Muses in popular culture

Last updated
Sarcophagus known as the "Sarcophagus of the Muses", representing the nine Muses and their attributes. Marble, first half of the 2nd century AD; found by the Via Ostiense. From left to right: Calliope, who holds a scroll; Thalia, holding a comic mask; Terpsichore, Muse of dance; Euterpe, holds a double flute; Polymnia, leans on a rock; Clio, has a writing-tablet; Erato, holds a cithara; Urania, muse of astronomy, is shown with a globe at her feet; and Melpomene, wears a tragic mask. Muses sarcophagus Louvre MR880.jpg
Sarcophagus known as the "Sarcophagus of the Muses", representing the nine Muses and their attributes. Marble, first half of the 2nd century AD; found by the Via Ostiense. From left to right: Calliope, who holds a scroll; Thalia, holding a comic mask; Terpsichore, Muse of dance; Euterpe, holds a double flute; Polymnia, leans on a rock; Clio, has a writing-tablet; Erato, holds a cithara; Urania, muse of astronomy, is shown with a globe at her feet; and Melpomene, wears a tragic mask.

Representations or analogues of one or more of the nine Muses of Greek mythology have appeared in many different modern fictional works.

Contents

The list of Muses comprises:

  1. Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry
  2. Clio, the Muse of history
  3. Erato, the Muse of love poetry
  4. Euterpe, the Muse of music
  5. Melpomene, the Muse of tragedy
  6. Polyhymnia, the Muse of hymns
  7. Terpsichore, the Muse of dance
  8. Thalia, the Muse of comedy
  9. Urania/Ourania, the Muse of astronomy

The Nine Muses

The Muses, 1578, by Tintoretto Jacopo Tintoretto - The Muses, 1578.jpg
The Muses , 1578, by Tintoretto

Literature

Film and television

Calliope

Literature

Film and television

Clio

Erato

Euterpe

Melpomene

Polyhymnia

Terpsichore

Terpsichore holding an Aeolian harp. Sculpted in marble by John Walsh in 1771. Satue of Terpsichore - detail.JPG
Terpsichore holding an Aeolian harp. Sculpted in marble by John Walsh in 1771.

Literature

Film and television

Theater

Thalia

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artist</span> Person creating art or practicing the arts

An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the term is also often used in the entertainment business, especially in a business context, for musicians and other performers. "Artiste" is a variant used in English in this context, but this use has become rare. The use of the term "artist" to describe writers is valid, but less common, and mostly restricted to contexts such as critics' reviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mnemosyne</span> Greek goddess of memory

In Greek mythology and ancient Greek religion, Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory and the mother of the nine Muses by her nephew Zeus. In the Greek tradition, Mnemosyne is one of the Titans, the twelve divine children of the earth-goddess Gaia and the sky-god Uranus. The term Mnemosyne is derived from the same source as the word mnemonic, that being the Greek word mnēmē, which means "remembrance, memory".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euterpe</span> Muse of music (Greek mythology)

Euterpe was one of the Muses in Greek mythology, presiding over music. In late Classical times, she was named muse of lyric poetry. She has been called "Giver of delight" by ancient poets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muses</span> Inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in ancient Greek culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erato</span> Muse of erotic and lyric poetry in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Erato is one of the Greek Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully suggested in the invocation to Erato that begins Book III of his Argonautica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melpomene</span> Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Melpomene is the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. She is described as the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne along with the other Muses, and she is often portrayed with a tragic theatrical mask.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terpsichore</span> Muse of dancing and chorus in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Terpsichore is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean", which means "of or relating to dance".

<i>Xanadu</i> (film) 1980 American musical fantasy film

Xanadu is a 1980 American musical fantasy film written by Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The film stars Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck and Gene Kelly in his final film role. It features music by Newton-John, Electric Light Orchestra, Cliff Richard and the Tubes. The title is a reference to the nightclub in the film, which takes its name from Xanadu, the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China. The city appears in Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an 1816 poem quoted in the film.

Calliope is the muse of epic poetry in Greek mythology.

