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The 9 Muses, daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne, are the handmaidens of Apollo, the god of sun and light and of the arts and sciences, reason, revelation and agricultural production in peace and prosperity.
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CALLIOPE
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is the muse of the epic poets, like Homer and Vergil;
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CLIO
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of historians;
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ERATO
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inspires love poetry in the heroic vein;
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EUTERPE
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presides over the lyrical renditions of feelings and passions, and Sappho is her favorite;
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POLYHYMNIA
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is the stern muse of Sacred Poetry, of hymns of worship, prayer and lamentation;
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MELPOMENE
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gives power to the tragic poet whose plays plumb the depths of the human condition;
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TERPSICHORE
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reigns over the variety of choral dance and song, and theatre where rulers and ruled watch and participate in the enactments and symbolic representations of life's great drama;
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THALIA
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collaborates/competes with Terpsichore and kindles the Spirit of Comedy;
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URANIA
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assists and inspires those who want to find the ways to come to know nature's secrets, especially of the heavenly constellations, and was given the title of Muse of Astronomy.
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Please note that Plato in Phaedrus, 265 infra, gives the prophets, poets, priests and philosophers direct access to Apollo, Dionysos, and Aphrodite.
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