The Greek germ out of which the legend arose, and the acceptance of this explanation of their origin by the Romans from the beginning of their literary history, are clearly ascertained. But there is great uncertainty as to the connecting link between these two stages in the development of the legend. The continuance of the line of Aeneas after the destruction of Troy is announced by the mouth of Poseidon in the twentieth Book of the Iliad (307-308):--
{ ~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH VARIA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH VARIA~} { ~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~} { ~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER XI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH VARIA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}, { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH TONOS~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH TONOS~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}(455).