Find and Befriend your Muse

Apollo with the Muses

The violet-eyed Muses preside over the arts and sciences and inspire all questioning minds. They delight in feasts and the pleasures of song, dance and mathematics, and from the Muses we have the gift of letters and the combination of these that we call poetry.

In ancient times they danced and sang along the slopes of Mount Helicon and plotted the geometrical pattern of the stars from the topmost peak of Olympus.

Many places were dedicated to the Muses. Ancient schools dedicated shrines called mouseion, the source of our word 'museum.' The Museum of Alexandria, founded by Ptolemy I, was a temple dedicated to them and, on the eastern slopes of Mt. Helikon, "Mouseai" festivals were held with poets and musicians from all over Greece competing in epic poetry, rapsodia, and plays of tragedy and comedy.

Originally numbering three, the sisters grew over time to nine. Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. Each Muse has a speciality and is a source of inspiration in her own field.

Calliope, the "Fair Voiced", is the eldest and she is the Muse of Epic Poetry.

You can recognise Calliope from among her sisters as she is almost always depicted with a writing tablet, or a book, in her hand. Often, she is crowned in gold.

Fortunately for Homer (and for us) she was his especial Muse and the inspiration for the Iliad and the Odyssey.

There is a rumour that Calliope had a dalliance with Ares, god of war, and bore him several sons who were the founders of several tribes in Macedonia and Thrace. Be that as it may, we have Calliope to thank for the story of the Fall of Troy and for the magnificent epic tale of Odysseus.

Her picture is a detail from The Muses Urania and Calliope by Simon Vouet.

The majestic Clio, the "Proclaimer", is the Muse of History.

Her name comes from a word meaning "recount" or "make famous" and, as one who inspired history, that certainly makes sense!

Clio is the mother of that lovely ill-fated youth, Hyacinth, whose story is too tragic to be told around children.

You will often find Clio sitting with a scroll beside a chest of books. She is known as a highly intelligent Muse and is said to have introduced the Phoenician alphabet into Greece.

Her picture is a detail from The Allegory of Painting by Johannes Vermeer.

Melpomene, the "Songstress", wears the tragic mask for she is the Muse of Tragedy in spite of her joyous singing.

You often find Melpomene with a garland of cypress. In Greek mythology, the cypress is connected with the underworld, with grief and with mourning and the ancient Romans used cypress in their funerary rites.

Melpomene is the Muse for serious actors and many pictures have been made of her with the mask of tragedy held in her hand. She carries a sword and club, and the boots traditionally worn by tragic actors, the cothurnes.

Image of Melpomene by Elisabetta Sirani of Bologna (1638 - 1665)

Polyhymnia, "She of Many Hymns," is the Muse of Sacred Poetry and Sacred Hymn.

She brings brings distinction to writers whose works have won them immortal fame.

If you ever see a frowning Muse leaning on a pillar, that's Polyhymnia. She is a very serious and thoughtful Muse, dressed in a long cloak and veil. She has a distracted expression, often holding a finger to her mouth, and at times pulls her veil over her head.

Possibly this is because she is also the Muse of Geometry and Meditation. In any case, she has a lot to think about.

Image is Polyhymnia in marble from the 2nd century, now at the the Villa of Cassius near Tivoli.

Terpsichore, the "Whirler", is the Muse of Dance.

She is often seen dancing with a lyre, plucking the strings with her own invention, the plectrum. Terpsichore is another Muse connected with the theatre, and her influence covers that of the dramatic chorus.

Apart from her work as a Muse, Terpsichore is known as the mother of the Sirens.

The statue of Terpischore is in the Vatican.

Urania, the "Heavenly" is the Muse of Astronomy and these days, a lot more besides. She is the Muse for those who are most concerned with philosophy and the heavens.

If you see a Muse arrayed in stars, that will be Urania. Her cloak is embroidered with stars, and she wears a crown of stars. Urania has a habit of being seated near a globe, or she carries a globe around with her and has a staff which she can use to point to the globe. She normally keeps her eyes on the heavens for that's where her attention lies as she foretells the future by the position of the stars. Many astronomical observatories are named after Urania.

With her concentration always skywards it's not surprising that Urania came to be associated not just with the heavens, but with Heaven in the abstract. She became the Muse for Christian Poets.

Her image is a detail of The Muses Urania and Calliope by Simon Vouet.

In Ancient Greece, before poets or storytellers recited their work, they invoked the inspiration and protection of the Muses.

Everyone needs a Muse, find yours from among these nine sisters and encourage some inspiration. When you follow a Muse, you must invoke her yourself, and she may sing at your funeral as if you were Achilles.