The+Muses

//The Muses// Compiled by: Kevin Steehler __The Muses in a Nutshell:__ > > > The [|Muses] are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the godess of memory. According to Greek mythology, Zeus and Menmosyne slept for nine consecutive days, thus creating nine different Muses. Each Muse represents a different subject or topic. The Greeks looked toward the Muses for inspiration. In particular, the Muses inspired artists, poets, philosophers, and musicians. Each of the nine Muses were beautiful and gentle, but, according to the Greeks, could be as vengeful as any other god or goddess when challenged. In one story, a minstrel named Thamyris, challenged the Muses to a contest. Thamyris said that if he could win the contest then he would be able to sleep with the Muses as a prize. Obviously, the Muses defeated Thamyris in their "musical competition" and were allowed to take anything they wanted from the defenseless minstrel. In the end, the Muses took Thamyris' eyes and his minstrelsy as a prize. In another story, the Sirens challenge the Muses. After the Sirens lost, the Muses plucked out all of the Sirens' feathers and made crowns out of them. These stories prove that the Muses can be just as terrible as an angry god or goddess when challenged.  // __ The Nine Muses__ //
 * MYOO ziz
 * Daughters of Zeus & Mnemosyne
 * There are nine muses
 * Greeks looked to the Muses for inspiration in different topics
 * Beautiful & gentle, but could be vengeful like gods
 * Each Muse represents a different "topic" (ex. poetry, art, music, love)
 * Alluded to in many famous works of art and literature (ex. Shakespeare)

[|Calliope] is said to be the chief of the nine Muses. She is the Muse of epic poetry. Every muse has a symbol, and Calliope carries around a writing tablet, which can be seen in the painting to the left. Calliope is also a mother. Her name means, "beautiful voice."



[|Erato] is the Muse of love, mainly in a poetic sense. Her symbol is a lyre and a crown of roses. Erato's name means, "passionate," or, "lovely."



[|Euterpe] is the Muse of lyric poetry and music. She is generally identified as the cheerful Muse. She is often seen carrying a flute. Euterpe's name means, "pleasure giver."



[|Melpomene] is the Muse of tragedy. She either carries or wears a tragic mask. Sometimes she carries a knife or a club. Melpomene's name translates as, "the chanting one."



[|Polyhymnia] is the Muse of sacred song. She is known as the serious muse and is generally pictured in a position of meditation and thoughtfulness. Polyhmnia's facial expression of thought is her symbol. Her name means, "many hymns."



[|Terpsichore] is the Muse of song and dance. She is often seen dancing and carrying a lyre. Like her sister, Calliope, she is a mother. Her name translates as, "one who delights in dance."



[|Thalia's] name means, "the blossoming one," and she is the Muse of comedy. This explains while she is always carrying the comic mask. She is also seen carrying a shepherd's crook because she likes wandering around meadows and other rural areas.



[|Clio] is the Muse of history and her name translates as, "glorious one." She bore a son from a union with King Pierus. Her son's name is Hyacinthus. Clio is given credit for creating the Phoenician alphabet. Her symbol is usually a book or a scroll.



[|Urania] is the Muse of astronomy. Her name means, "the celestial one." She is normally pictured carrying a large globe and a pair of compasses. 

//Art & Literature //
Although the Muses were thought up by the Greeks, they have been used in many famous works of art and literature. This can be seen particularly in the time of the Renaissance, mainly because Greek and Roman ideas greatly influenced Europe during this time period. In many of William Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, you may notice allusions to various muses. The following passage from Shakespeare's play, //Henry V//, is a perfect example of Muses in literature.  // Chorus: O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend ////The brightest heaven of invention, //   //A kingdom for a stage, princes to act // // <span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> And monarchs to behold the swelling scene! **Muses in Movies** // <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Many of you probably recall the Disney movie Hercules. This is probably the most well-known movie that contains the Muses. However, you probably don't even remember seeing the Muses in this particular movie, let alone nine of them. Unfortunately, this classic Disney movie only contained five of the nine Muses, and you would certainly recognize them if you saw a picture of them. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
 * <span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">William Shakespeare, Act 1, Prologue of Henry V **

<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 150%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">Disney chose to use Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Terpsichore, and Thalia as their five Muses. I'm not exactly sure which one is which, but, knowing the characteristics of each Muse, it's fairly easy to decide who is who. The leader of them in the middle is obviously Calliope because she is the chief of the Muses. Directly to the left of Calliope is Melpomene and Thaila. In one of the scenes during the movie Melpomene is carrying a tragedy mask, so you can tell it's her. The reason the short, stubby Muse is identified as Thaila is because she was generally the funny Muse in the movie. I can only assume that the last two on the right are Terpsichore and Clio. The one closest to the middle is probably Terpsichore because she looks more like a dancer than the one on the far right, which is probably Clio. media type="custom" key="3060904" <span style="font-size: 140%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The information and the images above reveal that the Muses are not just used for inspiration, but they are also a major symbol that anyone can recognize.

=**Works Cited**=

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