The work of almost every great artist is unthinkable without the presence of a woman who inspires him - the muse.
Raphael's immortal works were painted using images that his lover, the model Fornarina, helped create; Michelangelo enjoyed a platonic relationship with the famous Italian poetess Vittoria Colonna. The beauty of Simonetta Vespucci was immortalized by Sandro Botticelli, and the famous Gala inspired the great Salvador Dali.
Who are the muses?
The ancient Greeks believed that every area of their life that they considered most important had its own patron, a muse. In accordance with their ideas, the list of muses of ancient Greece looked like this:
Calliope is the muse of epic poetry;
Clio is the muse of history;
Melpomene - the muse of tragedy;
Thalia is the muse of comedy;
Polyhymnia - the muse of sacred hymns;
Terpsichore - muse of dance;
Euterpe is the muse of poetry and lyricism;
Erato - the muse of love and wedding poetry;
Urania is the muse of science.
According to classical Greek mythology at supreme god Zeus and Mnemosyne, daughters of the titans Uranus and Gaia, had nine daughters. Since Mnemosyne was the goddess of memory, it is not surprising that her daughters began to be called muses, translated from Greek this means “thinking”.
It was assumed that the favorite habitat of the muses was Mount Parnassus and Helicon, where in the shady groves, to the sound of clear springs, they formed Apollo's retinue. They sang and danced to the sound of his lyre.
This subject was loved by many Renaissance artists. Raphael used it in his famous paintings of the Vatican halls. The work of Andrea Montegna "Parnassus", which depicts Apollo surrounded by muses dancing for the gods supreme Olympus, can be seen in the Louvre.
The famous sarcophagus of the Muses is also located there. It was found in the 18th century in Roman excavations, its lower bas-relief is decorated with an excellent image of all 9 muses.
From left to right: Calliope (with a scroll), Thalia (with a mask in her hand), Erato, Euterpe (with a brass musical instrument), Polyhymnia, Clio, Terpsichore (with cithara), Urania (with staff and globe), Melpomene (with theatrical mask on her head)
Museyons
In honor of the muses, special temples were built - museions, which were the focus of the cultural and artistic life of Hellas. The most famous is the Alexandria Museum. This name formed the basis of the well-known word “museum”.
Alexander the Great founded Alexandria as a center of Hellenistic culture in the Egypt he conquered. After his death, his body was brought here to a tomb specially built for him. But, unfortunately, then the remains of the great king disappeared and have not yet been found.
One of the associates of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I Soter, who laid the foundation for the Ptolemaic dynasty, founded a museum in Alexandria, which combined a research center, an observatory, Botanical Garden, menagerie, museum, famous library. Archimedes, Euclid, Eratosthenes, Herophilus, Plotinus and other great minds of Hellas worked under its arches. For successful work the most favorable conditions, scientists could meet each other, have long conversations, and as a result, greatest discoveries, which have not lost their significance even now.
The muses were always depicted as young, beautiful women; they had the ability to see the past and predict the future. The greatest favor of these beautiful creatures was enjoyed by singers, poets, artists, muses encouraged them in creativity and served as a source of inspiration.
Clio, the "Glory-Giving" Muse of History
Her constant attribute was a parchment scroll or a board with writing, where she wrote down all events in order to preserve them in the memory of descendants. As the ancient Greek historian Diodorus said about her: “The greatest of muses inspires love for the past.” According to mythology, Clio was friends with Calliope. The surviving sculptural and pictorial images of these muses are very similar, often made by the same master.
There is a myth about a quarrel that arose between Aphrodite and Clio. Possessing strict morals, the goddess of history did not know love and condemned Aphrodite, who was the wife of the god Hephaestus, for her tender feelings for the young god Dionysus. Aphrodite ordered her son Eros to shoot two arrows, the one that kindled love hit Clio, and the one that killed her went to Pieron. Suffering from unrequited love convinced the strict muse not to judge anyone anymore for their feelings.
Melpomene, muse of tragedy
Her two daughters had magical voices and decided to challenge the muses, but they lost and, in order to punish them for their pride, Zeus or Poseidon (opinions differ here) turned them into sirens. The same ones that almost killed the Argonauts.
Melpomene vowed to forever regret their fate and all those who challenge the will of heaven.
