Heroes, Gods & Emperors from Roman Mythology

Usher, Kerry. Illustrated by John Sibbick. Heros, Gods & Emperors from Roman Mythology. New York: Schocken Books, 1983.

Hero’s Tale: The story of Aeneas

Characters: Aeneas
Setting: begins in Troy and ends in Italy (the Mediterranean region)

Theme: hero’s journey; Roman hero; classical Roman mythology; war and warfare

Genre: Traditional literature; hero’s tale

Golden Quote: “”I tell a tale of war and of a hero. This hero was chosen by Fate to an exile and it was he who first set out from Troy and reached the Lavinian shore of Italy…It was from this city that the whole Latin nation sprang, the kings of Alba and of Rome itself.’” –Virgil from The Aeneid

Summary: The epic journey of the Trojan hero, Aeneas, who eventually show more founded the Roman civilization after many trials and tribulations along the way to his final destination – Italy.

Audience: Grades 5 and up

Curriculum ties: literature units on classic mythology (Greek and Roman), folklore; after reading the stories of the heroes, how does Aeneas compare?; why do you think the gods and goddesses tend to be cruel and selfish?; what does it say about society?

Awards: None

Personal response: As with all stories in classic Greco-Roman mythology, there is never a dull moment and Aeneas’s proves to be quite the same- very dramatic and compelling. I chose to read about the story of Aeneas because I wanted to know more about the man behind the myth. What I found the most fascinating about Aeneas was that he was written about by both Greek and Roman writers; connecting him to both cultures respectively. Born to the king Anchises and the goddess Venus, Aeneas was destined for greatness. His story is nothing short of adventure, romantic, and tragic; accounting a voyage that includes specifics about navigation and geography as well as intense descriptions of war. And, of course, you can’t have a great mythological story without a trip to the Underworld, which in Aeneas’s case, is when he learns about the future greatness of his people- the Romans. While reading Virgil's The Aeneid would be the best, I felt this book gave a thorough breakdown of the hero's journey in language that is appropriate for children in upper elementary and older. show less