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Mythographia

    Source Verification: Turnus

    Every claim below is either what a named ancient source attests, in its own line or section, or a point where the sources themselves disagree.

    What the Sources Attest

    Who is Turnus to Aeneas?

    Turnus is Aeneas's chief enemy in Italy. He is the Rutulian king who had the strongest claim to marry Lavinia before the Trojans arrived. In Virgil, Juno's Fury Alecto pushes him into war, and Aeneas ends it by killing him in single combat (Aeneid 7.341-474; Aeneid 12.887-952). In Livy, Lavinia was betrothed to Turnus before Aeneas landed, and he fights both Latinus and Aeneas out of anger at being passed over (Ab Urbe Condita 1.2.1).

    Source: Virgil, Aeneid 12.887-952

    Did Lavinia love Turnus?

    Virgil never says so. Lavinia does not speak in the Aeneid. When Amata begs Turnus not to fight, Lavinia blushes, and the poem says the sight stirs Turnus's love, not hers (Aeneid 12.19-80). Amata is the one who wants Turnus as a son-in-law. Ovid says both armies forgot Lavinia in their wish to win (Metamorphoses 14.566-572). Livy records only that she had been betrothed to Turnus before Aeneas arrived (Ab Urbe Condita 1.2.1).

    Source: Virgil, Aeneid 12.19-80

    What does Turnus do in the Aeneid?

    He leads the Italian resistance to the Trojans from Book 7 to Book 12. Alecto drives him to war. He tries to burn the Trojan ships, breaks into their camp, kills Evander's son Pallas and takes his belt. He agrees to settle the war by single combat, and Aeneas kills him when he sees the belt (Aeneid 7.341-474; Aeneid 9.107-158; Aeneid 10.439-509; Aeneid 12.887-952).

    Source: Virgil, Aeneid 7.341-474

    What does Turnus mean?

    Virgil does not explain the name, and its meaning is not settled. What he gives instead is a lineage: Amata traces Turnus to Inachus and Acrisius of Mycenae (Aeneid 7.371-372), and his father is Daunus, king of Ardea (Aeneid 12.22; Aeneid 10.688). Ovid calls him only the young chief of the Rutulians (Metamorphoses 14.445-451). This page does not offer an etymology, because none can be checked against an ancient text.

    Source: Virgil, Aeneid 7.371-372

    Where Accounts Differ

    • how Turnus dies
    • what starts the war with Turnus
    • how firmly Lavinia was promised to Turnus
    • Turnus's parentage and origin
    • the broken sword of Metiscus
    • Turnus's end is told differently. In Virgil, Aeneas kills him after seeing Pallas's belt (Aeneid 12.887-952). Ovid says only that Turnus falls and that Ardea burns and gives rise to a bird (Metamorphoses 14.567-580). Livy has no duel: Aeneas dies after a battle against the Rutulians and Etruscans (Ab Urbe Condita 1.2.5-6).
    • The cause of the war differs. In Virgil, Juno sends Alecto to rouse Turnus, who then leads the Rutulians (Aeneid 7.341-474). In Livy, Turnus declares war on his own, furious that a stranger was preferred to him (Ab Urbe Condita 1.2.1). Ovid gives the same motive without a Fury: he fights indignant, to keep a promised bride (Metamorphoses 14.445-451).
    • The engagement to Lavinia is not equally firm. Livy says she had been betrothed to Turnus before Aeneas came (Ab Urbe Condita 1.2.1). Ovid calls her a promised bride (Metamorphoses 14.445-451). In Virgil, Amata claims a pledge was given to Turnus (Aeneid 7.359-372). Latinus later says he set aside the gods' command out of affection for Turnus and pity for the queen (Aeneid 12.19-80).
    • Turnus's parentage and origin vary. Virgil gives his father as Daunus (Aeneid 12.22). Juno's speech in Book 10 says Pilumnus was his grandfather and Venilia his mother, as the Latin reads (Aeneid 10.62-100), although the Perseus English translation renders Pilumnus as his father. Book 9 places him in a grove of Pilumnus (Aeneid 9.1-24). Amata gives him an Argive descent from Inachus and Acrisius (Aeneid 7.371-372). Virgil says Ardea was built by Danae, 'so runs the tale' (Aeneid 7.341-474).
    • Virgil reports the broken sword as a tradition. Fama est, he says, that Turnus left his father's sword behind and snatched up Metiscus's blade (Aeneid 12.697-790). Virgil's own wording marks it as hearsay, and no other source cited on this page repeats it.

    Sources

    Primary sources
    • Virgil, Aeneid 7.45-80
    • Virgil, Aeneid 7.359-405
    • Virgil, Aeneid 7.341-474
    • Virgil, Aeneid 7.475-540
    • Virgil, Aeneid 8.1-17
    • Virgil, Aeneid 9.1-24
    • Virgil, Aeneid 9.107-158
    • Virgil, Aeneid 9.756-818
    • Virgil, Aeneid 10.62-100
    • Virgil, Aeneid 10.439-509
    • Virgil, Aeneid 10.633-688
    • Virgil, Aeneid 11.336-444
    • Virgil, Aeneid 12.1-80
    • Virgil, Aeneid 12.134-160
    • Virgil, Aeneid 12.161-215
    • Virgil, Aeneid 12.593-649
    • Virgil, Aeneid 12.697-790
    • Virgil, Aeneid 12.791-842
    • Virgil, Aeneid 12.843-886
    • Virgil, Aeneid 12.887-952
    • Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 1.2.1-6
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses 14.445-451
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses 14.527-580
    • Virgil, Aeneid 11.469-531
    • Virgil, Aeneid 11.896-915
    • Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 1.57