Camilla In The Aeneid

In contemporary times, the word “myth” signifies a misrepresentation of facts, rumors, or imaginary stories. According to William Bascom, “Myths are prose narratives which, in the society in which they are told, are considered to be truthful accounts of what happened in the remote past (9). In other words, a myth narrates important historical, religious, and social aspects of a period, but contains a famous cultural hero that mirrors that society. For example, the life and death of the Volscian female warrior, Camilla, in The Aeneid by Virgil, can represent Bascoms definition of a myth. Although Scholars state that The Aeneid, does not qualify as a myth since the poems did not diffuse orally, the life and death of Camilla still qualifies as a myth, because it resembles a creation myth, traces the historical, political, religious and social life of Ancient Rome, and exposes the victories and defeats of a cultural hero.
The life and death of the female warrior Camilla in the book VII and XI of The Aeneid narrates the early life of a Volscian, ruthless female warrior whom leads Turnus men into the battle against the Trojans and the Italians. Camilla’s parents, Metabus and Casmilla, …show more content…
Normally, women would not be as powerful as Camilla, due to Ancient Rome’s ridged hierarchical system “Gender fit into a hierarchical system in which the male was superior, the female inferior and likened to other weak and wayward creatures….” (D’ambra 12). Men in Ancient Rome considered women insignificant and treated them as pets. The fathers were the ones who decided their daughter’s love relationship, social activities, and political power (D’ambra). Male superiority in Ancient Rome explains why Camilla strictly obeys Metabus’ desires for her to serve as a warrior and remain a virgin. Thus, the life of Camilla mirrors Ancient Rome’s social life, making Camilla’s life a