Book 3 continues the story of Aeneas’ flight from Troy and the events that occurred before he and his men were washed ashore in Dido’s lands. The remaining Trojans set out from the harbors, not knowing exactly where they were going, but knowing they couldn’t stay in Ilium. They sail to a nearby land and, soon after coming ashore, Aeneas uproots a bush and it bleeds. Filled with horror, he pulls up another plant which also bleeds. He prays to the gods to give him a good omen on the next one, but when he uproots a third bush, it bleeds as well. It is then that a voice on the air tells him the story of Polydorus, who had departed from Troy with gold to go live in Thrace. However, Thrace joined with Agamemnon, murdered Polydorus, and stole all of the gold. Aeneas tells the elders what happened and they decide to leave that land, calling it cursed. They hold a proper funeral for Polydorus, then set sail. They arrive next in Delos, an island. There they meet with a priest of Apollo, A
A fun community where we discuss all aspects of Ancient Rome and learn about topics, people, and events they just didn't have time to cover in history class!