| Aeneas | [ee-NEE-as] Son of Aphrodite (Venus) and Anchises, a mortal Trojan prince, and the hero of Virgil's Aeneid. After Troy's fall, he journeyed to Italy, where he founded a dynasty that eventually produced Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
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| Allecto | One of the Furies called up from the Underworld in the Aeneid.
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| Amata | Queen of Latium and mother of Lavinia, whom Aeneas married.
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| Anchises | Trojan prince, father of the hero Aeneas by Aphrodite.
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| Arcadia | A mountainous region in the south of Greece, sacred to Pan, Hermes, and Apollo, and associated with shepherds.
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| Carthage | Powerful colony of Tyre on the north coast of Africa, directly south of Rome. The chief threat to Roman imperialism, it was destroyed by Scipio Africanus in 146 B.C.
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| Creusa | [kree-OO-sa] (1) In the Aeneid, daughter of Priam, first wife of Aeneas, and mother of Ascanius (Iulus); she was killed in the fall of Troy. (2) In the Medea, the daughter of Corinth's king, Jason's intended bride.
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| Cumaean Sibyl | [koo-MEE-an SIB-il] Italian counterpart of the Delphic Oracle, her shrine was located at Cumae, the oldest Greek colony in the Bay of Naples region. In the Aeneid, she acted as Aeneas's guide through the Underworld.
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| Dido | [DYE-doh] Queen and founder of Carthage, she befriended the shipwrecked Aeneas and was later deserted by him at Jupiter's command.
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| Elysium | [e-LIZ-ih-uhm], or Elysian fields. A posthumous realm of earthly delights reserved for those especially favored by the gods.
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| Hannibal | General of the Carthaginians who led the invasion of Italy in the Second Punic War.
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| Iris | A personification of the rainbow and Hera's special messenger, she was married to Zephyrus, the West Wind.
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| Juturna | Italian goddess of fountains; in the Aeneid, she was the devoted sister of Turnus.
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| Latinus | King of Latium and father of Lavinia, whom Aeneas married.
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| Latium | [LAY-shee-uhm] Region on the Tiber River in western Italy where the Latins lived. Rome was founded near its northern border.
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| Lausus | A young soldier killed by Aeneas in battle but honored for bravely defending his father.
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| Lavinia | Daughter of King Latinus and Queen Amata, she became Aeneas's second wife.
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| Lethe | [LEE-thee] In Hades, the River of Forgetfulness.
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| Mercury | Roman name for Hermes, messenger of the Olympian gods.
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| Pallas | (1) A title of Athene, meaning unknown. (2) A Titan who, by Styx, fathered Nike (Victory). (3) In the Aeneid, a son of Evander whom Turnus kills.
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| Punic Wars | A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage that ended with the latter's total destruction (146 B.C.), foreshadowed in the Aeneid by Dido's fatal affair with Aeneas.
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| Tartarus | [TAHR-tahr-uhs] The dark abyss beneath Hades' realm where Zeus chained the fallen Titans and where the wicked suffered torment.
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| Turnus | In the Aeneid, the Italian king of the Rutulians and suitor of Lavinia. After killing Pallas, he was slain by Aeneas.
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| Vulcan | Roman name for Hephaestus, god of fire and the forge.
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