The Muses

The Muses

The Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemsyne the Titaness of memory. Zeus secretly laid with Mnemsyne for nine nights which created the nine Muses. They were known for being beautiful and bringing joy to anyone who heard their music. The nine Muses all had their own specialties: Clio the muse of history, seen as both male and female was killed accidentally by his gay lover Apollo. Urania the muse of astronomy is often seen with a globe in her hand.  Melpomene the muse of tragedy can often be seen holding a tragic mask in her hand. Thalia is the muse of comedy. Terpsichore the muse of dance. Calliope the muse of Epic Poetry was usually seen with a writing tablet. Erato the muse of love poetry. Polyhymnia was the muse of songs to the gods and Euterpe the muse of lyric poetry.  They were brought to life to make people forget their sorrows and the evils of the world. The home of the Muses was Mount Helicon which was scared to the Greek God Apollo. Apollo was one of their main teachers. You could usually see them accompanying Apollo on his strolls for when he played on his lyre they could sing and dance along.