Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

, Nisus ( grc, Νῖσος, Nîsos) and

Euryalus Euryalus (; grc, Εὐρύαλος, Eurýalos, broad) refers to the Euryalus fortress, the main citadel of Ancient Syracuse, and to several different characters from Greek mythology and classical literature: Classical mythology *Euryalus, name ...

(; grc, Εὐρύαλος, Eurýalos, broad) are a pair of friends and lovers serving under

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...

in the ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...

'', the Augustan epic by

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

. Their foray among the enemy, narrated in book nine, demonstrates their stealth and prowess as warriors, but ends as a tragedy: the loot Euryalus acquires (a glistening Rutulian helmet) attracts attention, and the two die together. Virgil presents their deaths as a loss of admirable loyalty and valor. They also appear in Book 5, during the

funeral games Funeral games are athletic competitions held in honor of a recently deceased person. The celebration of funeral games was common to a number of ancient civilizations. Athletics and games such as wrestling are depicted on Sumerian statues dating ...

Anchises Anchises (; grc-gre, Ἀγχίσης, Ankhísēs) was a member of the royal family of Troy in Greek and Roman legend. He was said to have been the son of King Capys of Dardania and Themiste, daughter of Ilus, who was son of Tros. He is most fam ...

, where Virgil takes note of their ''amor pius'', a love that exhibits the ''

pietas ''Pietas'' (), translated variously as "duty", "religiosity" or "religious behavior", "loyalty", "devotion", or "filial piety" (English "piety" derives from the Latin), was one of the chief virtues among the ancient Romans. It was the distingui ...

'' that is Aeneas's own distinguishing virtue. In describing the bonds of devotion between the two men, Virgil draws on conventions of erotic poetry that have suggested a romantic relationship to some, interpreted by scholars in light of the Greek custom of ''paiderastia''.

Mythology

Background

Nisus and Euryalus are among the refugees who in the aftermath of the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has ...

flee under the leadership of Aeneas, the highest-ranking Trojan to survive. Nisus was the son of

Hyrtacus In Greek mythology, Hyrtacus (; Ancient Greek: Ὕρτακος) is an obscure character associated with the Trojan War. He was a comrade of King Priam of Troy. Hyrtacus married Arisbe (daughter of Merops), Arisbe, daughter of King Merops (mythology) ...

, and was known for his hunting. The family cultivated the huntress-goddess who inhabited Mount Ida. Euryalus, who was younger, has spent his entire life in a state of war and displacement. He was trained as a fighter by his battle-hardened father,

Opheltes In Greek mythology, Opheltes (Ancient Greek: Ὀφέλτης), also called Archemorus (Αρχέμορος, Beginning of Doom), was a son of Lycurgus (of Nemea), Lycurgus of Nemea. His mother is variously given as Eurydice (Greek myth), Eurydice, ...

, of whom he speaks with pride. Opheltes seems to have died at Troy. After their wanderings around the Mediterranean, the Trojans are fated to land on the shores of Italy. Some members of their party, especially the ''matres'' ("mothers"), are settled at Sicily before the Italian war, but the mother of Euryalus refused to be parted from her son and continued on.

Characterization

Although Nisus and Euryalus are inseparable as a pair in the narrative, each is given a distinct

characterization Characterization or characterisation is the representation of persons (or other beings or creatures) in narrative and dramatic works. The term character development is sometimes used as a synonym. This representation may include direct methods ...

. Nisus is the elder, more experienced man. He is swift and accurate ''(acerrimus)'' in the use of projectile weapons, the javelin ''(iaculum)'' and arrows. Euryalus is still young, with the face of a boy (''puer'') who hasn't started shaving, just old enough to bear arms. He was more beautiful ''(pulchrior)'' than any other of Aeneas's men at arms. Euryalus maintains a loving relationship with his mother. He refuses to see her before he leaves on his mission, because he cannot bear her inevitable tears, and yet his first concern amid promises of rich rewards is that she be cared for if he fails to return.

