Nisus and Euryalus

In Greek and Roman mythology, Nisus (Ancient Greek: Νῖσος, romanized: Nîsos, lit. 'island') and Euryalus (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρύαλος, romanized: Eurýalos, lit. 'broad') are two young warriors serving under Aeneas in the Aeneid, the Augustan epic by Virgil. Their foray among the enemy, narrated in book nine, demonstrates their stealth and prowess as warriors, but ends as a tragedy: the loot Euryalus acquires (a glistening Rutulian helmet) attracts attention, and the two die together. Virgil presents their deaths as a loss of admirable loyalty and valor. They also appear in Book 5, during the funeral games of Anchises, where Virgil takes note of their amor pius, a love that exhibits the pietas that is Aeneas's own distinguishing virtue.

In describing the bonds of devotion between the two youths, Virgil draws on conventions of erotic poetry that have suggested a romantic relationship, interpreted by scholars in light of the Greek custom of paiderastia, in which their amor pius could also mean erotic love, modeled on the classical reading of Achilles and Patroclus. Their relationship is, however, so subtly approached that for some critics its nature is not entirely clear, a possible concession Virgil made to Roman social restrictions on relationships between freeborn males, especially in a military context. But the author does describe Euryalus as Nisus's amorum, a term which, as acknowledged by both modern classicists and ancient commentators (such as Servius), denotes sexual, not brotherly, love.

Mythology

Background

Nisus and Euryalus are among the refugees who in the aftermath of the Trojan War flee under the leadership of Aeneas, the highest-ranking Trojan to survive. Nisus was the son of Hyrtacus, and was known for his hunting. The family cultivated the huntress-goddess who inhabited Mount Ida.