In ancient Greek mythology, the patron god of the arts, Apollo, was surrounded by a retinue of nine beautiful muses. Each of them possessed aptitude for one of the arts or sciences. And, besides, she could endow them with those whom she considered worthy of this beautiful gift.
The descriptions of the muses that have survived to this day are very contradictory, but most authors agree on one thing: all the muses were the daughters of Zeus and the goddess of memory Mnemosyne. They lived on Mount Parnassus, at the foot of which the Kastalsky spring beat - a source of divine inspiration. On the ground, in honor of each of them, temples were erected, called muzeions. It is from their name that the word "museum" comes from.
Functions and attributes of muses
The eldest of the muses was Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. The legendary singer and musician Orpheus is considered her son. Calliope wore a gold crown as a sign of superiority over the other muses. She was usually depicted with a wax-covered tablet and a stylus (a bronze rod for writing text) in her hands.
Clea is the muse of history, whose attributes were a scroll of parchment or a tablet.
The patrons of theatrical art were the muse of Melpomene's tragedy and the muse of the comedy Thalia. Both were depicted with a wreath of ivy on their heads and with a mask: in Melpomene it was tragic, in Thalia - comic. By the way, Melpomene was the mother of dangerous and seductive sirens who inherited her divinely beautiful voice.
Polyhymnia is the muse of solemn hymns. The ancient Greeks considered her the creator of their beloved lyre. As a rule, Polyhymnia is depicted holding a scroll.
Terpsichore was considered the muse of dance. She was portrayed with a constant smile on her lips, sometimes dancing, but more often sitting and playing the lyre.
Urania is the muse of astronomy, holding a celestial globe and compasses in her hands. According to some versions, Urania is considered the mother of Hymen.
And finally, two poetic muses: Euterpe - the muse of lyric poetry and music - and Erato - the muse of love poetry. The flute or lyre was an obligatory attribute of Euterpe, and Erato was a cithara.
References to muses in literature
For the first time in the literature, Homer and Hesiod mentioned muses. At the same time, nine muses did not appear immediately. Homer says now about one, now about several muses, but none of them is named by name. Later, various sources spoke of three muses, which were often confused with the Harites, who were considered the goddesses of fertility, and then beauty and joy. Gradually, the number of muses grew to nine, and their names also gained fame.
Hesiod's Theogony became a classic text about the muses. In it, they were described as beautiful virgins, singing with wonderful voices the heroic deeds of Zeus. Hesiod himself thanked the muses for the “gift of chanting,” which they gave him.
The muses become Apollo's companions in the Iliad by Homer. In addition to Apollo, the muses were also considered the companions of Dionysus. No wonder the Greeks saw two principles in art: harmonious - Apollo's - and spontaneous - Dionysian.
The influence of muses on human life
According to the ideas of the ancient Greeks, muses accompanied a person at all the most important moments of his life: birth and death, love and marriage, creativity, choice of life path.
Since the Archaic period, images of nine muses have been seen on sarcophagi. The ancient Greeks believed that muses accompany the souls of the dead to the heavenly island of happiness.
Representing all the sciences and arts known to the Greeks, the muses symbolized the creative forces of man, which were supposed to awaken during his life and give the world beauty and harmony.
