When the Trojans, under the leadership of Aeneas, set sail for Italy, Juno, feeling vengeful, commands Aeolus to raise a storm that will capsize their ships and drown them all. As she watches her son struggle in the turbulent sea, Venus, the mother of Aeneas, confronts Jupiter on Olympus for allowing her son to suffer like this. Jupiter calms her and reminds her of the many prophecies that promise Aeneas will eventually reach Italy and that his descendants will establish a great empire. This prophecy makes Venus happy. The Aeneid contains numerous prophecies, this being the first one.
To assure Aeneas that everything is going smoothly, Venus shows him the omen of the twelve white swans, symbolizing the twelve Trojan ships that have just arrived in Carthage.
The speeches of Hector and Creusa also contain parts of prophecies, as they hint at the future. When the hidden Greek forces emerge from the stomach of the Trojan Horse and launch their attack on the helpless Trojans, the ghost of Hector, King Priam’s son, who had been killed by Achilles earlier in the Trojan War, appears to Aeneas in a dream. He urges him to flee, take the gods of their homeland with him from Troy, and find a new city across the sea that will thrive.
Dido, the queen of Carthage, provides the only significant prophecy in this epic, foreseeing the animosity that will arise between their nations.
While Aeneas is escaping from Troy with his family, Creusa gets lost. Aeneas bravely returns to the chaotic city to search for her, but instead of finding her, he meets her ghost. In this haunting encounter, Creusa’s spirit prophesies that he is destined to marry again after reaching his new homeland.
When Aeneas sets sail in search of a new homeland, Apollo delivers a prophecy, telling him to find the land that was once home to the Trojan people. However, Aeneas mistakenly interprets these words as a reference to Crete. Soon, the household gods sent by Apollo make it clear that it is not Crete but Italy.
Celaeno, a prophetess and the eldest of the Furies, advises Aeneas to leave the island and pursue his fate in Italy. However, she warns that before they establish their city, they will be forced to eat their tables.
Apollo delivers a prophecy through Deiphobe, the priestess. The Sibyl informs Aeneas about the challenges ahead and the wars he will face in Italy. She warns him about Juno’s relentless opposition to him.
Aeneas descends to the underworld and meets his father, Anchises. Anchises foretells the history of Aeneas’ descendants.
Meanwhile, Latinus has been convinced by Faunus’ repeated prophecies that his daughter, Lavinia, is destined to marry someone from outside their race. This union is said to bring forth descendants who will conquer the world.
After Turnus declared war against the Trojans, Aeneas sought help from neighboring nations. Tiberinus, the god of the Tiber River, appeared to him in a dream, prophesied that the Trojans would receive help, and sent Aeneas upstream. He urged Aeneas to go to Evander and form an alliance.
Aeneas’ shield also carries a prophecy. Vulcan has depicted the story of Roman glory on the face of the shield. The shield features images of Romulus being nursed by the she-wolf, the defeat of the Gauls, and Caesar Augustus triumphing over Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, among many other significant events.
Jupiter tells Juno that the Trojans are destined to win and will not be defeated again. In response, Juno tries to get Turnus out of the war.
Concerned
for Turnus, Juno fears that Aeneas might kill him. She calls Juturna, Turnus’
sister, and tells her about her brother’s fate. Juno instructs her to keep a
close eye on Turnus and break the truce for his safety.