The Aeneid: Book 6

Question 1

Aeneas arrives in _____. Like many a globetrotter after him, Aeneas’s first visit is to the local tourist office – meaning, of course, the cave of the _____, a prophetess who owes her power to the god _______.

Answer 1

Italy, Sibyl, Apollo

Question 2

When Aeneas arrives at her temple, which was built by the famous inventor ________.

Answer 2

Daedalus

Question 3

He spends some time admiring the doors of the temple, also built by _________. These depict various mythological scenes. Something they don’t depict is the death of Daedalus’s son _______. Virgil tells us that Daedalus twice tried to fashion a depiction of his death in gold, but both times was overcome by emotion.

Answer 3

Daedalus, Icarus

Question 4

Then out of the temple comes _______, who had gone ahead, with the Sibyl.

Answer 4

Achates

Question 5

The Sibyl tells him stop admiring the doors and sacrifice seven young _____ and seven ______. Aeneas passes along the orders to his men to make it happen.

Answer 5

bulls, ewes

Question 6

Then, the Sibyl takes them into her inner shrine. There, she becomes possessed by the god ______, and instructs Aeneas to pray.

Answer 6

Apollo

Question 7

After that, the Sibyl busts out some prophecies. Specifically, she says that things are going be tough: they will have to fight a war to secure their territory in Italy. She predicts that a new ______ will arise in the territory of _______. (Achilles was the greatest of the Greek warriors fighting against Troy in the Trojan War.)

Answer 7

Achilles, Latium

Question 8

The Sibyl then says that the war will arise as a result of a foreign _____. She says that the Trojans will find safety from an unexpected source: a ______ city.

Answer 8

bride, Greek

Question 9

After receiving this prophecy, Aeneas prays to be allowed to descend to the _______, so that he can visit his father.

Answer 9

underworld

Question 10

The _____ says that the way down to the underworld is easy, it’s coming back out that’s the tricky part.

Answer 10

Sibyl

Question 11

She says that Aeneas must go deep into the forest and, in darkest and most secluded part, find a tree sprouting a golden bough. He must pluck this bough and bring it as a gift to _________, the queen of the underworld. She says that only those who are fated to can pluck the bough: it won’t come off for those who try to force it.

Answer 11

Proserpina

Question 12

But then the Sibyl reveals a snag. She says that the Trojans have become defiled and have to purify themselves. This is because one of their number has died and remains unburied. The Sibyl says they have to find out who it is, bury him, and then sacrifice some black animals. Then Aeneas can go down to the _________.

Answer 12

underworld

Question 13

You might have thought that the unburied dead guy was _______, but actually it’s some guy named _______. He had apparently made the mistake of thinking he was better at blowing his conch shell than the sea god _____. Gods don’t take kindly to that sort of boast, and Triton’s response was to drown Misenus in the surf.

Answer 13

Palinurus, Misenus, Triton

Question 14

While the Trojans start building a pyre for ______, Aeneas prays for a sign that the Sibyl’s other predictions will come true, just like this one did. ______ sends down two doves, reassuring Aeneas.

Answer 14

Misenus, Venus

Question 15

Then Aeneas asks to be shown where the golden ______ is. The doves fly off and he follows. Eventually, they lead him to the spot.

Answer 15

bough

Question 16

Aeneas is totally excited, and breaks the _____ off the tree. We are told that it “clung” to the tree a bit.

Answer 16

bough

Question 17

Now armed with the golden bough, Aeneas follows the ______ down into the underworld, where they immediately encounter a lot of freaky stuff.

Answer 17

Sibyl

Question 18

Then they come to the banks of the River ______, where a crowd of souls has assembled, waiting to be ferried across by _______, the boatman of the underworld.

Answer 18

Styx, Charon

Question 19

The _____ explains that only those who have been buried can cross; those who haven’t been must first wait a hundred years on the Styx’s banks.

Answer 19

Sibyl

Question 20

At this point, Aeneas catches sight of his lost pilot, _________ – now one of the unburied dead crowding the bank, denied passage.

Answer 20

Palinurus

Question 21

Aeneas asks ________ if Apollo’s oracle had lied, and some god had killed him.

Answer 21

Palinurus

Question 22

Palinurus says, “No, no god killed me. The rudder broke while I was leaning on it, and I fell into the water. Then I swam ashore, but some ____ killed me.”

Answer 22

locals

Question 23

Then Palinurus asks _____ to bury him. “Or,” he says, “take me across with you.”

Answer 23

Aeneas

Question 24

But then the _____ cuts him off, saying, “You know that we can’t take you. Anyhow, some other locals are going to bury your body soon enough – and then they are going to name that cape of land after you.” ________ is satisfied with this response.

