Muses

In Greek mythology, the Muses are nine goddesses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who inspire poetry, music, history, dance, and other arts and sciences.

Calliope: The Muse of epic poetry and eloquence, traditionally the eldest of the nine. Her epic domain made her the leading Muse in accounts of poetic inspiration.
Hesiod: An early Greek poet whose Theogony recounts the Muses’ birth and encounter with him. His poem gives the most influential early account of the Muses’ origins.
Epic poetry: A long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds and events of cultural importance. Epic poets invoked the Muses for the authority and knowledge their songs required.
Invocation of the Muse: A poetic convention in which a poet calls on a Muse or other divine power for inspiration. The Muses’ role as sources of song established this opening convention for epic.
Clio: The Muse associated with history and the preservation of fame. Her domain links the Muses’ inspiration to historical memory and record.
Theogony: Hesiod’s Greek poem narrating the origins and genealogies of the gods. It names the Muses, describes their birth, and stages their inspiration of Hesiod.
Lyric poetry: Poetry composed for musical performance, often expressing personal or communal feeling. Several Muses were associated with distinct forms of lyric and song.
Muse (personification): A person or imagined source credited with inspiring an artist or writer. The later common meaning derives from, but is distinct from, the Greek goddesses.
Erato: The Muse associated with lyric and love poetry. Her poetic domain shows how the Muses were divided by genre.
Homer: The traditional name for the ancient Greek poet or poets of the Iliad and Odyssey. Homeric poems invoke a Muse to authorize the telling of epic.

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