The Aeneid Primitiveness Quotes Page 4

In these lines, Turnus draws a sharp contrast between himself (and, by extension, his people), who are from the land they are fighting in, and Aeneas and his men, who are potentially dangerous outsiders. By praying to the guardian spirits of the land, his primitive (in the sense of being their first) status in Italy pays off, when the gods prevent Aeneas from being able to pull his spear out of a tree-stump. Unfortunately, more powerful gods – and the fates – are on the side of the Trojans, and primitive Italy is destined to fall under the sway of a more modern empire.