Muses (mythology)

thumb|Muse, perhaps Clio, reading a scroll (Attic red-figure [[lekythos, Boeotia, )]] In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses (, ; singular: , Moúsa, ; , ) were 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.

thumb|349x349px|Print of Clio, made in the 16th–17th century. Preserved at the Ghent University Library.

Muse of comedy in Greek mythology

Urania ( ; ; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy and astrology. In ancient art, her attributes include the globe and the pointer.

thumb|Melpomene by Joseph Fagnani (1869) Melpomene (; ) is the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. She is described as the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne (and therefore of power and memory) along with the other Muses, and she is often portrayed with a tragic theatrical mask.

In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; ) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry, so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses".

thumb|Terpsichore on an antique fresco from Pompeii

thumb|right|Erato on an antique fresco from Pompeii In Greek mythology, Erato (; ) is one of the Muses, associated with erotic lyric poetry. 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.

Polyhymnia (; ), alternatively Polymnia (Πολύμνια), is, in Greek mythology, the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn, dance and eloquence, as well as agriculture and pantomime. thumb|Polyhymnia on an antique fresco from Pompeii

Euterpe (; , from + ) 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.

Mimesis (; , mīmēsis) is a term used in literary criticism and philosophy that carries a wide range of meanings, including imitatio, imitation, similarity, receptivity, representation, mimicry, the act of expression, the act of resembling, and the presentation of the self.

mountain in Livadia municipality, Greece

thumb|upright|Muses|Muse statue, a common scholarly motif in the Hellenistic age.

In Greek mythology, Melete () was one of the three original Boeotian muses before the Nine Olympian Muses were founded. Her sisters were Aoede and Mneme. She was the muse of thought and meditation. Melete literally means "ponder" and "contemplation" in Greek.

According to Pausanias, Mneme () was thought to be one of the three Muses at Mount Helicon, alongside Aoede and Melete. He writes that the Macedonian Pierus replaced them with the nine Muses. According to Robin Hard, the names Pausanias gives for these three Muses indicate that it is improbable he "is referring to a genuinely ancient tradition".

In Greek mythology, Aoede (, Aoidē) was one of the three original Boeotian muses, which later grew to five before the Nine Olympian Muses were named. Her sisters were Melete and Mneme. She was the muse of voice and song.

In Greek mythology, Thelxinoë (; ) was a name attributed to the following four characters:

doctrine of artistic creativity according to which the creative process should be based on the close imitation of the masterpieces of the preceding authors

ancient Greek muse

ancient sanctuary of the Muses under Mt. Helicon

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the first formulation, in the West, of the doctrine of imitation

aquatic feature in Greek mythology