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Muses

The Muses are Greek mythological goddesses associated with the arts, literature, and sciences, regarded as sources of inspiration for poets, musicians, and scholars. In Hesiod's Theogony they are nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, and they are commonly portrayed as companions of the Olympian gods. Though their number and roles vary in ancient sources, the nine most often cited are widely accepted.

The nine Muses are Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric and love poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene

Their worship was centered at Mount Helicon in Boeotia and the Pierian Spring in Macedonia, and they

The Muses have exerted a lasting influence on Western culture as symbols of artistic and scholarly inspiration.

(tragedy),
Polyhymnia
(sacred
poetry),
Terpsichore
(dance),
Thalia
(comedy
and
pastoral
poetry),
and
Urania
(astronomy).
were
invoked
at
the
start
of
works
to
grant
inspiration
and
memory.
In
iconography
they
are
typically
depicted
as
graceful
women,
sometimes
with
attributes
that
reflect
their
domains:
Calliope
with
a
writing
tablet
or
scroll,
Clio
with
a
scroll,
Erato
with
a
lyre,
Euterpe
with
a
flute,
Melpomene
with
a
tragic
mask,
Polyhymnia
veiled,
Terpsichore
with
a
lyre,
Thalia
with
a
comedy
mask,
and
Urania
with
a
celestial
globe
or
compass.
The
term
muse
now
commonly
denotes
a
person
or
source
of
creative
influence
for
writers,
artists,
and
scientists.