Nisus and Euryalus

Nisus and Euryalus are characters in Virgil's Aeneid who were widely known for the close bond they shared. When the Trojans are holding funeral games for Aeneas' father, it is his love for Euryalus that drives Nisus to perform in the foot race. When Nisus slips in the blood where the animals were sacrificed, he trips another runner to allow Euryalus to win the race. Later, while Aeneas is away from the Trojan camp, Nisus and Euryalus propose a co... more

Nisus and Euryalus are characters in Virgil's Aeneid who were widely known for the close bond they shared. When the Trojans are holding funeral games for Aeneas' father, it is his love for Euryalus that drives Nisus to perform in the foot race. When Nisus slips in the blood where the animals were sacrificed, he trips another runner to allow Euryalus to win the race. Later, while Aeneas is away from the Trojan camp, Nisus and Euryalus propose a covert night-mission to the other generals. Breaking into the Rutulian camp, they are able to get the better of dozens of drunk, dozing enemies, but get carried away, gathering the spoils of the defeated. Euryalus is spotted and captured, and Nisus is forced to watch from a hiding place as his friend is executed. Enraged, he descends on Euryalus' murderers, killing several of them but dying himself in the process. The exact relationship between the two is not made clear, but there was a deep emotional and possibly romantic connection between... less