Nine daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, goddesses of poetry, history, and other arts and sciences The paintings of Herculaneum show all nine in their respective attributes In the National-Museum of Paris is the famous collection with which Pius VI enriched the Vatican Lesueur left a celebrated picture of the same subject
William Bullokar's English dictionary (1616) explains them as "The feyned goddesses of poetry, and musicke, which were nine in number and daughters vnto Iupiter and Mnemosyne: Their names were Cleio, Melpomene, Thaleia, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Erato, Calliope, Vrania and Polymneia "
Nine Greek mythological goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory) Each muse patronized a specific area of the liberal arts and sciences Calliope presided over epic poetry, Clio over history, Erato over love poetry, Euterpe over music or Lyric Poetry, Melpomene over tragedy, Polyhymnia over hymns to the gods, Terpsichore over dance, Thalia over Comedy, and Urania over astronomy Poets and writers traditionally made appeals to the Muses for inspiration in their work John Milton invokes the aid of a muse at the beginning of the first book of his Paradise Lost: Of Man's First disobedience, and the Fruitof the Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tasteBrought Death into the World, and all our woe,With loss of Eden, till one greater ManRestore us, and regain the blissful Seat,Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret topof Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspireThat Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and EarthRose out of Chaos
In Greek mythology, the nine goddesses who presided over various arts and sciences They are led by Apollo as god of music and poetry, and usually include Callipe Muse of Epic, Poetry, Clio, Muse of History; Erato, Muse of Love Poetry; Euterpe, Muse of Music; Melpomene, Must of Tragedy; Polybymnia, Muse of Sacred Music; Terpsichore, Muse of Dancing; Thalia, Muse of Comedy; and Urania, Muse of Astronomy