Would you like to travel the world and be enthralled
every day of your life? Budget is not a consideration—this sort of travel costs
nothing and delivers a million dollars worth of pleasure daily. No, this is not
a copywriting article for a tour…
The name of my imaginary ‘travel agency’ is The Armchair
Traveler and I’m talking about starting my days with a mug of coffee and
loading Bing’s picture of the day onto my browser. As I sip, I'm inspired, excited and blown away. I love it, and so does my muse.
Yes, I admit I’ve become addicted to search engine Bing’s
picture of the day. The stunning photography takes me to a different exotic
land each morning and has totally captivated my insatiable craving for adventure and
exploration. If the image really resonates, I check back several times
throughout the day and download it. An added plus is that my muse is stimulated by
this new daily habit.
Recently Bing had a beautiful image of a skyscape (roof
tops against a darkening sky) in Arachova, Greece. One of the info tidbits
mentioned that nine divine sisters make their home on the mountain above the
town—The Nine Muses.
I had to explore… and here is what I found.
Their sacred mountain is now a ski resort, and just a few
miles west is Delphi, home of the famous Oracle. That’s quite a piece of
legendary real estate.
The Muses would be termed demi-goddesses in our current
culture, with Zeus, the chief god, as their sire and a mortal woman, Mnemosyne
(Memory), as their mother. One legend states they slept together on 9
consecutive nights and their tryst resulted in the birth of 9 daughters, the
muses.
This version of the legend also amplifies the concept
that these are divinely inspired beings. The ‘birthplace’ of the 9 Muses is
said to be Pieria, and according to Hesiod, it is watered by the springs that
flow from Olympus, mountain and home of the gods.
There were many muses in different time periods. Some
believed they were goddesses connected with prophetic springs. The early muses
were not assigned areas of expertise—this came later in Hellenistic times.
~*~
A brief description of The Nine Muses:
Clio: Carries a clarion and scrolls or a book, is known
for history and the guitar.
Euterpe: Holds a double flute, is credited with inventing
many musical instruments, song and dialects.
Thalia: Is shown holding a theatrical comedy mask, ivy
wreath and shepherd’s staff. She protects geometry, architecture, agriculture
and comedy.
Melpomeni: Carries a theatrical tragedy mask and a bat or
ivy wreath. She is Thalia’s opposite, and invented and protects tragedy, she
also invented rhetoric.
Terpsichore: Wears laurels on her head, carries a harp
and dances. She invented the harp, education, and dance. Dance is said to have
amused her.
Erato: She holds a lyre, bows and love arrows. She
protects Love and Love poetry, and as such, is the friend and co-muse of all
romance authors (my opinion)…
Polyhymnia: Depicted sky gazing, wearing a
veil, holding a lyre. Credited with inventing geometry and grammar. She
protects mimic art and hymns to the divine.
Ourania: She appears carrying stars, a compass and a
celestial globe. She is credited with inventing astronomy, and protects the
stars and planetary objects.
Calliope: Considered superior to all the other Muses, she
accompanied royalty to ensure justice and peace was imposed upon the land. She
protects epic poetry and rhetorical art and is seen carrying a writing tablet.
~*~
Muses were considered deities, tasked with inspiring
humans and helping us tap into our divine potential and source creativity. They
help us manifest our wishes and dreams. Muses are depicted in paintings and
statues as women. Perhaps because our divine feminine—whether we are males or
females—is where our creativity resides.
Do they represent the spark that occurs when our human
selves meld with our divine selves? Is it that when we reach for the stars, our
creative impulse is awakened and spurs our imaginations to soar beyond all
limitations?
The Nine Muses are credited with a wide scale of
achievements that benefit all of us—inventing the five senses, seven chords of
the lyre, seven planets and celestial zones.
One of the most enchanting tributes to the Muses is found
on the Greek island of Corfu, where Austrian Empress Sissi placed individual
sculptures of each Muse in her retreat garden at Achilleion.
Plato bestowed the unofficial title of Tenth Muse on
Sappho of Lesbos, in appreciation of her magnificent poetry.
~*~
Which muse calls to you? It may be a blend, or one not
mentioned here. There are many names given to Muses throughout history in many
cultures.
I can never choose just one of anything whether it’s ice
cream or perfume, so I would choose Erato and Ourania, given my passion for love,
the stars, and all things celestial.
What about your personal muse—male, female, playful,
serious? Is there a sign or symbol associated with your must that means
something special to you?
In the epic fantasy romance I’ve been writing and editing
for nearly fifteen years, muses of different cultures blend with mortals and
their worlds collide.
I wanted to write about why goddesses
and muses are so often found in groupings or multiples of three, like
The Furies, The Graces, and The Sirens. But this post is long enough so I’ll
save it for another time.
In this season of Thanksgiving, let us also give thanks
to our muses. Where would we be without them? Let’s tempt them to help us
aspire to and achieve lofty heights with our writing in the new year that is
almost upon us.
And let us also give thanks to Marianne Stephens for
creating this beautiful community where authors, readers and industry experts come
together in harmony and share.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
GEMMA JULIANA is a
multi-published author who lives in an enchanted cottage in north Texas with
her handsome hero, teen son and a comical dog. She loves making new friends and
hearing from readers. Exotic coffee and chocolate fuel her creativity. You can buy Gemma’s books
on Amazon.
AUTUMN MASQUERADE by Gemma Juliana is a novella that pays tribute to Autumn, Thanksgiving, and the seasons of love.
Anna Spencer learned long ago to
keep her psychic gifts secret to avoid rejection. Richard Bentley – her boss – is
a widower, still haunted by his wife’s death two years ago just before
Thanksgiving. Anna is falling in love with him, but can he move beyond the
grief that has consumed him? When Anna must use her psychic gifts at a Masquerade
Ball, her worlds collide. This is Richard’s first social engagement since Eva
died. Anna must face her fear that Richard will fire her if he finds out. Even
worse, will she lose him? Anna’s gift is communicating with the dead, and
Richard’s deceased wife has a lot to say.
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