They date back to Greek mythology, have been visible throughout literary history, and are alive today!
When thinking of "A Muse" throughout history, I think of a play on words; i.e., "A Muse" amuses--hence, the name, amuse. By far, my favorite contemporary interpretation of "a muse" was Sharon Stone's portrayal. If you've not seen the movie, you need to get the DVD.
In Greek mythology, the Muses are nine archaic goddesses who embody the right evocation of myth, inspired through remembered and improvised song and traditional music and dances.
They were water nymphs, associated with the springs of Helicon and Pieris. They are sometimes called Pierides from their association with the spring of Pieres. The Olympian system set Apollo as their leader, Apollon Mousagetes.
Muses at a glance
In Greek mythology, the Muses (Ancient Greek , hai mo?sai Modern Greek ?? ??????, i moúses.: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root *men- "think"from which mind and mental are also derived; so OED ) are a sisterhood of goddesses or spirits, their number set at nine by Classical times, who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, traditional music, and dance. They were water nymphs, associated with the springs of Helicon and with Pieris, from which they are sometimes called the Pierides. The Olympian system set Apollo as their leader, Apollon Mousaget?s. Not only are the Muses explicitly used in modern English to refer to an inspiration, as when one cites his/her own artistic muse, but they are also implicit in words and phrases such as "amuse" and "musing upon".OED derives "amuse" from French a ("from") + muser, "to stare stupidly" or distractedly.
According to Hesiod's Theogony (seventh century BC), they are the daughters of Zeus, king of the gods, and Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. For Alcman and Mimnermus, they were even more primordial, springing from Uranus and Gaia. Pausanias records a tradition of two generations of Muses; the first being daughters of Uranus and Gaia, the second of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Another, rarer genealogy is that they are daughters of Harmonia (the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares) which contradicts the myth in which they were dancing at the wedding of Harmonia and Cadmus.
Compare the Roman inspiring nymphs of springs, the Camenae, the Völva of Norse Mythology and also the apsarasa in the culture of classical India.
The Greek muse Erato at a glance
In Greek mythology, Erato (?????) is one of the Greek Muses. The name would mean "lovely" if derived from Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully suggested in the invocation to Erato that begins Book III of his Argonautica. Erato was named with the other muses in Hesiod's Theogony. She was invoked at the beginning of a lost poem, Rhadine (??????), that was referred to and briefly quoted by StraboIn Geography 8.3.20; Strabo's attribution of the poem to Stesichorus was refuted by H. J. Rose, "Stesichoros and the Rhadine-Fragment", The Classical Quarterly 26.2 (April 1932), pp. 88-92.. The love story of Rhadine made her supposed tomb on the island of Samos a pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers in the time of PausaniasDescription of Greece 7.5.13. and Erato was linked again with love in Plato's PhaedrusPhaedrus, 259.; nevertheless, even in the third century BCE, when Apollonius wrote, the Muses were not yet as inextricably linked to specific types of poetry as they becameRichard Hunter, editor. Jason and the Golden Fleece (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), p. 66 note..
Erato is the Muse of lyric poetry, especially love and erotic poetry. In the Orphic hymn to the Muses, it is Erato who charms the sight. Since the Renaissance she is often shown with a wreath of myrtle and roses, holding a lyre, or a small kithara, a musical instrument that Apollo or she herself invented. In Simon Vouet's representations (illustration), two turtle-doves are eating seeds at her feet. Other representations may show her holding a golden arrow, reminding one of the "eros", the feeling that she inspires in everybody, and at times she is accompanied by the god Eros, holding a torch.
Erato is also invoked at the beginning of Virgil's Aeneid Book 7 (also the beginning of the second half or 'Iliadic' section of the poem). Calliope (epic); even Melpomene (tragedy) or Clio (history) might seem more appropriate. This may express Virgil's love for his native land, but in any case shows the need for a new creative force and a change in the direction of the poem.
With Arcas, she had one son named AzanDescription of Greece 8.4.2..
Then: A Muse Erato
Erato ("lovely") was a Greek Muse, represented with a lyre.She was the Muse of lyric poetry and hymns. With Arcas, she had one son: Azan.