She is always wrapped in a theatrical robe, and her symbol is a mournful mask, which she holds in right hand. In her left hand is a sword, symbolizing punishment for insolence.
Thalia, muse of comedy
Melpomene's sister, but never accepted her sister's unconditional belief that punishment was inevitable, this often became the cause of their quarrels. She is always depicted with a comedy mask in her hands, her head is decorated with an ivy wreath, and she has a cheerful disposition and optimism.
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Both sisters symbolize life experience and reflect the way of thinking characteristic of the inhabitants of ancient Greece that the whole world is a theater of the gods, and people in it only perform their assigned roles.
Polyhymnia, muse of sacred hymns and faith expressed in music
The patroness of speakers, the fervor of their speeches and the interest of listeners depended on her favor. On the eve of the performance, one should ask the muse for help, then she would condescend to the person asking and instill in him the gift of eloquence, the ability to penetrate every soul. The constant attribute of Polyhymnia is the lyre.
Euterpe - muse of poetry and lyricism
She stood out among other muses for her special, sensual perception of poetry.
To the quiet accompaniment of Orpheus' harp, her poems delighted the ears of the gods on the Olympian hill. Considered the most beautiful and feminine of the muses, she became the savior of his soul for him, who had lost Eurydice. Euterpe's attribute is a double flute and a wreath of fresh flowers. As a rule, she was depicted surrounded by forest nymphs.
Terpsichore, the muse of the dance, which is performed in the same rhythm as the heartbeat
The perfect art of Terpsichore dance expressed complete harmony of the natural principle, movements of the human body and spiritual emotions. The muse was depicted in a simple tunic, with an ivy wreath on her head and with a lyre in her hands.
Erato, muse of love and wedding poetry
Her song is that there is no force that can separate loving hearts.
Songwriters called on the muse to inspire them to create new beautiful works. Erato's attribute is a lyre or tambourine; her head is decorated with wonderful roses as a symbol of eternal love.
Calliope (Greek for “beautiful-voiced”) - the muse of epic poetry
The eldest of the children of Zeus and Mnemosyne and, in addition, the mother of Orpheus, from her the son inherited a subtle understanding of music. She was always depicted in the pose of a beautiful dreamer, holding a wax tablet in her hands and wooden stick- stylus, which is why the well-known expression “writing in a high style” appeared. The ancient poet Dionysius Medny called poetry “the cry of Calliope.”
Urania - the ninth muse of astronomy, the wisest of the daughters of Zeus
He holds in his hands a symbol of the celestial sphere - a globe and a compass, which helps determine the distances between celestial bodies. The name was given to the muse in honor of the god of heaven, Uranus, who existed even before Zeus. Interestingly, Urania, the goddess of science, is among the muses associated with different types arts Why? According to the teachings of Pythagoras about the “harmony of the celestial spheres,” the dimensional relationships of musical sounds are comparable to the distances between heavenly bodies. Without knowing one, it is impossible to achieve harmony in the other. As the goddess of science, Urania is still revered today.
The very word muse comes from Greek word"thinking" The Muses were usually depicted as young and beautiful women. They had a prophetic gift and treated creative people favorably: poets, painters, actors, in every possible way encouraging and helping them in their activities. However, for special offenses, the muses could deprive a person of inspiration. To prevent this from happening, the ancient Greeks built special temples in honor of the muses, which were called museions. It is from this word that the word museum comes.
She is considered the patroness of dancing and choral singing. She was depicted as a young woman, with a smile on her face, sometimes in the pose of a dancer, more often sitting and playing the lyre. Characteristic attributes: wreath on the head; in one hand she held a lyre and in the other a plectrum.
Muse Calliope - the muse of epic poetry The name of this muse from Greek can be translated as having a beautiful voice. Calliope was depicted with a waxed tablet and a slate stick in her hands - a stylus, which was a bronze rod, the pointed end of which was used to write text on a tablet covered with wax. The opposite end was made flat to erase what was written.
Apollo and his muses.
