Mnestheus

Not to be confused with Menesthius or Menestheus.

Mnestheus (Ancient Greek: Μνησθεός) is a character from Roman mythology, found in Virgil's Aeneid. He is described by Virgil as the ancestral hero of the Memmii and "Of the house of Assaracus". One of a handful of vaguely defined lieutenants under Aeneas, he appears to be Aeneas's most senior captain, taking charge in Book 9 in his absence. He takes second place in the boat race during the funeral games of Anchises in Book 5.

See also

• 9023 Mnesthus, Jovian asteroid named after Mnestheus
• Mnestheus (skipper), a genus of butterflies

References

• Virgil IV, 288; IX, 171, 781.
• A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities edited by William Smith (1870).

External links

• The Aeneid by Virgil' at Project Gutenberg (in English)