The Muses

Why Were the Nine Muses Important?

Why Were the Nine Muses Important?

The nine Muses and their gifts of song, dance, and joy helped the gods and the ancient Greeks forget their troubles and focus on art and beauty. The Muses were the embodiment of certain artistic ideals, and they inspired musicians, writers, and performers to reach even greater artistic and intellectual heights.

Hesiod, in his Theogony, claimed to have spoken with the Muses on Mount Helicon. He said that the Muses gave him a laurel branch and breathed into him their divine voice so he could proclaim the glory of the gods and their descedents. As a result, Hesiod was transformed from a simple shepherd to one of the most important poets in antiquity. The poet has stated that the Muses were created to help people forget their troubles and their suffering, perhaps as a balance to their mother Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.

Who Is the Mother of the Muses?

The mother of the Muses is the Titaness Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory in Greek mythology. She conceived the nine Muses after sleeping with her nephew Zeus for nine consecutive nights.

Mnemosyne doesn't quite fit the distinction of a Titan, which were anything but worshipped in ancient Greece. Titans were considered historical figures of the ancient past, yet Mnemosyne appeared in the first few lines of epic poems like the Iliad and Odyssey, among others. She is thought to have been given the distinction of "Titan" because memory was so essential to the oral culture of the Greeks. Since memory was required to tell the stories from the past, they deemed Mnemosyne a building block of civilization in their creation myth.

Later, in written literature, Plato made reference to the old tradition of invoking Mnemosyne in Euthydemus when the character Socrates prepares to recount a story and says:

"Consequently, like the poets, I must needs begin my narrative with an invocation of the Muses of Memory."

What Is the Meaning of the Word "Muse?"

The word "muse" is both a noun and a verb. The definitions of "muse" according to the Oxford English Dictionary are listed below:

muse (noun)

(in Greek and Roman mythology) each of nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and sciences.
A person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.
muse (verb)

Be absorbed in thought.
Say to oneself in a thoughtful manner. ("I think I've seen him somewhere before," mused Rachel.)
Gaze thoughtfully at.

What Does it Mean to Be a Photographer's Muse?

To be a photographer's muse is to be the love of a photographer because of one's beauty. A photographer's muse can also be a thing, but a muse, while traditionally a woman, is usually a person.

Because the photographer deals with physical beauty as a profession, the term "photographer's muse" is meant to connote something or someone that the photographer loves to take photos of. The photographer "muses" over this person or thing. It is a sublime experience for the artist to have such a perfect subject.