Muses.

    The nine daughters of Zeus and the Titan Mnemosyne (Memory), the Muses were the goddesses of poetry, literature, music, dance, astronomy, philosophy, and all intellectual pursuits. Each Muse was responsible for a different field of endeavor, and each had several identifying attributes, although in the classical sources their names, functions, attributes, and even their number sometimes varied. They were most commonly identified as Calliope, Muse of epic poetry, with a tablet and stylus as attributes; Euterpe, Muse of lyric poetry and fluteplaying; Erato, Muse of love poetry and lyre-playing; Polyhymnia, Muse of sacred music and pantomime, with portative organ; Melpomene, Muse of tragedy, with ivy wreath, mask of tragedy, and sometimes club or sword; Thalia, Muse of comedy and bucolic poetry, with ivy wreath, mask of comedy, and shepherd’s staff; Clio, Muse of history, with wreath and scroll; Terpsichore, Muse of choral dance, with lyre; and Urania, Muse of astronomy, with globe.
    The Muses were born and worshiped in Pieria, in northern Thessaly near Mount Olympus; hence their epithet “Pierian.” They were said to dwell on Mount Helicon in Boeotia, with its two sacred springs of inspiration, the Hippocrene (created by the winged horse, Pegasus, with a stamp of his hoof) and the Aganippe. Their home was sometimes referred to as the Sacred Grove or the Sacred Wood. They were particularly associated with Athena (Minerva) and Apollo, and through him with Mount Parnassus, near Delphi.
    The Muses were superior in their fields; anyone who challenged them met defeat and punishment. For example, the Pierides (different from the Muses, who were also called Pierides) offered a musical challenge but were beaten and turned into magpies; the Thracian poet Thamyris lost his sight and the ability to sing; and the Sirens lost their wings and jumped into the sea.
    In the postclassical era, the Muses have become generalized, with a “Muse” often personifying the arts in general or one of the arts (such as painting or sculpture) not specifically patronized by the classical Muses. Helicon and Parnassus, because of their shared association with the Muses, are often confused or conflated in postclassical works.

     Listings are arranged under the following headings:
    
     Poetry and Music (Calliope, Erato, Euterpe, and Polyhymnia)
     Drama (Thalia and Melpomene)
     History (Clio)
     Dance (Terpsichore)
     Astronomy (Urania)
    See also Apollo; Eros, Punishment; Marsyas; Mnemosyne; Parnassus; Pierides.