Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey portrayed Odysseus as a hero. However, the Romans, who believed themselves to be scions of Prince Aeneas of Troy, considered him a cruel villain.[ While the Greeks admired his multi-faceted, “many-turning” personality, these qualities did not recommend themselves to the Latin self-image. His attempt to avoid his sacred oath to defend Menelaus and Helen offended Roman notions of duty; the many stratagems and tricks he employed to get his way offended Roman notions of honor. In Virgil’s Aeneid he is constantly referred to as “cruel Odysseus” (Latin “dirus Ulixes”) or “deceitful Odysseus” (“pellacis”, “fandi fictor”).