Ancient Greek mythology tells that in spring and summer on the slopes of the wooded Helikon, where the sacred waters of the Hippocrene spring mysteriously murmur, and on high Parnassus, at clean waters Castalsky spring, Apollo dances with nine muses. Young, beautiful muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, are Apollo's constant companions. He leads the choir of muses and accompanies their singing by playing his golden lyre. Apollo walks majestically ahead of the choir of muses, crowned with a laurel wreath, followed by all nine muses: Calliope - the muse of epic poetry, Euterpe - the muse of lyric poetry, Erato - the muse of love songs, Melpomene - the muse of tragedy, Thalia - the muse of comedy, Terpsichore - the muse of dancing, Clio is the muse of history, Urania is the muse of astronomy and Polyhymnia is the muse of sacred hymns. Their choir thunders solemnly, and all nature, as if enchanted, listens to their divine singing.
When Apollo, accompanied by the muses, appears in the host of gods on bright Olympus and the sounds of his cithara and the singing of the muses are heard, then everything on Olympus falls silent. Ares forgets about the noise bloody battles, lightning does not flash in the hands of the thunderer Zeus, the gods forget strife, peace and silence reign on Olympus. Even the eagle of Zeus lowers its mighty wings and closes its watchful eyes, its menacing screech is not heard, it quietly dozes on the rod of Zeus. In complete silence, the strings of Apollo's cithara sound solemnly. When Apollo cheerfully strikes the golden strings of the cithara, then a bright, shining round dance moves in the banquet hall of the gods. Muses, Charites, the eternally young Aphrodite, Ares and Hermes - everyone takes part in a merry round dance, and in front of everyone is the majestic maiden, Apollo’s sister, the beautiful Artemis. Flooded with streams of golden light, the young gods dance to the sounds of Apollo's cithara.
Muses:
Calliope"beautiful voice" · the muse of epic poetry and science, she stands out among all other muses. She was depicted as a girl with a wax tablet and an otyl - a sharpened slate stick for writing letters - in her hands. “Calliope keeps the songs of heroic times in the book,” wrote the ancient Roman poet Ausonius.
The sons of Calliope and Eager (or Apollo) were the famous singers Lynx and Orpheus. According to some sources, the Thracian hero Res, who was killed near Troy by Diomedes, is also considered her son.
Clio, Klia · one of the nine Olympic muses, the muse of history, the one “who glorifies.” In the imagination of the ancients, a girl with a papyrus scroll and a slate stick in her hands: obviously, the scroll contained a chronicle of bygone times. It is known about Clio that she fell in love with Pierre, the son of Magnet, and gave birth to a son, Hyacinth.
Melpomene · muse of tragedy (Greek: “singing”). At first, Melpomene was considered the muse of song, then of sad song, and later she became the patroness of theater in general, the personification of tragic stage art. Melpomene was depicted as a woman with a bandage on her head and a wreath of grape or ivy leaves, in a theatrical robe, with a tragic mask in one hand and a sword or club in the other (a symbol of the inevitability of punishment for a person who violates the will of the gods). From the river god Aheloy gave birth to sweet-voiced sirens, famous for their singing.
Polyhymnia, Polymnia · first the muse of dance, then of pantomime, hymns, serious gymnasium poetry, which is credited with the invention of the lyre. Polyhymnia helped to “remember what was captured.” The name Polyhymnia indicates that the poets acquired immortal fame for the hymns they created. She was depicted as a girl wrapped in a blanket in a thoughtful pose, with a dreamy face and with a scroll in her hand.
Talia, Falia · one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, patroness of comedy and light poetry. She was depicted with a comic mask in her hands and an ivy wreath on her head. The Corybantes were born from Thalia and Apollo. Zeus, turning into a kite, took Thalia as his wife. Out of fear of Hera's jealousy, the muse hid in the depths of the potion, where demonic creatures were born from her - paliki (in this myth she is called the nymph of Etna).
Terpsichore · was considered the muse of choral singing and dance, and was depicted as a young woman in the pose of a dancer, with a smile on her face. She had a wreath on her head, in one hand she held a lyre, and in the other a plectrum. She is “enjoying round dances.”
According to one version of the myth, Terpsichore gave birth to sirens from the river god Aheloy. There is a myth according to which she is the mother of the singer Lin (according to another version, his mother is Urania). This muse is associated with Dionysus, attributing to her an attribute of this god - ivy (as stated in the inscription on Helicon dedicated to Terpsichore).
Urania · the muse of astronomy, a girl with a globe and a compass (or pointing stick) in her hands, in other versions of the myth was considered the embodiment of sublime, heavenly love. According to some versions, the mother of the singer Lina, whom she gave birth to from Apollo.