Do you believe in muses?
Resources on muses ...
The Muses of Gwinn: Art and Nature in a Garden Designed by Warren H. Manning, Charles A. Platt and Ellen Shipman
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Memoirs of a Muse: A Novel
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The Lives of the Muses: Nine Women & the Artists They Inspired
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The Nine Muses: A Mythological Path to Creativity
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The Tragic Muse
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Muses of Today!
Sharon Stone
Elettra Rossellini
**and**
YSL Muse Bag!
The Muse Sharon Stone
In the movie: The Muse 1999
This was such a fun movie with Sharon Stone and Albert Brooks--who was also the director.Plot Summary: What happens when a screenwriter (Brooks) loses his edge, he turns to anyone he can for help... even if it's the mythical "Zeus's Daughter" (Stone). And he's willing to pay, albeit reluctantly, whatever price it takes to satisfy this goddess, especially when her advice gets him going again on a sure-fire script. However, this is not the limit of her help, she also gets the writer's wife (MacDowell) going on her own bakery enterprise, much to the chagrin of Brooks, who has already had to make many personal sacrifices for his own help.
I do believe in muses!
I am 'a muse' to my better half. How about you?
Modern day muse Sharon Stone ...
She's a glamorous muse, to say the least!
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning actress, producer, and former fashion model. She came to international attention for her performance in the 1992 Hollywood blockbuster film Basic Instinct. She was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress for her role in Casino, won a Golden Globe for her role in Casino, and has won an Emmy Award.
Get Sharon Stone's The Muse
The Muse
Comic writer-director Albert Brooks (Lost in America, Defending Your Life, Mother) specializes in difficult characters. Not characters who are neurotic in a fumbling but endearing Woody Allen kind of way; Brooks creates characters who would be a pain in the ass to know and are sometimes kind of excruciating to even watch--which is not to say that they're not also extremely funny. However, The Muse manages to soften the edges of his persona while sustaining the humor. Steven (Brooks), a screenwriter, can't get anyone interested in his scripts.
An extremely successful friend recommends that he talk to Sarah (Sharon Stone), who is--according the friend--a muse, one of the daughters of the Greek god Zeus who inspire creativity. The only problem is that Sarah not only gives, she takes: She demands gifts of diamond necklaces, expensive hotel rooms, late-night trips to expensive restaurants, and virtual servitude from whomever she's taken under her wing. This initially arouses suspicion in Steven's wife, Laura (Andie MacDowell), but soon Laura is asking for her own inspiration and it's Steven who starts to get jealous.
Stone runs wild with her capricious character and an abundance of tart cameos (from Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Rob Reiner, Jennifer Tilly, Cybill Shepherd, and Wolfgang Puck) add juice to the proceedings. --Bret Fetzer
Amazon Price: (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $19.95
How do you feel about Sharon Stone's other roles?
The buzz on Sharon Stone, formerly a muse!
- Sharon Stone denies suggesting Botox for son’s ’stinky feet’
- Actress Sharon Stone has slammed reports claiming that she was the one who suggested her 8-year-old son to go for Botox to relieve his stinky feet. The allegations were part of court papers presented during the ?Basic Instinct' star's ...
- Sharon Stone's Groceries Get the Glamour Treatment
- Um. I saw somebody with an obvious facelift at Pacific Centre in Vancouver the other day. So that must have been a famous person, right? raincoaster.
- Sharon Stone Basic Instinct Hot Trio
- Sharon Stone Basic Instinct Hot Trio Author: Ynscglyn Keywords: Sharon Stone Trio Added: September 9, 2008.
- Sharon Stone's Groceries Get the Glamour Treatment
- @Desk_hack: Actually, Jerry O'Connell was near Abbot Kinney. And hold on to your hat; his behavior was strange. Beppo.
The brand of Lamarthe has a "muse" -- Elettra Rossellini
Elettra Rossellini is "the muse of the brand" of Lamarthe and Rossy De Palma is the director of Lamarthe's new short film for the Winter 2007/2008 collection.Pictured here is Elettra, Rossy and "Cult" the new Lamarthe designer handbag that is "a casual chic unstructured style."
