Silvius

Silvius is a term that appears in mythology, onomastics, and biology. In Roman mythology, Silvius is a legendary figure described as the son of Aeneas and Lavinia and as an early king of Alba Longa. Across different tellings, he is portrayed as an ancestor of the Latin people and of the later Latin kings, thereby linking Aeneas’s Trojan heritage with the founding line of Latium. The precise genealogical position of Silvius varies by source.

As a masculine given name, Silvius derives from Latin roots and has appeared in ancient texts as a personal name. It has occasionally been used in modern times, especially in scholarly or historical contexts, and sometimes appears in fiction or as an archaic or classical name choice.

In biology, Silvius is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. Members are small, predominantly forest-dwelling butterflies found in the Afrotropical region. The genus includes multiple described species and is studied within lepidopteran taxonomy.

The name Silvius thus intersects classical literature and history, linguistic tradition, and scientific nomenclature, illustrating how a single term can recur across different domains while retaining a largely historical or descriptive character.