Virgil's Aeneid: The Avenging Nymph Opis and Her Role in Roman Mythology

In Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid, composed during Augustus's reign, the minor character Arruns kills the Italic queen Camilla during the Trojan-Latin war in Italy. In response, the goddess Diana dispatches her nymph companion Opis to exact vengeance. Opis, a figure documented in earlier Greek sources like Herodotus as a Hyperborean maiden associated with Artemis, slays Arruns. Virgil's inclusion of these characters explores mythological connections between Rome's foundation legends and earlier Greek traditions, while Arruns may draw inspiration from later Etruscan historical figures.