The Muses
- Looks after
- Epic poetry
- Often shown with
- A writing tablet, a scroll.
Calliope
Καλλιόπη
Calliope is the Muse of epic poetry, named by Hesiod as the chief of the nine.
Hesiod names Calliope last in his list of the nine Muses, but says she is the most important, because she attends on respected kings. Her name means beautiful voice. Later writers made her the Muse of epic poetry, the poetry of Homer and Virgil.
She is the mother of Orpheus by Apollo or by King Oeagrus, depending on the version, and sometimes of Linus. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, she is the judge and singer in the contest between the Muses and the Pierides.
She is usually shown with a writing tablet or a scroll.
In later art and language
The calliope, the steam organ of fairgrounds, was patented in 1855 and named after her; the name is traditionally pronounced cal-LIE-oh-pee.
Ancient sources
- Hesiod, Theogony 75-79
- Ovid, Metamorphoses 5.294-678