Any living person voyaging to the Underworld needs the golden bough to get there safely, to present as a gift to the Underworld's queen, Proserpina. But only those with the right fate can remove the bough from the tree by the Underworld's entrance near Naples. Aeneas manages to take the bough, which comes to symbolize his extraordinary fate.
Get the entire The Aeneid LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Golden Bough Symbol Timeline in The Aeneid
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Golden Bough appears in The Aeneid. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 6
...come back up. To visit the ghosts, he must find a nearby tree with a golden bough , which he must present as a gift to Proserpina, queen of the Underworld. Only...
(full context)
...the Trojans build a tomb for him. Aeneas prays to find the tree with the golden bough , and Venus sends two doves to help him. He finds the tree near the...
(full context)
...Aeneas he cannot take a living person across the river, but the Sibyl displays the golden bough , and Charon ceases his objections. After crossing, the Sibyl subdues the three-headed guard dog...
(full context)
Aeneas leaves the golden bough at the gate to the happy part of the Underworld, the Elysian Fields. He and...
(full context)
