The Nine Muses

By Sophie

The nine muses, who are the daughters of Zeus, are the goddesses of art and music. The muses can give their gift of talent, or healing, through music, poetry, and dance to the mortals, but can easily take it away.   The nine muses play a huge part in the creation of art and music; each is the inspiration for a different type of art.  The nine muses are: Calliope, muse of epics, is the highest ranked muse, whose symbol is a book. Clio, muse of history, is often seen with a scroll. The muse of lyrics, Erato is seen with a lyre. Euterpe, muse of music, is seen holding a flute. Melpomene, muse of tragedy, is often seen with a tragic mask, Polyhymnia, muse of hymns, is seen with a pensive expression. Terpsichore, muse of dance, is seen dancing and holding a lyre. Thalia, muse of comedy, is seen with a commix mask, and Urania, muse of astronomy, is seen holding a globe.  There are a few myths of stories that show the gifts and power of the muses.  The story of the king and queen of Macedonia, turned into birds, or the story of a man named Thamyris, who thought his voice and lyrics were better than the muses. Thamyris was bold enough to voice this to them and lost his eyes and any musical talent that he had. This shows that the muses could take away a gift or talent as fast as they could give it.  The muses inspire artists, poets, and musicians today with their gifts and knowledge of art, music, and dance.  Today the muses are inspiring in theater, festivals, and song. The two most visible muses are probably Thalia, muse of comedy, and Melpomene, muse of tragedy.   These two muses are seen as the masks, invoking hummer of sadness most commonly seen in theaters. One other example of why they are important is that the muse Clio is said to have introduced the Phoenician alphabet to Greece.  The muses were inspiration to Greek culture in many ways, and even to this day the muses inspire the world to sing, dance, and write.