To My Love: The Greek Muses

Clio

Clio, in Greek mythology, is the patron of history. Also spelled as "Kleio," she was named Muse of History and Writing. In this guise she was represented holding an open parchment scroll or seated beside a chest of books or set of tablets. Her name was derived from the Greek verb kleô, "to make famous" or "celebrate."

She was called the "Proclaimer" and enjoyed telling stories of the past. In Greek, the word "history" is derived from kleos, meaning "heroic acts".

In Ancient Greek drama there were three types of plays: Comedies, Tragedies, and Satyres/Satires, which were based on legends and real people from history.

Traditionally Clio, after reprimanding the Goddess Aphrodite for her passionate love for Adonis, she was punished by Aphrodite, who made her fall in love with Pierus, King of Macedonia. From that union, in some accounts, was born Hyacinthus, a young Spartan prince of great beauty who was later killed, accidentally, by his lover, the god Apollo.

Some versions say that the Greek god of the west wind, the gentlest of the winds, Zephyrus, was the cause of Hyacinthus' death. He was jealous that Hyacinthus chose Apollo over him.
From Hyacinthus's blood that was spilled, Apollo created a flower, the hyacinth. This flower, on whose petals Apollo had inscribed the words of despair, "AI AI" - "alas" was considered by the Greeks to be the most beautiful of all flowers.
The flower hyacinth is said to have had a deep blue hue and an inscription resembling "AI" on its petals, a symbol of sorrow. However, this flower has been identified with another plant, the larkspur, or an iris, rather than what we today call hyacinth.

In art Clio was frequently represented with the heroic trumpet and the clepsydra (water clock).

According to the traditions and beliefs of the Ancient Greeks, historians would invoke the aid of Clio to guide and assist him in his work. The invocation took the form of a prayer for divine inspiration from the goddess. The names of the most famous Greek and Roman historians are Herodotus, Thucydides, Strabo, Livy, Tacitus and Plutarch.
In Ancient Greece, before books (scrolls) were readily available, all forms of knowledge were related orally. The "Histories of Herodotus", whose primary means of delivery was public recitation, were divided by later editors into nine books, named after the nine Muses.