Evander
Aeneas Accepting the Hospitality of Evander in Italy by Cornelis Galle, after Nicolas de Liemaker, after Peter Paul Rubens (1635–1636)
RijksmuseumPublic DomainOverview
Evander, usually regarded as the son of Hermes (Mercury) and a nymph named Carmentis, was a hero of both Greek and Roman mythology.
Originally from Arcadia in Greece, Evander was forced to flee to Italy. There he was received by the local king Faunus and founded the city of Pallantium on the site where Rome would one day stand.
In Virgil’s Aeneid, Evander allies himself with Aeneas when the latter comes to Italy and initiates a war with Turnus. However, this support costs Evander the life of his son Pallas, who falls in battle.
Evander was seen as a culture hero in Latium, where he was said to have introduced writing, music, and various cults to the local people. He had a cult at the Porta Trigemina in Rome, and his grave was said to be on the top of the Palatine Hill.[1]