Answer 24

Sibyl, Palinurus

Question 25

Then up paddles _______, the ferryman, and addresses Aeneas and the Sibyl as follows: “Whaddaya want?”

Answer 25

Charon

Question 26

The Sibyl explains that Aeneas is just going to see his dad. Then she reveals the golden _______. That does the trick, and _______ takes them across.

Answer 26

bough, Charon

Question 27

Once they get to the other side, Aeneas and the Sibyl see various dead people. Aeneas sees _____, and approaches her. He tells her he is sorry, and how it wasn’t his fault for leaving her: he was only doing the gods’ bidding, just as he is now.

Answer 27

Dido

Question 28

But Dido doesn’t listen to him. Instead, without a word, she runs off to join the shade of her dead husband, _________. Next Aeneas sees some dead Trojan warriors – plus some Greeks, who scatter when he approaches.

Answer 28

Sychaeus

Question 29

Then he catches sight of _________, a Trojan warrior. His face shows that he has been cruelly mutilated.

Answer 29

Deiphobus

Question 30

Deiphobus, who had married ______ after the death of ______, says that his wife is to blame. During the fall of Troy, she let her former husband, Menelaus, and Ulysses into their bedroom, and the two of them went at him.

Answer 30

Helen, Paris

Question 31

He asks what Aeneas is doing there, but before he can answer, the Sibyl taps her watch and says that they’ve got to get a move on. ________ says, “That’s cool. Peace out.”

Answer 31

Deiphobus

Question 32

Then Aeneas and the Sibyl come to a place where the road forks. The path on the left leads to ________, the black pit of hell. The one on the right leads toward ________, where the blessed go.

Answer 32

Tartarus, Elysium

Question 33

The Sibyl tells Aeneas about the horrible torments suffered by the souls in ________. Then she tells him again to hurry up. They go to the gates of ________’s palace where, after performing a cleansing ritual, he leaves the golden bough.

Answer 33

Tartarus, Proserpina

Question 34

After that, he and the Sibyl head to Elysium – the ultimate chill-out zone, a.k.a. Club Dead. They go up to _______, an ancient singer and poet, and ask where ________ is. Musaeus directs him to the spot. There they find Anchises watching the souls preparing for rebirth.

Answer 34

Musaeus, Anchises

Question 35

Aeneas and Anchises share a tearful reunion. Then Aeneas catches sight of the thousands of souls crowding around a nearby ______. He asks Anchises, “What gives?”

Answer 35

river

Question 36

Anchises says that these are souls waiting to be reborn. They are drinking from the River _____, whose waters will wipe clean their memory of their previous lives. Aeneas says, “Why would they want to live again?”

Answer 36

Lethe

Question 37

That’s Anchises’s cue to have a fatherly talk with Aeneas (a super-special fatherly talk, since Anchises is now dead and knows the secrets of the universe). Anchises explains that everything that exists – including things like the sky, the land, the water, the moon, sun, and stars, as well as living creatures – is permeated with ______.

Answer 37

Spirit

Question 38

This ______ occasionally becomes part of living things. When this happens, though, the body pollutes the spirit and clouds its vision.

Answer 38

Spirit

Question 39

Even in death, the spirit retains traces of its old life. As a result, the souls of the dead must spend a good deal of time (sometimes up to a thousand years) being purified (sometimes involving torments), so that they can regain clear vision. (Those who were especially pure in life – like Anchises – get to chill out in ________.)

Answer 39

Elysium

Question 40

Then, when the time comes, the soul of the dead man drinks from the waters of ______ and enters a new body.

Answer 40

Lethe

Question 41

Anchises shows Aeneas some of the people waiting to be reborn. These include many future leaders of _____.

Answer 41

Rome

Question 42

First Anchises points out a bunch of Aeneas’s immediate descendants. Then he points out members of the ______ dynasty, culminating in Caesar Augustus (the first Roman emperor).

Answer 42

Julian

Question 43

Then they see various other figures from Roman history, last of whom is ________, who looks a little under the weather. Marcellus was Augustus’s nephew, son-in-law, and prospective heir; ________ explains that he looks glum because he is destined to die young, without fulfilling his promise.

Answer 43

Marcellus, Anchises

Question 44

After this who’s-who session, ________ shows Aeneas a bunch of other cool stuff, including glimpses of the future. This gets Aeneas all fired up for the rest of his mission.

Answer 44

Anchises

Question 45

But now it’s time to wrap things up. Anchises takes Aeneas to the exit of the Underworld: the Gates of _______. There are two gates, to be precise. One, made of _____, is the gate from which “true shades” Emerge. The other is made of ______; through it, “false dreams” make their way to mankind.

Answer 45

Sleep, horn, ivory

Question 46

Aeneas and the Sibyl leave through the _____ gate of false dreams.

Answer 46

ivory