Mezentius

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In Roman mythology, Mezentius was an Etruscan King, and father of Lausus. He was sent into exile because of his cruelty, and he moved to Latium. He reveled in bloodshed and was overwelmingly savage on the battlefield, but more significantly to a Roman audience, he was a "contemptor divum" (contemptor of the gods).

He appeared in Virgil's Aeneid, primarily book ten, where he aided Turnus in a war against Aeneas and the Trojans. While in battle with Aeneas, he was critically injured by a spear blow, but his son Lausus bravely blocked Aeneas's final blow to save his life. However, Lausus was then killed by Aeneas and Mezentius was able to escape death for a short while. Once he heard of Lausus' death, he felt ashamed that his son died in his place and returned to battle on his horse Rhaebus in order to avenge his son's death. He was able to keep Aeneas on the defensive for some time, by riding around Aeneas and loosing javelins. Eventually, Aeneas killed Rhaebus with a spear and pinned Mezentius underneath. He was overcome by Aeneas, but remained defiant and fearless unto his death, not begging for mercy as Turnus later did, but simply asking that he be buried with his son.

In the traditional myth before Virgil's Aeneid, Mezentius actually outlived Aeneas, who 'disappeared' into the River, which Aeneas became associated with and worshiped by a hero cult. However, Virgil was eager to show his native Etruria in a good light, so he portrayed Mezentius as a Tyrant, attributing to him the evils which the Greek authors had previously accused the Etruscans of, such as torture and savagery - an ethnic prejudice present in works such as the Homeric Hymns. Thus he created something of a scapegoat of Mezentius and portrayed the Etruscan people as a good race who fight alongside Aeneas.