Imagine a man. His home ravaged by war, he has lost his wife and every aspect of the life he once knew. His heart torn by grief, he sets sail with his fellow survivors only to become disoriented in the darkness and treacherous waves, not a star to be seen, the tremendous crashing of sea upon ship the only sound. Cold and wet, he is adrift in the midst of a horrific and unnatural storm brought upon him by the wrath of Juno. Only a third of the fleet remains. He is set upon by Harpies; their stench and fury overwhelms him. Imagine this man, Aeneas, as he watches his own father pass away. The pain in his heart, this long Road of Trials – could there be any more appropriate candidate for Joseph Campbell’s Journey of the Hero?
The Aeneid provides ample opportunity to explore just what it means to be a hero. Aeneas has been forced to leave home and his Departure is part of the larger myth of the fall of Troy. Unsurprisingly, then, it is during the Initiation period of his Hero’s Journey that Aeneas’s own story truly picks up momentum. Herein lies the most gripping action. Here is the focus for every epic tale relating the noble and courageous deeds of Aeneas the Good. By examining each of the six key events in this stage and considering their individual parts in shaping the character and history of Aeneas, we are able to come to a more complete understanding of this myth and the impact it has had upon generations of readers.
The Road of Trials is the very first step in Aeneas’s initiation process. With these his resolve is tested and his strength is showcased. With each successive hardship we can see the character of Aeneas proven over and over again to be worthy of notice. At the same time we are reminded that even the greatest of men must endure loss and despair. No man is immune. This myth was written primarily so that the men of Rome might glorify their founder and it is only natural that his trials be stressed as a model of courage and evidence that even out of apparent desolation can come great things.
Just as he is staggering to shore – fresh from the aforementioned Road of Trials – Aeneas encounters a young huntress who is, in fact, the goddess Venus in disguise. Here we have the Meeting With the Goddess. Not just any goddess, however, Venus plays a dual role here. She is also Aeneas’s mother, a fact which is made abundantly clear as she shows herself to be concerned for his well-being even in defiance of Juno and to the complete disregard of any other human’s welfare. When Venus causes Dido to fall irrevocably in love with her son (ostensibly to protect him), this act is ultimately fatal to Dido and consequently detrimental to the entire city of Carthage.
Thus the Meeting with the Goddess flows neatly into our third stage: Woman as Temptress. Dido is a powerful and beautiful woman in her own right. Add to that the influence of Cupid’s passion and you have a temptress with terrifying persistence and resources. Aeneas very nearly succumbs and for a while he even forgets his purpose, but as any true hero must he finds the strength to resist and press on with his mission. This stage of the Journey represents the pull of Aeneas’s humanity and the attraction of worldly pleasures that threaten to distract each one of us from our own higher goals. It acts as a warning. Heroic aspirations and personal desires do not mix. There must be some degree of sacrifice for the sake of the greater good.
Aeneas may have avoided the pitfall of desire, but he has yet another trial to endure before he can achieve his god-like status. After leaving Carthage, he finds himself blown off course once again and lands at Sicily where he undertakes the dangerous journey to the underworld to consult with the spirit of his father. While this demonstrates a very literal example of Atonement with the Father, it also shows a more symbolic atonement with all of the people of Troy. Aeneas has just come from his near downfall with Dido and his people are more restless than ever after seven years of wandering and uncertainty. By speaking with his father Aeneas is able to fully regain his sense of purpose and return to his people renewed and filled with hope and revelations concerning the future of Rome.
The many trials Aeneas endures shape his character and provide a strength both of mind and body that is further solidified by the centering influence of his journey to the underworld. In this manner the different stages of Initiation work together and build upon one another to prepare the hero for his greatest moment: The Apotheosis. In his defeat of Turnus and subsequent founding of Rome, Aeneas finally attains his rightful place in history, becoming a man worthy of the immortality that only mythic heroes can achieve. The Ultimate Boon here is twofold: Aeneas provides a physical city for the people of Troy to settle in and live out their days, yes, but he also bestows upon them a legacy of knowledge. The revelations passed to him in the underworld concerning the future greatness of Rome will serve as a beacon of hope as his people work to establish their new home.
Overall, these six stages assist the reader in breaking down the myth, focusing on each component of Aeneas’s journey and spotlighting those moments that most contribute to his growth as an individual. By helping us to better understand what is admirable about Aeneas, Campbell’s Journey of the Hero enables us to in turn discover something about ourselves. And in that discovery we just might find the key to unlock our own Hero’s Journey and continue on the path toward self-betterment.
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