-The most familiar of muses
| Name | Art | Symbol | Meaning of Name |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Calliope (Καλλιόπη) |
heroic poetry |
tablet and stylus; sometimes scroll |
"beautiful voiced" |
|
Clio (Κλειώ) |
epic poetry or history |
scroll or open chest of books |
"celebrating" |
|
Erato (Ἐρατώ) |
love poetry |
lyre |
"awaking desire" |
|
Euterpe (Εὐτέρπη) |
music, lyric poetry |
flute |
"well pleasing" |
|
Melpomene (Μελπομένη) |
tragedy |
tragic mask, club of Heracles, sword |
"singing" |
|
Polyhymnia (Πολυύμνια) |
sacred poetry |
no symbol; represented in a pensive posture |
"many hymns" |
|
Terpsichore (Τερψιχόρη) |
choral song and dance |
lyre |
"dance enjoying" |
|
Thalia (Θάλεια) |
comedy |
comic mask, shepherd’s crook, wreath of ivy |
"flourishing" |
|
Urania (Οὐρανία) |
astronomy |
staff pointing to a globe |
"heavenly one" |
They are said to have been the daughters of Zeus (or Uranus ) and Plusia , hence their name. Plato, on the other hand, groups Hesiod's Terpsichore , Erato , Kalliope and Urania into four numbers.
As three Apollonian muses ( Μοῦσαι Απολλωνίδες Moúsai Apollōnídes ) or also Delphic muses three daughters of Apollo were called:
They represent the three strings of Apollo's lyre and are said to have lived on the Helicon . The first sentence of the name goes back to Eumelos of Corinth (seventh century BC), the second to Plutarch , he also gives a fourth muse:
Nete, Mese, Hypate, as elements of the Tetractys, play an important role in ancient music theory . The fourth was occasionally the paramesis , since the number of strings of the lyre and the music theory based on it were variable.
In another tradition there was a group of seven muses, who are said to have been mentioned according to Johannes Tzetzes of Epicharmos (fifth century BC), the so-called Pierian muses or Pierids with the following names: