The Muses

Origin of the Muses

The Muses' Origins

We're all familiar with the infamous Greek god, Zeus, and his frequent extramarital dalliances. Zeus never had to think about what he wanted. When it came to choosing a lover, Zeus always knew exactly who he wanted to consort with, and he did not hesitate to follow through on his desires. Zeus wanted to be with Mnemosyne, the Titan goddess of memory. Their union created the nine goddesses of the arts, literature, and science. This is how the Muses came into existence.

The Role of the Muses in Mythology and the Arts

Zeus brought the Muses to life to celebrate the victory of the Olympian gods over the Titans, and to forget the evils of the world. Their lovely voices and dancing helped to relieve the sorrows of the past. Each Muse had her own domain over a particular artistic discipline. Apollo, the god of music, art, and poetry, is their teacher. Apollo is a complex god, and a very important deity of the Olympian pantheon. Healing, light, the sun, oracles, truth, knowledge, and prophecy were Apollo's domain. He was an oracular god, the patron of Delphi, and the prophetic deity of the Delphi Oracle.

The Muses followed Apollo, sang, and danced joyfully as he wandered through the beauty of nature on Mount Helicon where they lived and worshiped. According to Pindar (c. 522 - 443 BC), a Greek lyric poet, to "carry a mousa " is "to excel in the arts." Mousa is a common Greek noun. It means "arts" or "poetry."

The Muses inspire creation. Many people believe that the inspiration they need to write literature, a poem, or create any artistic expression is beyond their control, and that creative impulses only come from the Muse they call upon.

The Muses' Power of Inspiration

Inspiration is not always there for us when we need it. It is defined as "the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something; especially to do something creative." A spiritual teacher may receive the inspiration to create sacred revelations. A poet is often struck with inspiration to write a poem out of nowhere, and he may be amazed when he reads what he ends up writing. When an author is asked how they developed great story ideas, their answer is usually, "It just came to me out of the blue," or "I had a dream about it."

Do we summon our own inner thoughts and creativity, or does the inspiration truly come from a mystical source like the Muses? Many believe that the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne are the ones who truly inspire us.

The ancient Greeks believed inspiration or enthusiasm only came from one of the Muses. The Greek poet, Hesiod (c. 750 - 650 BC), who was a simple shepherd, was inspired by the Muses to write Theogony, a famous epic poem that's still widely read and referred to today. Scholars regard Theogony as a major source of Greek mythology. It is said that Hesiod was inspired by the Muses.