Aeneid

Aeneas arrives at Troy in his ship. He has traveled by sea back to the city. He brings with him Pallas, who stands with him in the ship, and Tarchon, who stands on the shore. The lion which Vergil mentions as a decoration on the prow of Aeneas's ship is included here in a flag held by one of the men on the ship. In the background, Turnus beheads one of Aeneas's allies. This is either an illustration of what Turnus promises to do in lines 276-86, as he sees them amassing on the shore, or an illustration of his violent nature as decribed in lines 150-2.

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 351v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In Olympus, an etherial space in the sky, seemingly made of clouds, Jupiter calls together an assembly of the gods (1-5). He calls on the gods to explain to him why the Latins and Trojans are fighting without his permission (6-15). Venus points to Juno, blaming her indirectly in a long speech for the events leading up to the battle (18-62). Juno, in turn, denies that any of the events leading up to the battle are in any way her fault and claiming that anything she did to help the Rutulians is justified (62-95). Jupiter, choosing not to side with either goddess, declares that he will let fate decide the outcome of this war (100-15). In the lower half of the image, below the gods, Turnus and the Rutulians try once again to attack the Trojans, who are locked safe within their walls (118-45).

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 348r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

After Pandarus locks the Trojans inside the city with Turnus, Turnus kills many Teucrians in a bloody rampage not depicted (722-77). Under the command of Mnestheus and Serestes, the men of Aeneas rally and chase him out of the city (778-89). They chase him to the river (789-90), where they, from their city, attack him with a continual volley of spears, and rocks (791-814) until he is forced to retreat by throwing himself into the water (815-8). 

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 346v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Bitias and Pandarus stand outside the gates of the city, which they have just flung open (672-6). Already they have injured or killed four men, and attack another four (684-7). Turnus, after hearing that the Trojans have opened their city gate, rides in from the left with his men (691-5).

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 344v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the center of the image, shown between the Trojan city and the Rutulian camp, Ascanius has shot Numanus Remulus with an arrow, piercing him straight through the head (632-4). This is the first time Ascanius has used his bow to hurt a person (590-1). Apollo appears to Ascanius in the form of Ascanius's henchman, Butes, and urges him to stop fighting (638-56). In the top right, Turnus is shown in his full battle armor accompanied by a standard bearer, a reference to his early triumphs in the battle (525-89).

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 342r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the foreground, the Rutulians have affixed the heads of Nisus and Euryalus to pikes and hold them up within view of the Trojans on the ramparts of their fortress (465-72). On the rampart furthest to the right stands the mother of Euryalus, stricken with grief at the sight of his head (473-80). She lifts her hands to the heavens in prayer to the gods (480-97). Men try to climb the walls to the city using ladders (507); Vergil says these men are the Volsci, led by Camilla (Williams, note 505), but all commanders in the image appear to be male. The Teucrians on the wall above hold rocks to throw on the men climbing (512-4). Below the city walls, the Rutulians hold spears which they will throw at the Teucrians standing on the walls of the city (518-20). On the right, Mezentius holds a torch (521-2). Cannons and shovels, used to break down the walls of the city, lie at the bottom of the image.

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 339v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the foreground, several men lie dead in the Rutulian camp, as a result of the massacre by Nisus and Euryalus (314-366). Behind the tents, to the left, horsemen coming from Latinus's city (367-70) see Euryalus with his shiny helmet leaving the scene of the massacre (371-4). In the top center, the Latins have chased the two Trojans into the woods, where the pair has become separated (377-93). A Rutulian soldier kills Euryalus with a spear (394-8; 422-4, 431-7) as Nisus enters the scene from the very right edge of the image (394-401).

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 337r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Nisus and Euryalus kill several men in the Rutulian camp, which is positioned near the city of Troy. In the top left corner, Nisus kills the augur Rhamnes, who sleeps in a luxurious bed (324-8). Next to him, Euryalus kills a man who has hid behind a wine crater; this man must be Rhoetus (345-6). In the lower left, Nisus kills three men, who are either the attendants of Remus (329-30) or Lamyrus, Lamus and Serranus (334-5). In the lower right, Euryalus approaches two sleeping men, though Vergil lists four, including Rhoetus, and it is unclear which two these are (342-5).

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 336v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the top right, Messapus stands guard with several men, with a fire lit to ensure that the Trojans do not try to attack or escape in the night (159-61). The troops who are not currently on guard duty sit in the Rutulian camp around a central fire a short distance from Troy. Some men eat and drink (157-8), others appear to be playing a gambling game with stones (166-7), one man appears to be preparing his weapons, and two attempt to sleep. From the city of Troy, Mnesthes [Mnesche] and Sergestus, who have been left in charge of the city while Aeneas is away (171-3), direct the final preparations of the city for battle (168-70). Nisus and young Euryalus stand guard at the gate of the city (176-83). Nisus has expressed a desire to catch the Rutulians unaware with a night raid, and Euryalus insists on accompanying him (184-223).

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 332v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the upper right, Iris, signified by her double rainbow, speaks to Turnus, urging him to attack Aeneas's camp in Latium while Aeneas is away (1-13). In this image, she appears to have nearly completed her speech, and is turning to fly away (14-5). Turnus, recognizing the presence of a goddess, raises his hands, clasped in the Christian way rather than upturned in the pagan tradition, and vows to do as she says (16-22). He is shown already by the river where he goes to solemnize his vows (22-4). In the lower left, Turnus's army, commanded by Turnus and Messapus advance proudly across the plain toward the Trojan camp (25-34) under a standard of three birds. The sons of Tyrrhus, who are supposed to be commanding the rear of the army (27-8), are shown standing and seated near Messapus, unlabeled but distinguished by the shepherd's staff held by one and the club held by another. Since the Teucrians have locked themselves within the strong walls of their camp and at first refuse to engage in conflict (35-57), Turnus sets fire to the ships, on the right (69-76). Once the fire has touched the ships, they turn into sea goddesses in maiden form, here shown as mermaids, because the trees used to build the ships were sacred to Cybele (77-122).

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 329v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.