InRoman mythology,Lavinia (/ləˈvɪniə/lə-VIN-ee-ə;Latin:[ɫaːˈu̯iːnia]) is the daughter ofLatinus andAmata, and the last wife ofAeneas.
It has been proposed that the character was in part intended to representServilia Isaurica, EmperorAugustus's firstfiancée.[1]
Lavinia, the only child of the king and "ripe for marriage", had been courted by many men who hoped to become the king ofLatium.[2]Turnus, ruler of theRutuli, was the most likely of the suitors, having the favor of Queen Amata.[3] InVirgil's account, King Latinus is warned by his fatherFaunus in adream oracle that his daughter is not to marry aLatin:
"Propose no Latin alliance for your daughter
Son of mine; distrust the bridal chamber
Now prepared. Men from abroad will come
And be your sons by marriage. Blood so mingled
Lifts our name starward. Children of that stock
Will see all earth turned Latin at their feet,
Governed by them, as far as on his rounds
The Sun looks down on Ocean, East or West."[4]
Lavinia has what is perhaps her most, or only, memorable moment in Book 7 of theAeneid, lines 94–104: during a sacrifice at the altars of the gods, Lavinia's hair catches fire, an omen promising glorious days to come for Lavinia and war for all Latins:
"While the old king lit fires at the altars
With a pure torch, the girl Lavinia with him,
It seemed her long hair caught, her head-dress caught
In crackling flame, her queenly tresses blazed,
Her jeweled crown blazed. Mantled then in smoke
And russet light, she scattered divine fire
Throughout all the house. No one could hold that sight
Anything but hair-raising, marvelous,
And it was read by seers to mean the girl
Would have renown and glorious days to come,
But that she brought a great war on her people."[5]
Not long after the dream oracle and the prophetic moment, Aeneas sends emissaries bearing several gifts for King Latinus. King Latinus recognizes Aeneas as the destined one:
"I have a daughter, whom the oracles
Of Father's shrine and warning signs from heaven
Keep me from pledging to a native here.
Sons from abroad will come, the prophets say—
For this is Latium's destiny—new blood
To immortalize our name. Your king's the man
Called for by fate, so I conclude, and so
I wish, if there is truth in what I presage."[6]
Aeneas is said to have named the ancient city ofLavinium for her.[7]
By some accounts, Aeneas and Lavinia had a son,Silvius, a legendary king ofAlba Longa.[8] According toLivy,Ascanius was the son of Aeneas and Lavinia; she led theLatins as apower behind the throne sinceAscanius was too young to rule.[9] In Livy's account, Silvius is the son of Ascanius.[10]
InUrsula K. Le Guin's 2008 novelLavinia, Lavinia's character and her relationship with Aeneas is expanded, giving insight into the life of a king's daughter in ancient Italy. Le Guin employs a self-conscious narrative device in having Lavinia as the first-person narrator knowing that she would not have a life without Virgil, who, being the writer of theAeneid several centuries after her time, is thus her creator.[11]
Lavinia also appears with her father, King Latinus, inDante'sDivine Comedy,Inferno, Canto IV, lines 125–126. She is documented inDe Mulieribus Claris, a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by theFlorentine authorGiovanni Boccaccio, composed in 1361–62.[12]
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