Euterpe · the patron muse of lyric poetry, usually depicted with a double flute in her hand. Res, the hero who died at the hands of Diomedes under the walls of Troy, was considered her son from the god of the river Stremon.
Erato · one of the muses, she was given the role of patroness of lyric and love poetry. She was depicted with a cithara in her hand.
Muses, I pray - from the crowd of the sinful human race
Eternally draw the wandering soul to the sacred light.
From an ancient hymn
From time immemorial, the arrival of a muse has been associated with the most beautiful and brightest moments in life - moments of insight and inspiration, the appearance of something new, meeting a dream. Why do they say that meeting a muse can completely change your life? Why did ancient poets and storytellers, when starting to perform their songs, turn to the muses asking for a blessing? Why did the ancient Greeks, seeing off friends in long journey or when blessing them for some great deed or new step, they often said: “Go, and may the muses be with you!”? And in the center of Athens, in the Acropolis, there has always been a temple dedicated to the muses - the Museion. And the first historian known to us, Herodotus, named his works after the muses (Clio, Euterpe, Calliope, Thalia) and dedicated his documentary records to them. Why did Renaissance poets take vows of fidelity and service to the muses, and why did artists of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries often depict themselves next to the muse? Why do we often hear now: “if inspiration comes”, “if the muse comes”? Who are these mysterious and beautiful strangers, nine sisters dressed in snow-white clothes? Is it just a beautiful myth that has gone into the distant past?
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* Plectrum- a plate with a pointed corner, through which sounds are produced when playing some plucked instruments.
** Castalia(Greek) - nymph, daughter of the river god Achelous. Fleeing from the persecution of Apollo, Kastalia turned into a spring near Mount Parnassus - the Castalian Spring, in the waters of which pilgrims heading to Delphi were purified. The Castalian key is a source of inspiration.
*** Helicon- a mountain in central Greece (in the south of Boeotia), where, according to Greek myths, the muses lived. On Helicon there was a source of Hippocrene, or Hippocrene, which arose from the blow of the hoof of the winged horse Pegasus. Therefore, Helikon is a place of poetic inspiration.
Zeus and Mnemosyne. - Distinctive features of Muses. - Place of residence of the Muses. - Daughters of Pier. - The Muses are the winners of the Sirens.
Zeus and Mnemosyne
The Muses were originally nothing more than inspiring nymphs of the springs. The Muses endowed people with poetic talent and taught them rhythmic meter in poetry.
The number of Muses also underwent changes. At first, only three Muses are mentioned: Meleta - reflection, Mneme - memory and Aeda - song. According to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, their nine sisters, all Muses, are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (goddess of memory).
The Muses were born at the foot of Olympus, they are beautiful maidens, their hearts are pure and virgin. The Muses have wonderful voices, and they sing harmonious songs at the feasts of the gods, entertaining the gods. The muses also sing about the divine duties of the inhabitants of Olympus and about the great, insurmountable laws of nature. The muses inspire the poet and put songs into his soul.
“When these daughters of the great Zeus want to endow a mortal with talents, as soon as their chosen one is born, they begin to feed him with tender heavenly dew, and words sweet as honey flow from his lips” (Hesiod).
The Muses love and patronize poets and singers who admit that they owe their talents only to the Muses, and punish the daring who imagine that they can compete with the Muses in singing.
The muses were given great honor, and their cult was spread everywhere. In order to understand why the Muses were so revered, we must remember that in ancient times poetry was a powerful factor in civilization.
Distinctive features of the Muses
Subsequently, the influence of the Muses was extended to all branches of art and sciences; each of the Muses was assigned a specific circle of activity and each was given special distinctive attributes.
- Clio, the Muse of history, was depicted with a roll of parchment in her hand.
- Calliope, the Muse of the epic, in a dreamy pose, holds in her hands waxed tablets and a sharp stick (stylos, style).
- A tragic mask, a Bacchic wreath, buskins - here features Melpomene, Muses of tragedy. Sometimes Melpomene is given the attributes of Hercules to express horror, and the Bacchic wreath is meant to recall that tragedies were played out for the first time at the festivals of Bacchus (Dionysus). The Louvre houses a beautiful antique statue of Melpomene.
