There is useful contribution to this question in Julia T. Dyson's 'King of the Wood' (Oklahoma 2001) - a big improvement (for my money) on Frazer's original arguments. Dyson argues among other things that V clearly leads us to think that Aeneas will die amid water. She particularly emphasises Palinurus' status as A's alter ego: and look what happened to him. Thomugh she pays full attention to the reports connecting A's death with the River Numicus she also suggests that VIII 61, where Tiber says 'mihi victor honorem persolves'/'when you have won your battle, you will accord me all the honour that I deserve' is double-edged, in that the full and final honour for Tiber would be receiving A and transferring him to the next world. 'Honores', she argues, are for a divine being the sacrifices due to him/her. Overall, Dyson argues that V sought but could not see an end to sacrifice. Thus he helped to prepare the way for Christianity, which presumably could solve the problem by declaring convincingly that a supreme and final sacrifice had occurred. Prophet of the Gentiles after all! - Martin Hughes
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