“I Heard it Through the Grapevine”

Can you believe what Dido did with Aeneas? Holy smokes, I thought she was supposed to be some independent woman that said no to every guy that came her way…

Rumors…. Well, I’m pretty sure that everyone has heard one form or another of gossip in their time. In fact, I’m pretty sure that we hear rumors almost every single day. Whether it be the latest news in celebrities, or the backgrounds of politicians; it could even be a comment on someone’s choice of outfit for the day.  Needless to say, our culture almost thrives on rumors. It’s how we ‘learn’ of things even if they are completely false.

I guess way back in the day rumors were pretty common too because Virgil gives an intriguing description of “Rumour” in his work The Aeneid . This description takes up 25 lines and is so condensed with description that it really caught my eye. First and foremost, “Rumour” is personified, but that’s not why it is interesting. “Rumour” is a woman.  At first this made me a think, “well that’s a little harsh” but in all actuality, women are experts at feeding gossip and soaking it in as well.  Just to clarify, I’m not saying all women enjoy this, but truth is, when was the last time you heard a guy say, “Dude, did you hear about…” unless it has to do with sports that’s factual information? Even then, that could be considered a very benign form of gossip. But more commonly, when girls catch up somewhere in the conversation gossip occurs, even if it is harmless gossip. And that’s the thing, gossip and rumors can be “fact and fiction mixed in equal parts” (The Aeneid, book 1, ln 191-192).

Another thing that stood out was that apparently Virgil understood and perhaps even ran into rumors that were malignant. He describes “Rumour” being a “foul goddess” and being “quick of foot and swift on the wing, a huge and horrible monster”, someone who delights in fuel anger and “thrives on movement and gathers strength as she goes”. (The Aeneid; lns. 176-177, 182-3, 196) I think it’s really amazing how Virgil was able to create an image of rumors in a way that is perfectly correct. Rumors that we know now-a-days can be interspersed with truth and can cause fear and never rests. Virgil paints the image as “Rumour….never lowers her eyelids in sweet sleep…..causes fear in great cities, holding fast to her lies and distortions as often as she tells the truth” (The Aeneid; lns. 187, 189-190).

I believe that rumors are as old as there have been humans on Earth and it truly will never “lower her eyelids” (ln. 187) but I also believe that we can prevent it from overcoming our lives and we can all be a little better in watching what we say and also what we believe. Virgil wasn’t too far off base giving “Rumour” her own section, because it really is a big part of life and could be argued and dissected much more than this post gives it justice.  So, the next time someone asks you if you’ve heard about such and such thing, I hope you remember good ol’ Virgil was warning you about that very thing that seems to never end.