The story of Aeneas was principally the creation of Vergil, although it had antecedents in the Iliad and in Roman legend. Vergil consciously modeled his tale on the two Homeric epics. The first half of The Aeneid is like The Odyssey, an account of a hero's wanderings, while the second half is like the Iliad, an account of war. But Vergil was uniquely original in portraying a hero who fights for a future civilization, not for his own honor or for any existing nation. Aeneas knows he bears a special destiny and he sacrifices much to fulfill it, abandoning site after site, leaving his newfound happiness with Dido, undertaking a terrible war, and finally killing the brave Turnus. Yet he is not ruthless, having a generous and compassionate heart. The difference between the way he kills Lausus and the way Turnus kills Pallas is the difference between a man with a great soul and a man who fights merely to win. It is precisely Aeneas' sense of mission that makes him morally superior, because he feels himself responsible for unborn generations of men. That sense of mission makes The Aeneid an original and outstanding work of Western culture. The Iliad by contrast is deeply pessimistic. Vergil affirms the life founded on hope and action while acknowledging life's sadness and the brutality of war.
The tale of Romulus and Remus, adapted here from Livy, is a mixture of folklore, mythical tradition, and invention. Romulus and Remus have a god for a father and a virgin for a mother; they are rescued miraculously; they grow up in humble circumstances; they battle with evildoers; and the secret of their parentage is revealed. Once Romulus gains his kingdom after killing Remus he rules wisely and capably, as effective in war as in peace. As a hero he is sufficient, but he lacks the transcendent stature of Aeneas.
Patriotic heroes were characteristic of Rome, for the Romans had a community spirit that elevated the idea of making personal sacrifices for the state. The Greeks lacked a sense of the common welfare and created individualistic heroes out for fame. In this respect the Romans represented an advance over Greek culture.
