In
mythology the Muses presided over and inspired
music,
poetry,
dancing and the
Liberal Arts. They were protected by
Apollo, with whom they were often seen on high
Mount Parnassus as young and beautiful virgins. They were the children of
Jupiter (in Greek myth,
Zeus) and
Mnemosyne (
Memory). The home of the Muses was the wooded
Mount Helicon where they were visited by
Minerva (in Greek myth,
Athene), who wished to see the miraculous Hippocrene, a
fountain which a blow from the winged horse
Pegasus' hoof had caused to flow from the earth. The Muses were also said to have guarded the springs of lofty Mount Parnassus, on which the
Castalian spring was thought to be the source of poetic
inspiration. A
museum (literally, a home of seat of the Muses) was originally the term applied to an institution dedicated to learning, literature and the arts; an example was the Academy at
Alexandria in the 3rd century BC. A museum still suggests a place where antiquities are housed, as distinct from a gallery, also of ancient origin, where colonnades were used for the display of poetry.
Name: Meaning: Branch of Arts:
Calliope Beautiful voice Epic poetry
Clio Fame History
Erato Lovely Lyric poetry
Euterpe Joy Music
Melpomene Singing Tragic drama
Polyhymnia Many songs Mime and sacred lyrics
Terpsichore Joyful dance Dance
Thalia Good cheer/Plenty Comic drama
Urania Celestial Astronomy