Plot and themes

The foray by Nisus and Euryalus is a well-developed, self-contained episode that occurs in the "

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

ic" half of the ''Aeneid'', set during the war through which the displaced Trojans established themselves among the inhabitants of central Italy. Virgil introduces the characters anew, but they have already appeared in Book 5, at the funeral games held for Aeneas's father, Anchises, during the " Odyssean" first half of the epic. The games demonstrate behaviors that in the war to come will result in victory or defeat; in particular, the footrace in which Nisus and Euryalus compete prefigures their disastrous mission. The five runners are, in the order in which they would have finished, Nisus,

Salius In Greek and Roman mythology, Salius is an Acarnanian who in one alternative tradition was the legendary founder of the ancient Roman priesthood of the Salii. Varro says that Salius had come to Italy with Evander, the Arcadian king to whom sever ...

, Euryalus, Elymus, and

Diores In Greek mythology, Diorês (Ancient Greek: Διώρης) referred to four different people. *Diorês, father of Automedon who was the charioteer of Achilles during the Trojan War. *Diorês, leader of the Elis contingent during the Trojan War. He ...

. Nisus, however, slips in the blood from the cattle sacrificed during the religious rituals that preceded the race. Recognizing that he can't recover his lead, he trips Salius to hand the victory to Euryalus. Nisus shows himself willing to sacrifice his own honor in order to help Euryalus, but the gesture demonstrates not only his loyalty but a willingness to cheat. Salius objects to the foul, and is given a consolation prize. Nisus receives compensation for his bad luck, and Euryalus gets the winner's prize. The incident is treated as comic, but becomes ominous in light of what happens to the pair later. Although the night raid of Nisus and Euryalus has a discrete narrative unity, it is closely related to major themes of the epic, such as the transition from boyhood to manhood, also present in the characters of

Ascanius Ascanius (; Ancient Greek: Ἀσκάνιος) (said to have reigned 1176-1138 BC) was a legendary king of Alba Longa and is the son of the Trojan hero Aeneas and Creusa, daughter of Priam. He is a character in Roman mythology, and has a divine ...

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pa ...

, and

Lausus Lausus was the son of the ousted Etruscan king Mezentius, and fought with him against Aeneas and the Trojans in Italy. He appears in Virgil's Aeneid in Books VII and X. When his father is wounded by Aeneas, Lausus steps in between them, and Aeneas ...

,Petrini, ''The Child and the Hero'', p. 21. and the waste of young lives in war. Nisus and Euryalus's killing spree through the camp of the

Rutuli The Rutuli or Rutulians were an ancient people in Italy. The Rutuli were located in a territory whose capital was the ancient town of Ardea, located about 35 km southeast of Rome. Thought to have been descended from the Umbri and the Pelas ...

is one of Virgil's most brutal descriptions of combat (especially when Nisus beheads the military leader Remus with his warriors Lamyrus, Lamus and Serranus). The poetry of Euryalus's death – "as when a richly hued flower is cut down by the plough and withers as it dies, or when the rains beat down the poppy's head, weighed down on slack neck" – is a replay of the death of

Gorgythion In Greek mythology, Gorgythion (Ancient Greek: Γοργυθίων, gen.: Γοργυθίωνος) was one of the sons of King Priam of Troy at the time of the Trojan War and appears as a minor character in Homer's ''Iliad''. His mother was Casti ...

in the ''

''.

Notes

References

* ''Dictionary of Classical Mythology''. London: Penguin, 1990. . * Guy-Bray, Stephen. "Cowley's Latin Lovers: Nisus and Euryalus in the ''Davideis''." ''Classical and Modern Literature: A Quarterly'' 21.1 (2001): 25–42. * MacMullen, Ramsay. "Roman Attitudes to Greek Love." ''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte''. 31.4 (1982): 484–502. * Makowski, John F. "Nisus and Euryalus: A Platonic Relationship." ''The Classical Journal'' 85.1 (1989): 1-15. *

Publius Vergilius Maro Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

, ''Aeneid.'' Theodore C. Williams. trans. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1910
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
*Publius Vergilius Maro, ''Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics''. J. B. Greenough. Boston. Ginn & Co. 1900
Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library
*

, ''

'', V.294; IX.176-445. Trojans Characters in the Aeneid Characters in Roman mythology LGBT themes in mythology LGBT themes in Greek mythology Fictional LGBT couples Same-sex couples {{Greek-myth-stub