Acestes (or Aegestes): A mythological hero associated with W Sicily. He was the son of the Sicilian river-god Crimisus and Egesta (or Segesta), an exiled Trojan noble woman sent to Sicily by her father to save her from monsters then devastating the Troad (the area around ancient Troy). After the Trojan War, Acetes settled near Mt. Eyrx (Monte Erice) in W Sicily where he founded the cities of Segesta (named for his mother), Entella (named for his wife), Eryx, and Asca. Acestes warmly welcomed Aeneas and his followers when they landed in his territory. When Aeneas returned to Sicily, after his adventure with Dido in Africa, he held funeral games for his late father Anchises. As a participant in an archery contest during these games, Acestes shot an arrow into the air with such force that it caught fire. Aeneas, interpreting this as a good sign, awarded Acestes the prize. Many of Aeneas’s Trojan followers chose to remain behind in Acetes’s kingdom where they married with the native population. This legend of a Trojan origin for the Elymians of Sicily later contributed to both their historically documented hostility towards the Greeks (traditional enemies of the Trojans) and to their support of the Romans, whom they viewed as Trojan descended kinsmen. Some sources contend that Acestes was a total invention of Virgil created as a way of moving his story along. Others, however, believe that Acestes was a figure who belonged to the mythology of western Sicily whose story was told to Virgil during a visit to the island.
Dante mentions the story of Acestes and Aeneas in the Purgatorio section of his “Divine Comedy.” The poet places those Trojans who remained behind in Sicily with Acestes among the Slothful in the 4th Circle of Purgatory.