Two sons of goddesses face each other in battle. One of them, Aeneas, is defending his doomed city; the other, Achilles, is part of an alliance fighting for divine justice and the marital rights of its commander’s brother, but all such things are now overshadowed by the need to avenge the killing of his friend. He mocks Aeneas for attempting single combat with an enemy beyond his strength; Aeneas in turn mocks Achilles for resorting to mere insult, but then moves on to speak of the past, recalling ‘the very famous tales (epea) of mortal men’ (Il. 20.204) about both men’s origins.