Lausus
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For other uses, see Lausus of Constantinople.
Lausus was the son of the ousted Etruscan king Mezentius, and fought with him against Aeneas and the Trojans in Italy. He appears in Virgil's Aeneid in Books VII and X. When his father is wounded by Aeneas, Lausus steps in between them, and Aeneas strikes them down. In doing so, Lausus embodies the idea of pietas that Vergil praises throughout, with the relationships of Anchises and Aeneas and of Pallas and Evander.
Aeneas immediately feels remorse for his behavior, and he gives Lausus a proper soldier's burial.
Lausus is considered a foil in the Aeneid to Pallas, the son of Evander. Both are young, come down from royal blood, are handsome, strong, full of filial piety, and both die at the hands of greater heroes.
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