Today I read a beautiful thing. The Sycophant wrote a poem to somebody important … his Muse. And it got me thinking, once again, about the Titan Goddess Mnemosyne and her nine daughters, the Muses.
From wikipedia (because I’m feelin’ lazy): “In Greek Mythology, the Muses are a sisterhood of goddesses or spirits who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, traditional music and dance.
Though the Muses, when taken together, form a complete picture of the subjects proper to poetic art, the association of specific muses with specific art forms is a later innovation. The muses were not assigned standardized divisions of poetry with which they are now identified until late Hellenstic times. The canonical nine Muses, with their fields of patronage, as established since the Renaissance are:
- Calliope (Chief of the muses and muse of epic or heroic poetry)
- Clio (muse of history)
- Erato (muse of love or erotic poetry, lyrics, and marriage songs)
- Euterpe (muse of music and lyric poetry)
- Melpomene (muse of tragedy)
- Polyhymnia (muse of sacred song, oratory, lyric, singing and rhetoric)
- Terpsichore (muse of dance)
- Thalia (muse of comedy and bucolic poetry)
- Urania (muse of astronomy)”
In my previous blog on the goddess Mnemosyne somebody commented that they thought there were 10 muses not nine. Apparently, Plato payed the compliment to the poet Sapphos from Lesbos. The term has been a compliment applied to female poets since. So we’ve sorted that one out 🙂
These days, the word ‘muse’ is often used to describe a person (or a personification of some thing) that gives an artist inspiration. The power of the muse can be all consuming and gives fire to creativity.
I was struck at how wistfully lovely and yet passionate is the thought of Muse in The Sycophant’s poem. And I pondered … what a lucky woman his Muse is. Not many of us have the honour of being called Muse in our lifetime.
How many of us have secretly and softly wished to be Muse to someone? How beautiful would it be to be the inspiration for beautiful music or incredible poetry? To be the source of creative fire for an artist? (Or … conversely … how perfectly dreadful to be Muse to awful music or poetry. 😆 )
Such a romantic notion, to be a muse … to be so beloved … to be fire for someone …
Images:
“Jardine de Muses” by Lionel-Noel Royer
“Les Muses” by Maurice Denis
Beautiful entry … again. 😀
Speaking of being the Muse of really awful music!
(A clip from one of my favorite all-time TV shows, Freaks and Geeks.)
Ha ha ha ha!!! That was hilarious! I didn’t get to see enough of that show – it was only on very late at night. What a shame. What I saw I liked.
He’s better than I am … lol!!
And thank you for the compliment 🙂
Beautiful post – and yes, there are 9 canonical muses (as you listed) but the story of the 10th is new to me and enjoyed reading that.
Such a romantic notion, to be a muse … to be so beloved … to be fire for someone …
It is, and I agree. For each of Shakespeare class we are required to do a recitation (from memory) and explicate of one of his sonnets. I recited this one a couple semesters back:
So oft have I invoked thee for my Muse,
And found such fair assistance in my verse
As every alien pen hath got my use
And under thee their poesy disperse.
Thine eyes, that taught the dumb on high to sing
And heavy ignorance aloft to fly,
Have added feathers to the learned’s wing
And given grace a double majesty.
Yet be most proud of that which I compile,
Whose influence is thine, and born of thee:
In others’ works thou dost but mend the style,
And arts with thy sweet graces graced be;
But thou art all my art, and dost advance
As high as learning, my rude ignorance.
That is truly beautiful 🙂 I’m sorry I took so long to reply – as you know it’s been a weird time as you know.