Muse, in Greco-Roman religion and mythology, any of a group of sister goddesses of obscure but ancient origin, the chief center of whosecult wasMount Helicon in Boeotia, Greece. They were born in Pieria, at the foot ofMount Olympus. Very little is known of their cult, but they had a festival every four years at Thespiae, near Helicon, and a contest (Museia), presumably—or at least at first—in singing and playing. They probably were originally the patron goddesses of poets (who in early times were also musicians, providing their own accompaniments), although later their range was extended to include allliberal arts and sciences—hence, their connection with such institutions as theMuseum (Mouseion, seat of the Muses) at Alexandria, Egypt. There were nine Muses as early asHomer’sOdyssey, and Homerinvokes either a Muse or the Muses collectively from time to time. Probably, to begin with, the Muses were one of those vague collections of deities, undifferentiated within the group, which are characteristic of certain, probably early, strata ofGreek religion.

Differentiation is a matter rather of mythological systematization than of cult and began with the 8th-century-bce poetHesiod, who mentioned the names ofClio,Euterpe,Thalia,Melpomene,Terpsichore,Erato,Polymnia (Polyhymnia),Urania, andCalliope, who was their chief. Their father wasZeus, and their mother wasMnemosyne (“Memory”). Although Hesiod’s list becamecanonical in later times, it was not the only one; at bothDelphi andSicyon there were but three Muses, one of whom in the latter place bore the fanciful name Polymatheia (“Much Learning”). All the Hesiodic names are significant; thus Clio is approximately the “Proclaimer,” Euterpe the “Well Pleasing,” Thalia the “Blooming,” or “Luxuriant,” Melpomene the “Songstress,” Erato the “Lovely,” Polymnia “She of the Many Hymns,” Urania the “Heavenly,” and Calliope “She of the Beautiful Voice.” Because dancing was a regular accompaniment ofsong, it is not remarkable that Hesiod called one of his nine “Delighting in the Dance,” Terpsichore.

The Muses are often spoken of as unmarried, but they are repeatedly referred to as the mothers of famous sons, such asOrpheus, Rhesus,Eumolpus, and others connected somehow either withpoetry and song or with Thrace and its neighborhood, or both. In other words, all theirmyths are secondary, attached for one reason or another to the original vague and nameless group. Hence there is no consistency in these minor tales—Terpsichore, for example, is named as the mother of several different men by various authors and Orpheus generally is called the son of Calliope but occasionally of Polymnia.

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From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology

Statues of the Muses were a popular decoration in long galleries and similar places; naturally, sculptors did not make them all alike but gave each a different attribute, such as alyre or scroll. This may have contributed to the fanciful distribution of individual Muses among the different arts and sciences, especially in Roman times. The lists that have come down are all late and disagree with one another. A common but by no means definitive list is the following:

• Calliope: Muse of heroic or epic poetry (often holding a writing tablet).
• Clio: Muse ofhistory (often holding a scroll).
• Erato: Muse oflyric and love poetry (often playing a lyre).
• Euterpe: Muse ofmusic or flutes (often playing flutes).
• Melpomene: Muse oftragedy (often holding a tragic mask).
• Polymnia: Muse of sacred poetry or of the mimic art (often shown with apensive look).
• Terpsichore: Muse of dancing and choral song (often shown dancing and holding a lyre).
• Thalia: Muse ofcomedy (often holding a comic mask).
• Urania: Muse ofastronomy (often holding a globe).