Muse Facts for Kids

Muse, perhaps Clio, reading a scroll (Attic red-figure lekythos, Boeotia, c. 430 BC)

The Muses are goddesses representing different arts and sciences in Greek mythology. They are the daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus.

Most commonly the Muses are:

Kalliope (or Calliope), the eldest and wisest, the muse of epic poetry, mother of Orpheus
Euterpe, the muse of music and lyric poetry. She loved flute playing, and some even say she invented the double flute. Euterpe had a son named Rhesus, who was killed in the battle at Troy, according to Homer's Iliad.
Klio (also Kleio or Clio), the muse of history
Erato, the muse of lyric/love poetry
Melpomene, the muse of tragedy
Polyhymnia, the muse of sacred poetry (hymn) and geometry
Terpsichore, the muse of dance
Thalia, the muse of comedy
Urania, the muse of astronomy and astrology

The word muse is also sometimes used for a person who inspires somebody else, or any other type of inspiring object. Muse can also be used to describe one's creative thoughts, such as poetry or a musical composition.

Images for kids

Print of Clio, made in the 16th-17th century. Preserved in the Ghent University Library.
Mosaic with symbols of each Muse and Mnemosyne, 1st century BC, Archaeological Museum of Ancient Elis.
The nine Muses on a Roman sarcophagus (second century AD)—Louvre, Paris
Thalia, Muse of comedy, holding a comic mask (detail from the "Muses Sarcophagus")
Polyhymnia, the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn and eloquence as well as agriculture and pantomime.
Clio, Euterpe, and Thalia, by Eustache Le Sueur, c. 1652–1655
Melpomene and Polyhymnia, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico
The Car of History, a chariot clock by Carlo Franzoni, 1819, depicting Clio (housed in the National Statuary Hall Collection of the United States Capitol)
Terpsichore
Thalia
Calliope
Apollo and the Muses
Euterpe
Parnassus
Urania and Melpomene

Muse facts for kids

Images for kids

See also