<i>Down to Earth</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Alexander Hall

Down to Earth is a 1947 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Rita Hayworth and Larry Parks. It is a sequel to the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordan, also directed by Hall. While Edward Everett Horton and James Gleason reprised their roles from the earlier film, Roland Culver replaced Claude Rains as Mr. Jordan.

<i>The Parnassus</i> 1509–1511 fresco by Raphael

The Parnassus is a fresco painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael in the Raphael Rooms, in the Palace of the Vatican in Rome, painted at the commission of Pope Julius II.

<i>The Nine Muses</i> Elegiac volume of poetry

The Nine Muses, Or, Poems Written by Nine severall Ladies Upon the death of the late Famous John Dryden, Esq. was an elegiac volume of poetry published pseudonymously. The contributors were English women writers, each of whom signed their poems with the name of one of the Muses. The collection was edited by Delarivier Manley and includes pieces by Susanna Centlivre, Sarah Fyge Egerton, Mary Pix ("Clio"), Catherine Trotter ("Calliope"), and Sarah Piers ("Urania"). The poet writing as "Polimnia" has not been identified; her initials are "Mrs. D. E."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roz Ryan</span> American actress

Roz Ryan is an American actress who has worked for productions in film, television, and Broadway theatre for over 40 years. Ryan's first role on Broadway was in Ain't Misbehavin', a Fats Waller-influenced musical revue that debuted in 1978. She is well known for her part in the television show, Amen, for her character Amelia Hetebrink, for being the voice of Thalia, the Muse of Comedy in the 1997 Disney animated film, Hercules, and for guest starring on the Disney Channel sitcom, K.C. Undercover as Grandma Gayle.

<i>Xanadu</i> (musical) American musical comedy

Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane and music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 film of the same name, which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth. The title refers to Xanadu, the site of the Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan's summer palace.

<i>Apollo</i> (ballet) 1927–1928 ballet by Igor Stravinsky

Apollo is a neoclassical ballet in two tableaux composed between 1927 and 1928 by Igor Stravinsky. It was choreographed in 1928 by twenty-four-year-old George Balanchine, with the composer contributing the libretto. The scenery and costumes were designed by André Bauchant, with new costumes by Coco Chanel in 1929. The scenery was executed by Alexander Shervashidze, with costumes under the direction of Mme. A. Youkine. The American patron of the arts Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge had commissioned the ballet in 1927 for a festival of contemporary music to be held the following year at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Hercules is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional merchandise, starting with the 1997 animated Disney feature of the same name, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.

The Studiolo of the Palazzo Belfiore was a former study, or room for intellectual pursuits, that was once found in a razed Renaissance palace in Ferrara, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. While the palace has disappeared, records do list the paintings, consisting of depictions of muses, that hung in the room. These secular works are now dispersed across museums, but their collective presences recall the renewed attention of Renaissance patrons to symbols from classic mythology.

Complaints is a poetry collection by Edmund Spenser, published in 1591. It contains nine poems. Its publisher, William Ponsonby, added an introduction of his own.

<i>Hercules</i> (musical) 2019 musical by Kristoffer Diaz

Hercules is a musical based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1997 film of the same name, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and David Zippel, and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah. The production is also loosely based on the legendary hero of the same name, the son of Zeus, in Greek mythology.

References

  1. "Sarcophagus of the Muses" . Retrieved 11 December 2018 via Musee du Louvre.
  2. Hussie, Andrew. "Homestuck". Homestuck.com. HICU. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  3. Ratcliffe, Amy. "Supernatural: "Fan Fiction" Review". IGN .
  4. Wellisz, Olenka. "'The Sandman': How Dream's Relationship With Calliope Changed From the Comics". Collider.
  5. Wilson, Jonathon. "Titans Season 4 Episode 12 Recap and Ending Explained".
  6. Asimov, Isaac (1985). Robots and Empire. New York: Del Rey. p. 105. ISBN   0345328949.
  7. "Xanadu (1980)" via www.imdb.com.