Muses

[mlerules]

As per last night's discussion:

Daughters of Zeus & Mnemosyne, originally identified w/memory only, but later identified w/individual arts & sciences. The paintings of Herculaneum show all nine (9) with their respective attributes:

(1) CALLIOPE: Muse of epic poetry (symbols: tablet & stylus, sometimes a scroll),
(2) CLIO: Muse of history (symbol: scroll or open chest of books),
(3) ERATO: Muse of love poetry (symbol: lyre),
(4) EUTERPE: Muse of lyric poetry (symbol: flute),
(5) MELPOMENE: Muse of tragedy (symbols: tragic mask, club of Hercules, or a sword - she wears the cothurnus and her head is wreathed w/vine leaves),
(6) POLYHYMNIA: Muse of sacred poetry - she sits pensive, but has no attribute, because deity is not to be represented by any visible symbol,
(7) TERPSICHORE: Muse of choral song & dance - usually represented by a lyre,
(8) THALIA: Muse of comedy (symbols: comic mask, a shepherd's crook, and a wreath of ivy), and
(9) URANIA: Muse of atronomy (symbol: staff pointing to a globe).

per Wm Rose Benet, The Reader's Encyclopedia (2nd)