A special lens on the Lamarthe brand
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Lamarthe Designer Handbags
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Have you heard of the wonderful luxury designer handbag brand of Lamarthe? Until recently the popular French line Lamarthe could only be found in the chic department stores of Paris. Today Lamarthe's Exception bag is named as one of Elle...
Modern day muse Elettra Rossellini at a glance
Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann (born 1983 in New York City) is an American fashion model. She is the daughter of Italian actress and model Isabella Rossellini and American Jonathan Wiedemann (a Harvard-educated Microsoft design manager and former fashion model), who were married from 1983 to 1986 after having met at a Calvin Klein photo shoot. Her maternal grandparents were Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini. Elettra has an adopted younger brother Roberto (born 1993).
Elettra grew up in New York City and attended high school at the United Nations International School, where she became fluent in French. Growing up, Elettra suffered from scoliosis, a condition that had also afflicted her mother, and had to wear a back brace twenty-three hours a day from the ages of twelve to seventeen.
Elettra attended college at The New School, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. She will be continuing her education in the Fall of 2008, when she enters a two year graduate school program at the London School of Economics in order to receive a master's degree in biomedicine.
During her time at college, she began a modeling career. Her first contract was for Bruce Weber for Abercrombie & Fitch. In addition, she has also modeled for companies like Bill Blass and Ferragamo and for the fashion magazines Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. In fact, she spent two years living and modeling in Milan, becoming fluent in Italian. Currently, she is the spokesmodel for Lancômes Hydra Zen moisturizer and Color Ideal foundation product lines.
Elettra is also a co-founder of justonefrickinday.com, a non-profit organization for special charity projects around the world.
A special lens on Elettra Rossellini
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Elettra Rossellini?
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If you've not yet heard of this beauty, stay tuned as I predict you will be seeing and hearing a lot more of her in the not too distant future! Elettra Rossellini comes from fabulous stock, rather designer genes. There's her mother Isabella Ros...
Grab yourself a Lamarthe bag--the brand with a muse!
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The word muse can refer to many things ...
- A type of Greek goddess.
- A predominantly Shan city situated in a semi-autonomous region of Myanmar/Burma.
- A rock band from Devon, England.
- An open source Content Management System.
- A children's magazine published by Cricket and Smithsonian.
- First digital instrument ever made.
- Films: 1976 and a 1999 film staring Albert Brooks, Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell, Jeff Bridges & Cybill Shepherd.
- A newspaper.
- DS9 episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- An open-source MIDI/audio sequencer for Linux.
More a-musing stuff ...
- The word muse may be used figuratively, to denote someone who inspires an artist.
- St. Augustine writes on the origin of the Legend of the Nine Muses in Book 2 of his work "On Christian Doctrine" in Chapter 17, and elaborates on a refutation by Varro.
- In New Orleans, nine streets are named after the Muses...I think they're still there.
- The muses appear as co-narrators of the Disney movie Hercules and its spin-off series.
- Muses feature in the graphic novel The Sandman by Neil Gaiman.
- The Muses feature prominently in the musical film Xanadu starring Olivia Newton-John (as Terpsichore), Gene Kelly and Michael Beck; directed by Robert Greenwald.
- 14-year-old boy treble Neil Pritchard acts as a muse to a young composer in Ronald Frame's novel The Lantern Bearers.
Find a Muse bag!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byA Muse Links
- Muses of Greek Mythology
- The Muses are the Greek goddesses who preside over the arts and sciences and inspire those who excel at these pursuits.
- Muse on Wikipedia
- Wikipedia is such a great free reference! Mucho info here on "Muse."
- Muse on Answers.com
- Answers.com takes a whack at defining "muse."
What amuses you? Drop me a line ...
Are you a muse to your better half or someone else? Better yet ... do you HAVE a muse? Lucky duck! Well, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
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liluluna
Hi. Great lens - 5 stars. See my lens about High School Musical Lyrics. Regards. Posted September 24, 2007 |
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