The Muse of Greek Mythology

abstract rendering of praying female spirit

The muse phenomenon... its myth status dispelled

(4th edition - March 2009) by A.O. Kime
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According to Greek mythology there are nine muse, goddesses who inspire artists, musicians, writers and poets and that these immortal beings are the daughters of the titaness Mnemosyne who were fathered by Zeus.

For over 2,500 years and throughout western civilization, it is largely acknowledged by artists of every sort that their inspirations, creativity and incredible talent come from these muse. Yet, in this day and age of scientific thought, one would think this would be a preposterous concept for intelligent people to believe yet it remains the case. One reason, there isn’t much about the subconscious that science can explain and nothing at all about the spirit world. No matter, intuitiveness always gravitates towards the most heartfelt reason.

More endearingly, it is said the goddesses Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia and Urania represent this incredible phenomenon. Although consisting of nine, a plurality, people more commonly refer to them as simply 'the muse' rather than the plural 'muses'. However, being a transcendental matter in which few people are willing to discuss, mention of the muse is rare.

So, are the muse real? Well, whether the muse are real or just effectively real makes little difference. After all, their effects are real and their 'substance' is no less than life itself. In other words, life has no substance either, yet, in effect, it's real. For those who hear them, they're considered either 'helpers' (unaffiliated) or 'angels' representing the voice of God.

However, in forever demanding perfection they're also hard-driving taskmasters. As such, it should serve as proof they speak for God. After all, beauty is the hallmark of divineness and 'perfection' is how it is achieved. Both incredible and heartwarming, the act of 'inspiring artistic genius through emanation' means a direct hard-wired connection.

Credits and attributions

There were several classical Greek and Roman writers who tried to attribute which areas each muse influenced, whether it was poetry or music for example, but that depended on what each writer believed (or concocted). The Greeks had different versions and so did the Romans and many of these evolved over time. In other words, there are dozens of versions so which are accurate? Or, perhaps one should say, the 'most accurate'. After all, we're talking about the spirit world where nothing can be precisely defined.

In this respect then, it doesn't matter how credible any particular writer was considered at the time, it is difficult to put any faith in what they believed as to which muse did what. In short, accuracy suffers when one tries to get too specific about the spirit world. Worse, it makes the phenomenon less believable. For example, if someone said God has a mustache, it's both contentious and unbelievable. More importantly, it tends to taint the entire concept... thus the problem for Greek mythology.

Greek mythology

Although Greek mythology contains many truths (albeit conveyed allegorically), it's better known for its colorful tales about what the various gods did... often battling each other or punishing man when they were bored. It seems all the gods had dual personalities, were moody and had very bad tempers. Then there were also the immortal titans and other powerful men creating havoc such as Achilles, Hector and Hercules. Just how much truth there are in these tales is unknown but at least there's some factual basis on which Greek mythology was founded.

Associated to a great extent, Homer’s famous Iliad (circa 800 B.C.) was probably one of the greatest stories ever written and still considered a masterpiece. It centered on the siege of Troy, which until 1870 when the ruins were discovered, was believed to have been a mythical place. Until then, almost everyone thought the Iliad was fiction. Since Troy is now considered to have been a real place, the overwhelming consensus of archaeologists, what else about the Iliad could be factual? Did Achilles and Hector really exist? Were they indeed as powerful as Homer depicted?

Good questions for which no answers exist but from what these early Greeks accomplished, and with their passionate beliefs in gods, goddesses, oracles and the muse, there is more truths to the Iliad and Greek mythology that modern man is willing to accept. Maybe he'd rather not wonder why the goddess Athena was so worshiped and revered, or why statues of her were so magnificently fashioned and erected everywhere. Or not to wonder why buildings were erected in the honor of the muse in so many places, even in Alexandria, Egypt when Ptolemy I ruled (buildings in dedication to the muse were then known as ‘museums’).

Nor does modern man sufficiently wonder why the word ‘music’ was derived from the word 'muse' either. We shouldn't assume no reasons existed. The ancient belief that the ability to make music was the doings of the muse was surely well-founded... that talents are 'attributable'.

Such honor the Greeks bestowed would not have been the case without good reason. Other gods were honored also, like Apollo. It is about these 'good reasons' is where our curiosity and attention should be focused.

