The Muses
The Muses are the Greek goddesses who preside over the arts and sciences and inspire those who excel at these pursuits. Daughters of Zeus, king of the gods, and Mnemosyne (memory), they were born at Pieria at the foot of Mount Olympus.
Their name denotes memory or a reminder, since in the earliet times poets, having no books to read from, relied on their memories. The word Museum originated from the word Muse, because it is a place where art, history, astronomy is preserved.
The original number of muses and their names varies in earlier times as their evolution blossomed in Greek mythology. At first, three muses were worshipped on Mount Helicon in Boeotia: Melete (meditation), Mneme (memory), and Aoede (song). Another three were worshipped at Delphi and their names represented the names of the strings of a lyre: Nete, Mese, and Hypate. Several other versions were worshipped until the Greeks finally established the nine muses in mythology as: Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania.
Their companions are the Charites, the Horae, Eros, Dionysus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Harmonia, and Himerus (Desire). Apollo is the leader of the choir of the Muses and consequently he has the surname Musagetes. Athena caught and tamed the winged horse Pegasus and gave him to the Muses. Some of their disciples included the Sphinx who learned her riddle from the Muses, Aristaeus, who learned the arts of healing and prophecy from them, and Echo, who was taught by them to play music.
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Many places were dedicated to the Muses such as the famous Valley of the Muses. Thespies on the eastern slopes of Mt. Helikon began it’s Mouseai festivals in the 6th c. B.C. It was organized every 5 years by the Thespians. Poets and musicians from all over Greece also participated in various games (epic, poetry, rapsodia, kithara, aulos, satyric poetry, tragedy and comedy). The famous Museum of Alexandria, founded by Ptolemy I, was a temple dedicated to the Muses. Before poets or storytellers recited their work, it was customary for them to invoke the inspiration and protection of the Muses.
Most people associate the Muse with poetic inspiration. But the original Muse encompassed far more than poetry and the creative arts. She was associated with nature, healing, music, celebration, fame, comedy, tragedy and astronomy. She was the catalyst for all forms of inspiration. Creativity is not restricted to the arts, it is an approach to living life.
The 9 Muses are:
Erato the Lovely is the muse of love, mime and poetry, and is seen with a lyre and sometimes wears a crown of roses.
Calliope (Calliopeia), the Fair Voice and the eldest Muse, is the muse of Eloquence and epic poetry and is seen holding a writing tablet in hand, sometimes seen with a roll of paper or a book, and crowned in gold.
Clio the Proclaimer is the muse of history and is often seen sitting with a scroll and accompanied by a chest of books. She has been credited with introducing the Phoenician alphabet into Greece.
Urania the Heavenly is the muse of astronomy and is represented by a staff pointed at a celestial globe. She foretells the future by the position of the stars.
Euterpe the Giver of Pleasure is the muse of music and is represented with a flute. It has been said she is the inventor of the double flute.
Melpomene the Songstress is the muse of tragedy in spite of her joyous singing and is represented by the tragic mask. She is sometimes seen with garland, a club and a sword.
Terpsichore the Whirler is the muse of dancing and is often seen dancing with her lyre and a plectrum, an instrument used for plucking stringed instruments.
Thalia (Thaleia) the Flourishing is the muse of comedy and of playful and idyllic poetry, and is seen with a comic mask. She is sometimes seen with a crown of ivy and a crook.
Polyhymnia (Polymnia), She of Many Hymns, is the muse of Divine Poetry and is seen with a pensive look upon her face. She brings distinction to writers whose works have won them immortal fame. She has also been called the Muse of geometry, mime, meditation and agriculture. Polyhymnia is often veiled.
The Charites
In Greek mythology, the Charites were the graces. Their Roman equivalent were the Gratiae. There were three of them, Aglaea, the youngest, Euphrosyne and Thalia, although according to the Spartans, Cleta was the third. They were the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome.
The Charites were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. They were great lovers of beauty and gave humans talents in the arts, closely associated with the Muses. The river Cephissus near Delphi was sacred to them. They were the first ones to welcome Aphrodite when she was blown to shore by the East Wind. The three of them rode in a chariot pulled by white geese.
Paradis