- Terpsichore- Muse of dancing. Terpsichore is crowned with laurels and strikes the strings of a large lyre like a harp, reviving and inspiring those dancing with these sounds.
- A comic mask, an ivy wreath, a shepherd's crook, a tympanum (a type of gusli) are the usual attributes Waist, Muses of Comedy and Bucolic Poetry.
- Erato- Muse of love poetry. Erato holds in light in your hands, a small lyre. Very often Eros (Cupid) was depicted next to Erato.
- Euterpe always depicted with a flute. Euterpe - Muse of lyric poetry and music.
- Polymnia, or Polyhymnia, - Muse of eloquence and hymns. Polymnia has no attributes, but she is easily recognized among her sisters by her thoughtful gaze and by the fact that Polymnia is leaning on a rock.
- Finally, Urania- Muse of stargazing (astronomy). At Urania’s feet there is a globe, and in her hands is a radius stick, which was used by ancient astrologers to indicate the stars visible in the firmament.
Place of residence of the Muses
The original cult of the Muses appeared in ancient tribe Thracian singers who lived in Pieria, near Olympus, and then moved to Boeotia, near Mount Helicon. This mountain, like Parnassus, was the favorite place of the Muses. There were beautiful shady groves, cool caves and clear springs of Aganippus and Hippocrene, dedicated to the Muses.
On many ancient monuments of art, Apollo is depicted accompanied by nine Muses. The same plot is often reproduced by Renaissance artists. Located in the Louvre famous picture Mantegna's "Parnassus", it depicts Apollo making the Muses dance to the sounds of his lyre in the presence of Mars, Venus and Cupid.
Raphael, in his famous fresco in the Vatican, presented Apollo among the Muses. In the painting by Giulio Romano, the god of poetry himself dances with the Muses.
The Muses were very often depicted on Roman sarcophagi, as well as theatrical masks, because the ancients looked at life as a role that people played as if in passing on earth, and the one who played his role well ended up on the Islands of Beatitudes (the Righteous). .
The beautiful sarcophagus, known as the Sarcophagus of the Muses, now in the Louvre, was discovered in the 18th century during excavations near Rome. On the lower bas-relief there is a beautiful image of the nine Muses with their attributes.
Pier's Daughters
The Muses, like Apollo, did not leave unpunished those who dared to compete with them.
The Macedonian king Pierus had nine daughters who were so proud of their musical abilities that they decided to challenge the Muses to a competition. They began to sing about the battle of the gods with the giants, ridiculing the former for the fact that many of them turned into animals in order to escape the terrible Typhaon.
Hearing this, the Muses and their companions were indignant, but since the nymphs of the whole country were invited to this competition, the Muses also had to sing. Calliope, tuning her lyre, began to sing about the mysterious abduction of Persephone and the grief of Demeter.
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The nymphs unanimously recognized Calliope as the winner, but the Pierides did not want to recognize the decisions of the very nymphs whom they had chosen as their judges, and they forgot themselves to the point of trying to strike the divine Muses.
Kara was not slow to follow: the Pierids were turned into forty. Having retained their innate talkativeness and vanity in this form, they began to ring out the forests and fields with their sharp cries.
This ancient greek myth perfectly characterizes the passion and bitterness of those competing with each other art schools ancient Greece.
Muses - winners of the Sirens
The Muses also had other rivals - the Sirens, they were called the Muses of Death. On primitive art monuments, Sirens were depicted with the head and arms of a woman and the body of a bird. In subsequent images, the Sirens were represented as women with the wings and paws of birds. The gods gave the Sirens wings and a torch when they went looking for Persephone.
Homer calls the Sirens charming women who seduce all men who dare to listen to their singing. “Whoever carelessly stops and listens to the singing of the Sirens will no longer see either his wife or his beloved children: the Sirens will enchant him with their harmonious voices and destroy him. Around these enchantresses lie the bones and dried skeletons of their victims" (Odyssey).
The Sirens dared to compete with the Muses, but were defeated by them and mercilessly plucked. In memory of this victory, the Muses were often depicted with feathers on their heads. The unfortunate, plucked Sirens threw themselves into the water out of shame and grief - this is, perhaps, the reason why modern artists mix them with the Tritonides and depict them as women with fish tails.
ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from Latin and ancient Greek; all rights reserved.