While many would suggest it would tend to 'regurgitate paganism' but paganism isn’t what most people believe it to be. Paganism doesn’t necessary mean being an atheist or someone into idolatry. The Catholic Church started that rumor to discredit the competition. Paganism simply means beliefs outside of church doctrine, that of any organized religion, and it entails all kind of beliefs. Likely true, as the Catholic Church contended, some pagan beliefs and practices were probably wicked but the large majority were high-minded spiritually and believed in goodwill towards their fellow man.

How can one possibly know that today? Well, one can't with absolute certainty but there is little (or nothing) to suggest it was otherwise. Logic would say the ratio of good people versus bad within societies have remained somewhat constant. As to wickedness, it can thrive anywhere, even in the Catholic Church as more child-molesting priests are being exposed. Another good bet is that many, if not most, of these spiritual-minded pagans believed in an Almighty God much more fervently than the average Christian does today. Further, they didn’t burn people alive at the stake as the Catholic Church once did for not having a similar belief.

Records of pagan beliefs destroyed

Even though virtually all written accounts of what pagans (heretics) believed were destroyed by the Catholic Church in their reign of terror during the Spanish Inquisition (Middle Ages), we can still draw some conclusions. Inquisitions were not limited to Spain however; during that time Christianity had inquisitions ongoing in other European countries. The Spanish Inquisition was just the most infamous.

Consider how powerful these pagan beliefs must have been to choose being burned alive at the stake rather than renounce their beliefs. It was well documented by the Catholics that heretics were given this choice. These pagan beliefs must have held a lot of merit to choose death in that manner.

Also, whatever form of paganism the Greeks had were undoubtedly age-old beliefs dating back to the Stone Age. These were spiritual beliefs which mankind had held since before recorded history, and was, in effect, the accumulated spiritual knowledge of millennia … but forcefully erased to make way for Christian beliefs.

So what were these beliefs which the cavemen, early Greeks and later pagans during the Middle Ages were so obviously dedicated to? Well, precise knowledge about ancient matters is nonexistent but a 'pretty good idea' is that their beliefs were derived from spiritual forays individually obtained. Unlike today, they were not based on manipulated religious tenets but instead arose from consensus.

They also surely knew that in doing so oneself, one gains what could be called 'leverage' or 'spiritual empowerment'.

The spiritual beliefs of the ancient Greeks seemed to have had miraculous powers as can easily be seen in what remains of that era, the ruins, testimony to what once was. Their accomplishments and incredible art reflects the fact they were somehow special... which goes unexplainable otherwise. While apparently the later Romans never solved the mystery, at least not completely, at least not by its institutions, they tried to emulate the Greeks the best they could.

It was, one can be certain, a close relationship with the spirit world which somehow enabled the early Greeks from their art to architecture which was, in effect, one in the same. Ancient Greece as we know it wouldn't have existed without divine emanation. While it is uncertain whether there are other emanating phenomena besides (1) divine intelligence and (2) the muse, they surely contributed heavily. Of course, it's also a matter of how much knowledge, creativity and inspiration one is able to siphon. That's the trick which seems to have been lost.

Greek poetry

The knowledge the Greeks possessed in spiritual matters had to be the primary reason for their incredible feats. As said, they inherited it from antiquity (Stone Age) which the cavemen developed… the group most capable simply because of their primitive circumstances. It was a time when men lived with nature on a daily basis, who knew it better than anyone else since. Doubtless, they had to be the first to 'discover' the muse.

What these cavemen knew about the spirit world we may never totally recapture but assuredly what they knew was incredibly insightful. If we only knew a tenth as much. Since ancient Greek poetry would naturally reflect the thoughts and perhaps the spiritual beliefs of ancient man, it could hold some clues. Although it is believed this early poetry (circa 500-1000 B.C.) came from earlier ‘war songs’ (the extent unknown), the most revealing poems (non-war related) the Catholics probably destroyed.

This revealing poetry would have expressed the mentality of the Stone Age... which we can only guess at otherwise. However, the fact poetry existed still tells us a lot.

