The Muses were the nine goddesses of the arts in Greek mythology, the divine inspiration for all who worked in poetry, music, dance, history, astronomy, and the other arts. They were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory), and they were the companions of Apollo, the god of music and prophecy. The Muses were said to inspire all who worked in their fields, and the phrase “calling on the Muses” was a standard invocation of the poets. The word “museum,” meaning a place dedicated to the Muses, derives from their name, and the “muse” of an artist is the source of their inspiration. The Muses have been one of the most enduring and most influential groups of deities in Western culture.
The Origins of the Muses
The Muses were born from the union of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the Titaness of Memory. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, Zeus lay with Mnemosyne for nine nights, and nine months later she gave birth to the nine Muses. They were born at the foot of Mount Olympus, or in some traditions, at the spring of the Pierian Muses, in Pieria, in northern Greece.
The number of the Muses varied in different traditions. In early Greek poetry, there was often a single Muse, or three Muses, or four Muses, or nine Muses. The canonical list of nine Muses was established by the Hellenistic period, and it has been the standard list ever since.
The Muses were said to dwell on Mount Olympus, or on Mount Helicon, or on Mount Parnassus, or on Mount Pieria. Their sanctuaries were major religious centers, and the festivals in their honor, the Mouseia, were celebrated throughout the Greek world.
The Nine Muses
The canonical list of nine Muses was established by the Hellenistic period, and it has been the standard list ever since. Each Muse presided over a specific art or field of knowledge.
Calliope (Beautiful Voice)
Calliope was the Muse of epic poetry, and she was considered the leader of the Muses. She was the mother of Orpheus by Apollo, or by the river-god Strymon. She was often shown holding a writing tablet or a scroll. Her symbol was a stylus and tablet.
Clio (Celebrator)
Clio was the Muse of history. She was often shown holding a book or a scroll, or a chest of books. Her symbol was a laurel wreath. The word “clio” has been used for various historical awards, including the Clio Awards for advertising.
Euterpe (Well-Pleasing)
Euterpe was the Muse of music and lyric poetry. She was often shown playing the flute or the lyre. Her symbol was the flute (aulos). The name “Euterpe” has been used for various musical instruments and music festivals.
Thalia (Blooming)
Thalia was the Muse of comedy and pastoral poetry. She was often shown holding a comic mask, a shepherd’s crook, or a wreath of ivy. Her symbol was the comic mask. The name “Thalia” has been used for various artistic and cultural purposes, including the famous sea nymph Thetis in the Iliad (no relation).
Melpomene (Singer)
Melpomene was the Muse of tragedy. She was often shown holding a tragic mask, a sword, or a club. Her symbol was the tragic mask. The name “Melpomene” has been used for various artistic and cultural purposes, including the asteroid 18 Melpomene.
Terpsichore (Delighting in Dance)
Terpsichore was the Muse of dance and choral poetry. She was often shown holding a lyre, a plectrum, or a wreath of laurel. Her symbol was the lyre. The name “Terpsichore” has been used for various dance-related purposes, including the Terpsichore dance company.
Erato (Lovely)
Erato was the Muse of love poetry and lyric poetry. She was often shown holding a lyre, a plectrum, or a wreath of myrtle and roses. Her symbol was the lyre. The name “Erato” has been used for various poetic and cultural purposes, including the Erato Records classical music label.
Polyhymnia (Many Hymns)
Polyhymnia was the Muse of sacred poetry, hymns, and eloquence. She was often shown holding a lyre, or with a veil covering her face. Her symbol was the lyre. The name “Polyhymnia” has been used for various poetic and cultural purposes.
Urania (Heavenly)
Urania was the Muse of astronomy and celestial poetry. She was often shown holding a globe, a compass, or a wreath of stars. Her symbol was the globe. The name “Urania” has been used for various astronomical and cultural purposes, including the planet Uranus, which was named after the goddess rather than the Muse, but in some traditions the two are connected.
The Symbols of the Muses
The Muses were often shown in art with various symbols that identified their specific domains. The most common symbols were:
- The lyre, the symbol of music and poetry
- The flute (aulos), the symbol of music and song
- The writing tablet, the symbol of epic poetry and history
- The scroll, the symbol of history and literature
- The tragic mask, the symbol of tragedy
- The comic mask, the symbol of comedy
- The globe, the symbol of astronomy
- The wreath of laurel, the symbol of victory and poetic achievement
- The wreath of ivy, the symbol of Dionysus and the theater
The Muses were also often shown together, dancing or singing, or in a more formal arrangement. The most famous depiction of the Muses is the Apollo and the Muses relief from Mantiklos’s shrine, dating to the 7th century BCE, which shows Apollo leading the nine Muses in a dance.
The Cult of the Muses
The cult of the Muses was panhellenic, with major centers in:
- Helicon, the mountain in Boeotia, with the spring of the Hippocrene
- Pieria, the region in northern Greece, with the spring of the Pierian Muses
- Parnassus, the mountain in central Greece, with the Castalian Spring
- Delphi, the site of the famous oracle
- Athens, with the Museum, the philosophical school founded by Aristotle
The festivals in honor of the Muses, the Mouseia, were celebrated throughout the Greek world. The most famous was the Mouseia of Thespiae, in Boeotia, which was celebrated every four years with musical and poetic competitions. The Mouseia of Helicon was also a major festival, with similar competitions.
The Muses in the Visual Arts
The Muses have been a popular subject in Western art since antiquity. The most famous ancient depictions include the Apollo and the Muses relief from Mantiklos’s shrine, the Mantiklos Apollo, and the various Roman copies of Greek originals, including the famous Apotheosis of Homer, now in the British Museum.
In the Renaissance, the Muses were popular subjects for painters, including Botticelli, Raphael, and Mantegna. Raphael’s Parnassus, in the Vatican’s Stanza della Segnatura, is depictions of the Muses. Botticelli’s Primavera and Birth of Venus are also connected to the Muses, although they are not direct depictions.
In modern art, the Muses have been a popular subject for painters, sculptors, and photographers. The Muses have been the subjects of works by Picasso, Matisse, and many other 20th-century artists. The phrase “my muse” has become a standard expression for the source of artistic inspiration.
The Cultural Legacy of the Muses
The Muses have had a profound influence on Western culture. The word “museum” comes from the Greek mouseion, meaning a place dedicated to the Muses, and the original “museum” was the Mouseion of Alexandria, founded by Ptolemy I in the 3rd century BCE, which was both a temple of the Muses and a research institution. The Mouseion of Alexandria was the first institution of its kind, and it is the model for all subsequent libraries and research institutions.
The phrase “to invoke the Muses” has been a standard opening for epic poems from Homer to Virgil to Milton. The Muses are invoked at the beginning of the Iliad (“Sing, O Muse, of the wrath of Achilles”), at the beginning of the Odyssey (“Sing, O Muse, of the man of many wiles”), and at the beginning of the Aeneid (“I sing of arms and the man”). The Muses are the source of all poetic inspiration.
The “muse” of an artist is the source of their inspiration, often a person or a thing that inspires them. The phrase “my muse” has become a standard expression, and the idea of the artist being inspired by a muse is in Western culture. The Muses have been the subject of countless works of literature, art, and music, and they remain one of the most powerful symbols of artistic inspiration.
For more on the cultural legacy, see our guide to Greek mythology in modern culture, and our profiles of Apollo, Zeus, and Homer.