| “ | My message to your master bear: Such as the sire deserv'd, the son I send; It costs him dear to be the Phrygians' friend. The lifeless body, tell him, I bestow, Unask'd, to rest his wand'ring ghost below. |
„ |
| ~ Turnus after slaying Pallas (John Dryden translation). |
Turnus was a major antagonist in Roman mythology, serving as one of two main antagonists (alongside Juno) of Virgil's epic poem Aeneid. He is the king of the Rutulians, and the main opponent of the heroic Aeneas in Latium.
Aeneid[]
When Aeneas first arrives in Latium with his army of Trojans, he draws the ire of Turnus by becoming engaged to King Latinus's daughter Lavinia, who Turnus had hoped to marry. The fury Allecto, acting under the orders of Juno, visits Turnus in disguise and encourages him to go to war for Lavinia's hand. Turnus mocks Allecto, who reveals herself and sticks Turnus with a "burning torch" that fills him with rage and desire for battle. A fatal skirmish between Trojans and Latins over a hunting dispute gives Turnus the perfect excuse, and he summons all allies of the Latins to go to war with Aeneas.
In Virgil's catalogue of the Latin warleaders, Turnus is one of the final ones listed. Juno later sends him a message informing him that Aeneas has left to recruit King Evander of Arcadia as an ally and that if Turnus strikes now he can defeat the Trojans. Turnus responds by attempting to burn the Trojan ships, which are transformed into nymphs by the gods to protect them. Turnus wrongly interprets this as an omen that he will win the war.
Turnus then leads a siege of the enemy camp, during which he slays many Trojans. When the Trojan heroes Bitias and Pandarus open the gates of the camp in order to kill more Latins, Turnus leaps at the opportunity to win glory and rushes them. He slays them both, although Pandarus is able to shut the gates behind him. Bloodlust then overtakes Turnus, and instead of opening the gates to allow his troops in and sack the camp he instead pursues the fleeing guards to slaughter them. The Trojan leader Mnestheus manages to rally his fleeing troops, who muster together and chase Turnus away.
In Book X, Turnus leads the Rutulian contingent to attack Aeneas when he lands his ships in view of the camp. On hearing that Evander's son Pallas is wreaking havoc on Lausus's Etruscans, Turnus orders Lausus to fall back so he can duel Pallas himself. Pallas slightly injures Turnus, who throws his spear and fatally wounds Pallas. As Pallas dies, Turnus loots his belt for himself. Aeneas's rage at this news leads him to almost single-handedly rout Turnus's men, although Turnus himself escapes death due to Juno's interference.
The Latins hold a council in which Turnus's rival Drances calls for an end to the war, but Turnus refuses. A report that Aeneas is advancing allows Turnus to take advantage of the confusion to incite the Rutulians and Volsci to deploy against the enemy. He persuades the Volscian queen Camilla to deploy against the Trojans while Turnus prepares an ambush. However, the news of Camilla's death sends Turnus into a frenzy and he abandons the ambush to confront Aeneas.
In the poem's final chapter, Turnus again refuses to abandon the war even when told that he will die if the conflict continues. He sends a message to Aeneas declaring that the war, and by extension Lavinia's husband, will be decided by a duel between the two of them. However, the temporary truce is broken when Turnus's sister, the river goddess Juturna, convinces his men to attack the Trojans. Turnus is willing to violate the truce and fells many more of Aeneas's men, spurning Juturna's attempts to save him in order to face down Aeneas personally despite knowing that Aeneas will kill him.
The final duel between the two heroes is decided by the god Jupiter, who uses a pair of scales to decide the victor. Several gods intervene on both sides, with Faunus lodging Aeneas's shield in a tree stump while Juturna retrieves a sword that Turnus had previously dropped. Jupiter, angered, forces Juturna to withdraw and allow the duel to reach a natural conclusion. Aeneas eventually wounds Turnus, who falls to the ground and begs for his life. Aeneas is about to spare him, but notices that Turnus is wearing the belt that he stole from the body of Pallas. Enraged, he strikes Turnus dead, and the poem ends with his ghost entering the underworld.
Trivia[]
- Many scholars consider Turnus a tragic figure, as his conflict with Aeneas and unhappy end is caused by Juno and Allecto using him as a pawn in Juno's revenge scheme, with Turnus not even wanting war until Allecto forces him.
