To My Love: The Greek Muses

Terpsichore

In Greek mythology, Terpsichore was the goddess of dance, also eventually associated with lyric poetry and the chorus that accompanied Greek theater. In addition to dance, she has more recently been invoked as a metaphor for rhythm and ordered movement in the universe, such as mechanical oscillations. Each muse was given a name that reflected their craft. Terpsichore actually translates to ''delight in dancing.''

In art and sculpture, Terpsichore is depicted as being seated with a lyre and plectrum. She is still associated with dance today. This is reflected in the adjective terpsichorean which refers to things related to dance. The importance of Terpsichore and the other muses in Greek thought illustrates the importance of music in Greek culture. In ancient Greece, music was considered the mark of a civilized man. Music, however, was broader than just what is thought of as music today. Music also covered dance and poetry in addition to instrumental music and singing. These all together were considered to nourish the soul.

Like all of the muses, Terpsichore had a beautiful voice and was a talented musician, playing various harps and flutes. This is a trait she may have passed on to her own children as well. In some versions of Greek mythology, rather than Melpomena, Terpsichore is listed as the mother of the Sirens, the half-bird/half-women creatures who lured sailors to their islands and killed them. Terpsichore is referenced as the wife of Akheloios, God of Rivers, to whom she bore three daughters, Thelxieoeia, Peisinoe, and Ligeia, also known as the Sirens. Her daughters are described as bird like sea nymphs and were also the handmaidens for Persephone, princess of the underworld who was abducted by God of underworld, Pluto, or Hades.

Some believe Terpsichore is most appropriately named 'Mother of the Sirens,' leaving Melpomena single and childless. Although she is associated with the celebration of dance and song, her genuine power, like that of her daughters, seems dark, erotic, and mysterious. Terpsichore is best known for announcing the cries of the Sirens who eventually led seamen to both ecstasy and death. In later mythology, the Muses were actually compared to the sirens since both were female figures known for being singers of beautiful songs. The main difference is that the Muses were associated with Olympus and sang to enrich men's souls while the sirens were chthonic and sang to trap men and destroy them.

There is a discussion within classical studies as to whether the Muses were personifications. Although the Muses were closely associated with their artistic spheres, they also had an existence beyond it. Terpsichore, for example, was also a mother and a wife. (In later mythology, she became the mother of several sirens including Parthenope by the River God Achelous/Akheloios.) Because of this, they appear to have been more than mere abstract entities to the ancient Greeks. Today, Terpsichore is used often as a metaphor for, or personification of, dance. Terpsichore is also invoked in subjects beyond dance that have a sort of ordered movement or rhythm. She is now the Muse not just of human dance but also the cosmic dance in which the whole universe participates.

An example of Terpsichore being referenced outside of dance is in the realm of physics. The planets orbit the sun and the sun, with other stars, orbits the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Additionally, the planets go through cycles called Milankovitch Cycles in which their orbits around the sun adjust in very regular, periodic, or rhythmic, ways. Furthermore, electromagnetic and mechanical oscillations, such as a pendulum in a clock, are also very common in nature. If these regular, ordered patterns of movement in the universe could be thought of as a sort of natural dance, then these natural movements could be thought of as terpsichorean in a sense. It could be said that Terpsichore's influence goes beyond just the human arts. It also can be seen in the observable universe.

In addition to the mechanical movements of planets and pendulums, herds of antelope, flocks of birds, and schools of fish all move in a coordinated way that could be considered a type of dance. Some science writers and historians have taken note of the "terpsichorean motion" seen in nature and have referenced Terpsichore as a metaphor for periodic motion as well as the periodicity of cycles used to keep track of time, such as phases of the moon.

The earliest forms of dance had a specifically religious purpose. One purpose of these early dances was probably to somehow participate in these patterns that govern the universe. Dances in ancient Greece tended to be religious processions or re-enactments of myths, though there were also forms of dancing that were just for entertainment. As a result, dance also played an important role in the religious life of the ancient Greeks. Thus, it makes sense that they would have a goddess devoted to dance.