gods, envisaged as anthropomorphic deities. In Virgil’s Aeneid these gods function in epic as literary vehicles and as characters no less detailed and individual than the people in the poem. In this world where the mortal and the supernatural not only coexist but interweave with one another, the Aeneid follows the mortal Trojans as their world moves from war to peace and as they attempt, often unsuccessfully, to overcome the supernatural obstacles put in their path.
Before any attempt can be made to discuss religion in the Aeneid Book 3, a little must first be understood about the religious beliefs of the ancient world and how they fit into the ideas of the supernatural that we see within the Aeneid. The Graeco-Roman world of the gods was very different to the rigid religious systems that we see today. The Gods took a part in every aspect of life, from Helios directing his golden chariot and making the sun rise in the morning to the Nymphs that were thought to live in every tree and every stream. These beliefs were however, in no way uniform. In their society it was perfectly reasonable, and acceptable, to believe in only certain parts of a very varying religious doctrine or to favour some facets of it above others. Unfortunately this means it is impossible to conjecture what form of religion the average educated Augustan would have believed in, let alone what Virgil himself believed in. Camps’ slightly unsupportable conclusion is that Virgil (and his educated contemporaries) believed in a plurality of powers, but with little faith in the names and characteristics of the traditional anthropomorphic pantheon. Clark also conjectures heavily on what Virgil believed in. A significant point that Clark makes is that “Virgil’s mind was fashioned in a world made fluid by the
Bibliography: Camps, William Anthony (1969) “An introduction to Virgil’s Aeneid” Oxford University Press Clark, W Coleman, Robert (Oct., 1982) “The Gods in the Aeneid”, Greece & Rome, Second Series, Vol. 29, No. 2 Duckworth, George E Hardie, Philip (1998) “Virgil new surveys in Classics”, Cambridge University Press Lyne, R.O.A.M (1992) “Further Voices in Vergil’s Aeneid”, Clarendon Press MacInnes, John (September, 1910) “The conception of Fata in the Aeneid”, The Classical Review, Vol. 24, No. 6 Matthaei, Louise E Virgil Translated by David West (2003) “The Aeneid”, Penguin Classics --------------------------------------------