The Greek Gods

18 pages

The Muses

The goddesses of song and memory, whom poets from Homer on have asked for help.

Mosaic of Apollo and the Muses, Sousse Archaeological Museum
Mosaic of Apollo and the Muses, Sousse Archaeological Museum. Source.

The Muses are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the Titaness of memory. Hesiod says there are nine, and that they taught him to sing while he was herding sheep on Mount Helicon. The Odyssey opens with a call to the Muse.

Hesiod's nine are Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia and Urania. The assignment of each Muse to a single art, such as history for Clio or astronomy for Urania, was settled later, in Hellenistic and Roman times, and the sources are not always consistent.

Other sets appear in the sources. Pausanias reports three Muses at Helicon, Melete, Mneme and Aoide. Cicero lists four, Thelxinoe, Aoede, Arche and Melete. A late tradition names Apollonis, Borysthenis and Cephisso as daughters of Apollo. These have little evidence behind them and their pages are short.

The nine

CalliopeEpic poetryCalliope is the Muse of epic poetry, named by Hesiod as the chief of the nine.ClioHistoryClio is the Muse of history. Her name means to make famous or to celebrate.EratoLove poetryErato is the Muse of love poetry, shown with a lyre. Her name is related to eros.EuterpeMusic, and later lyric poetryEuterpe is the Muse of music. Her name means good delight.MelpomeneTragedyMelpomene is the Muse of tragedy. Her name means to sing or celebrate.PolyhymniaSacred hymnsPolyhymnia is the Muse of sacred song and hymns, and is often shown wrapped in a cloak and silent.TerpsichoreDance and choral songTerpsichore is the Muse of dance and choral singing. Her name means delight in dancing.ThaliaComedyThalia is the Muse of comedy, named for the flourishing. A different Thalia is one of the three Graces.UraniaAstronomyUrania is the Muse of astronomy. Her name means heavenly.

Older and lesser Muses

Other names from Pausanias, Cicero and later writers.

AoideSongAoide, whose name means song, is one of the three older Muses in a tradition from Helicon.ApollonisA Muse of Apollo's lineApollonis is named, with Borysthenis and Cephisso, in a late tradition as a daughter of Apollo.ArcheBeginningArche, whose name means beginning, appears in a list of four Muses reported by Cicero.BorysthenisA Muse named for a riverBorysthenis is named with Apollonis and Cephisso in a late tradition as a daughter of Apollo. Her name comes from the river Borysthenes, now the Dnieper.CephissoA Muse named for a riverCephisso is named with Apollonis and Borysthenis in a late tradition as a daughter of Apollo. Her name recalls the river Cephissus.MeletePracticeMelete, whose name means practice or care, is one of the early three Muses in a tradition from Helicon.MnemeMemoryMneme, whose name means memory, is one of the early three Muses in a tradition from Helicon.PolymatheiaMuch learning, as a Muse of the later listsPolymatheia, whose name means much learning, is a Muse named in Plutarch's Table Talk, outside the standard nine.ThelxinoeCharm of the mindThelxinoe is one of four Muses in a list given by Cicero. Her name means mind-charming.