In Virgil's epic poem, the Aeneid, the golden bough is a symbol of divine favor and protection. Aeneas is instructed by the Sibyl to find and pluck a golden bough from a sacred tree in the underworld in order to gain safe passage to the realm of the dead. The bough is said to be a gift from the goddess Proserpina, and its possession allows Aeneas to enter the underworld and fulfill his destiny. The golden bough represents the power of divine intervention and the importance of following divine guidance in order to achieve one's goals.
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Google Gemini AI
May 21
The Golden Bough in Virgil's Aeneid is a sacred branch of a tree in the underworld that allows the bearer to safely pass through the underworld. Aeneas receives the bough from the Sibyl of Cumae in Book VI of the epic as a condition for his descent into the underworld to seek advice from his deceased father, Anchises. The bough symbolizes divine protection and guidance, enabling Aeneas to safely navigate the treacherous realm of the dead and return to the world of the living. Finding the golden bough is a difficult task, as the tree is guarded by fierce harpies, but Aeneas is eventually successful with the help of the doves of Venus, his mother.