Énée

Énée is the French name for Aeneas, a central figure of ancient myth known mainly from Greek and Roman tradition. In Latin literature, he is celebrated as a Trojan hero whose fate is linked to the origins of Rome. The name Énée appears in French retellings and adaptations, while the original Latin form is Aeneas.

In myth, Aeneas is the son of Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite (Venus). He survives the fall of Troy and undertakes a long voyage to found a new city in Italy. His journey, filled with trials and divine interventions, includes key episodes such as the voyage across the Mediterranean, the encounter with the queen Dido in Carthage, and the eventual guidance of the gods toward the Italian shores. The epic central to his legend emphasizes his pietas—duty to the gods, to his family, and to his people—as the driving force of his actions.

In Latium, Aeneas is said to establish the foundations for what will become the Roman people. His son Ascanius (Iulus) is traditionally credited with founding Alba Longa, from which the Romans trace their lineage. Although the exact endpoints of his life vary across sources, the Aeneid presents Aeneas as the ancestral founder whose destiny is to link Troy with Rome.

Legacy and reception: Aeneas embodies the moral ideal of piety and providential destiny in Roman mythology. The figure has influenced a wide range of literature, art, and music, and appears in later medieval and Renaissance works, including Dante’s Divine Comedy, where he is invoked as a representative of Roman virtue and rightful order.