Aventinus (mythology) explained

Aventinus was a son of Hercules and the priestess Rhea mentioned in Virgil's Aeneid, Book vii. 656, as an ally of Mezentius and enemy of Aeneas (Dryden's translation):

Servius This passage speaks of an Aventinus, a king of the aboriginal inhabitants of Rome, who was killed and buried on the hill afterward called the Aventine Hill. This king may be conflated with the Aeneid figure or with Aventinus:

"The Aventine is a hill in the city of Rome. It is accepted that it derives its name from birds (aves) which, rising from the Tiber, nested there, as we read in the eighth book of a suitable home for the nests of ill-omened birds.[1] This is because of a king of the Aboriginal Italians, Aventinus by name, who were both killed and buried there - just as the Alban king Aventinus was, he was succeeded by Procas. Varro, however, states that amongst the Roman people, the Sabines accepted this mountain when it was offered to them by Romulus, and called it the Aventine after the Aventus river in its area. It is therefore accepted that these different opinions came later, for in the beginning it was called Aventinus after either the birds or the Aboriginal King: from which it is accepted that the son of Hercules mentioned here took his name from that of the hill, not vice versa."[2]

This Aventinus (the son of Hercules) is not mentioned elsewhere in classical literature.

Sources

References

  1. The only mentions of the Aventine in the Aeneid are VII.659, and VIII.231. Aventinus (satus Hercule pulchro) is mentioned only at VII.657.
  2. Web site: Maurus Servius Honoratus, Commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil, SERVII GRAMMATICI IN VERGILII AENEIDOS COMMENTARIVS., VII.657 pulcher aventinus. Aventinus mons urbis Romae est, quem constat ab avibus esse nominatum, quae de Tiberi ascendentes illic sedebant, ut in octavo legimus “dirarum nidis domus opportuna volucrum” . quidam etiam rex Aboriginum, Aventinus nomine, illic et occisus et sepultus est, sicut etiam Albanorum rex Aventinus, cui successit Procas. Varro tamen dicit in gente populi Romani, Sabinos a Romulo susceptos istum accepisse montem, quem ab Avente, fluvio provinciae suae, Aventinum appellaverunt. constat ergo varias has opiniones postea secutas, nam a principio Aventinus est dictus ab avibus vel a rege Aboriginum: unde hunc Herculis filium constat nomen a monte accepisse, non ei praestitisse. insigne paternum absolute dixit..