July 8: Travel Month
Rome
The Greek gods didn’t set a shining example for the youth to follow, nor did they ever intend to. Supreme god Zeus in particular always found someone else to blame for his weaknesses. When his wife Hera confronted him with the number of offspring he had with mortal princesses, he put the finger at the goddess of love, Aphrodite, who would be plotting to create a generation of “heroes”, sons of one divine and one human parent. There are “heroic” heroes, like Perseus, Theseus, Bellerophon, Herakles,… But there have been far more, whose names are lost in history. To appease his wife, Zeus punished Aphrodite for her meddling. He made here fall in love with the Trojan prince Anchises, and she had to witness him grow old and frail. She also had to go through the pain of giving birth, to Aeneas, their son. As a dedicated lover and mother, she went out of her way to rescue her little family from the battlefield of Troy. Aeneas’ descendants would found the city of Rome, and he’s remembered as the last hero who ever was.
Aphrodite and Aeneas, fresco Pompeï, Italy
Venus directing Aeneas to Carthage, Angelica Kauffmann, National Trust, Saltram,
Plymouth, Devon
Did you know?
Vergil picks up the story of the Trojan War where Homer left it: Troy is burning and Aeneas, the husband of the Trojan princess Kreousa (Creusa), is the only member of the royal family to get out alive. He’s in the company of his elderly father and his young son, but leaves his wife behind… He’s helped by his divine mother Aphrodite (Venus) and after exhausting journeys and battles, becomes the ruler of .
About Perseus: “Shooting Stars”, “Oversharing”, “Victim Blaming”, “Golden Rain”.
About Theseus: “Poseidon’s Bull”, “Belonging”, “Paradoxes”, “A Mixed Marriage”, “Female Logic”, “The Wineskin”.
About Bellerophon: “Chills and Thrills”, “Bellerophon’s Letter”.
About Herakles’ (Hercules’) 12 labours: “A Thick Skin”, “A Hard Shell”, “Ho Ho Ho”, “Bulls and Boars”, “Spring Cleaning”, “A Proud Father”, “Sycophants”, “Choose your Battles”, “To the End of the World”, “Forbidden Fruit”.