The Muses
- Looks after
- History
- Often shown with
- A scroll, a chest of books.
Clio
Κλειώ
Clio is the Muse of history. Her name means to make famous or to celebrate.
Clio is one of the nine Muses. Her name comes from kleos, the Greek word for glory or fame, since in early Greek poetry the task of the poet was to preserve the glory of great deeds. In Hellenistic and Roman times she became specifically the Muse of history.
She is shown with a scroll or a chest of books. In a story from Apollodorus, she mocked Aphrodite for her love of Adonis, and Aphrodite made her fall in love with Pierus, with whom she had a son, Hyacinthus.
In later art and language
Clio is the name of the French car and of the Clio Awards for advertising, as well as of many history magazines.
Ancient sources
- Hesiod, Theogony 77
- Apollodorus, Library 1.3.3