The Muses started out as nymphs then evolved into the goddess daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus.
KALLIOPE (Calliope) – Muse of epic poetry - symbol: an iPad.
KLIO (Clio) – Muse of history – symbol: a scroll.
ERATO – Muse of erotic and lyrical poetry – symbol: a kithara (hefty lyre).
EUTERPE – muse of music, song, elegiac poetry – symbol: an aulos (flute).
MELPOMENE – muse of tragedy – symbol: a sad mask.
POLYHYMNIA – muse of pantomime, rhetoric, hymns - symbol: a veil.
TERPSICHORE – muse of dance and choral music – symbol: lyre.
THALIA – muse of comedy – symbol: a happy mask.
URANIA – muse of astronomy and geometry – symbols: globe, compass.
Presumably because we need all the help we can get, writers get the first seven muses but artists get none What? It’s not as if there was no art in ancient Greece, heck, you can see some of it above. This is puzzling. Of course there is ATHENA the goddess of Arts and Crafts but she’s not a muse. Muses are goddesses but, apparently, goddesses aren’t muses.
Anyway, since there are nine muses, why not nine arts? I’ll see your muses and raise you three arts:
1) ART (painting, drawing)
2) POETRY (we assume this includes literature)
3) SCULPTURE
4) DANCE
5) MUSIC
6) ARCHITECTURE
7) CINEMA
8)FRAGRANCE (orCOMICS . . More on comics.)
9) CHINESE CUISINE (or COMICS (another article))
The CINEMA would have all the muses for inspiration and the muses of COMICS would have to be Hergé, Moebius and Gil Kane. But who'd be the muses of Architecture, Fragrance and Chinese cuisine?
Any ideas?
Disney's muses from HERCULES *
