Aeneas was born from the union of a mortal, Anchises, and a goddess, Venus.
He was a cousin of King Priam of Troy, and was the leader of the neighboring Dardanian army, allies of Troy during the Trojan War. Aeneas was a Trojan hero of the war, second in reputation to the great Trojan warrior and prince Hector. While the Greek army was able to move into the city of Troy, after a stalemate of ten years, secretively placing troops inside what the Trojans thought was an offering to the gods, Aeneas was able to rescue his father, Anchises, and his son, Ascanius, from the impending doom and flee the city. Aeneas's wife, Creusa, and many other Trojans perished in the Greek assault.
Aeneas was addressed by the gods that night to leave the falling Troy and build a new city elsewhere, and so Aeneas and twenty shiploads of companions who had escaped the ruined Troy set out to wander the Mediterranean.
Aeneas first came upon Thrace, on Crete, however famine and sickness struck Aeneas and his men and Aeneas was warned to leave Crete.
Next, Aeneas came to Carthage after the goddess, Hera, sent a storm to throw Aeneas off his course. When Aeneas and his exhausted crew came to this country, they caught sight of a city that was walled and had buildings, towers, city gates, and paved streets. The people of Carthage knew the meaning of civilized manners and so, under the rule of Dido, an exiled Phoenician queen, Aeneas and his men were greeted with kind hospitality. Aeneas presented Dido with numerous gifts and Dido soon fell in love with Aeneas, the son of a goddess.
Soon, the gods felt that Aeneas had lost sight of his destiny, and so Hermes was sent to Carthage to...