Poetry was very popular when written languages were first developing and some scholars believe poets made the first use of the written word. Being first seems to signify its importance. Since there is a strong connection between poetry and spirituality suggests the ancient's relationship with the muse was deep, likely profoundly deep. Surely they also knew "poetry is the language of the spirit world".

Rationalizing the muse

Getting back to the muse, who knows whether there are really nine of them… maybe there’s six, eighteen or just one. Who can even vouch for their names? In my experience, there are never names associated with spiritual contacts. Still, this phenomenon exists, it's been proven time after time. It doesn't matter the process is ethereal, just like the terms 'thinking' or 'life', it demanded a name. Once recognized, the concepts to explain it would naturally follow... and nobody did it better than the authors of Greek mythology.

The concept not only 'feels right' but there are good reasons for believing spiritual phenomena are caused by ‘they’ and not things… similarly nobody refers to God as an ‘it’. The forces within the spirit world may not breathe but they certainly are alive. It's true because mankind's idea as to the parameters of what would constitute 'life' have been lacking in breadth... (see The Quest for the Nature of Light).

While these taskmaster perfectionists (the muse) were involved in all great edifices, Cumbemayo (ancient irrigation canal) illustrates best the ancient dedication to perfection because the message is clearer. The extraordinary effort put forth for 'just' an irrigation project says reams... since there was no practical reason for such perfection. In other words, it isn't a sepulcher built for a king (perfection insisted upon). With no practical reasons, the builders demonstrated their belief that "perfection is a closeness to God". The canal says it was a credo they routinely practiced... testimony to yesteryear's mindset.

It also explains why we're drawn to beautiful things (and perfection).

In summary, we need to keep an open mind about Greek mythology... strip away the colorful and exaggerated depictions and truths will reveal themselves. And, as said, we need understand their reverences. Even in today’s world, there's always good reasons for strong beliefs.

Whatever knowledge was lost, and assuredly substantial, can be blamed on another reason besides the Catholic Church… by 400 B.C. scientific thought was beginning to replace empirical thinking anyway. It (along with the tenets of organized religion) effectively wiped out the spiritual-minded in Europe... leaving mankind only the vestiges (the few remaining).

As a result, with religious tenets predetermined as they are today, and thus adopted, people don't see much need for spiritual activity anymore... nor is going through the motions spiritual activity. Only an open mind can create spiritual activity. While a scientific mindset is necessary these days, it is difficult to maintain both mindsets simultaneously. There lies today's hurdle.

More than ever, a deep spiritual connection with God and his spirit world are necessary and the muse serve as the conduit. After all, the human race has lost its purpose, direction and spirit.

A.O. Kime

Note: In revising this article, references in the previous edition (2004) as to how spiritual forces (emanation) can affect the laws of physics were omitted. According to the muse, it failed to properly explain... needs more work... deserving of separate article devoted to that subject only.

Addendum: While attributing to each muse their 'sphere of influence' probably seemed like a darling idea long ago, but then to add more and more as time passed, directs our attention away from the profound nature of it all. To name them was enough. At any rate, there are different versions. It should be noted the various languages might spell their names differently and sometimes they are known by different names. The purpose to 'romanticize' these phenomenal muse in such a way was, apparently, to make Greek mythology all the more fascinating but it tends to dilute the realities of this phenomenon by presenting it more like a fairytale. There are two ways to appreciate Greek mythology, one can either enjoy it for its fascinating tales, for that purpose only, or else, once having stripped away all the added nonsense, is to recognize it as holding subliminal hints of incredible truths. So for those who insist upon knowing the added nonsense anyway, I reluctantly post the following 'specialties' attributed to each muse.

Calliope - epic poetry
Clio - history
Erato - song, love poetry
Euterpe - lyric poetry, music
Melpomene - tragedy
Polymnia - sacred poetry
Terpsichore - dance
Thalia - comedy
Urania - astronomy

Of course, as if typical of societies, the Buddhists also romanticized the Bodhisattva.

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Go back to (or see more) articles on metaphysical wonders (phenomena) and inkwell philosophy
See also Why I Killed My Muse-- And You Should Too (a testimonial)

Matrix of Mnemosyne... the place of smoke signals from the spirit world

Last modified: 02/01/10