| MUSES | BIOGRAPHY |
 |
TEAM DATA
Status: Active
Current Members: Calliope, Thalia,
Occupation: Patron goddesses of art
Base of Operation: Unknown, but the Muses are preferential to Mount Helicon, the Parnassus and Delphi, Greece
First Appearance: Sandman Vol. 2 #17 (July 1990) [Calliope only]
| “She had laid down her scroll and was bathing in a clear pool, remembering the lost golden days when the nine were still sought and wooed and needed... When the music of the spheres still echoed in mortal souls.” |
OVERVIEW
The Muses are Greek goddesses of art. Each one is the personification and patron of a specific art form. The Muses sometime serve as patrons for specific individuals, granting them inspiration and skills.
MEMBERSHIP
| Member | First Appearance | Joined | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calliope | Sandman Vol. 2 #17 (July 1990) | Active | Muse of Epic Poetry | |
| Clio | Muse of Historical and Heroic Poetry; not yet seen | |||
| Erato | Muse of Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, and Mimicry; not yet seen | |||
| Euterpe | Muse of Music, Joy and Pleasure; not yet seen | |||
| Melpomene | Mentioned in Wonder Woman Annual Vol. 2 #7 (1998) | Muse of Tragedy; not yet seen | ||
| Polyhymnia | Muse of Sacred Hymn; not yet seen | |||
| Terpsichore | Muse of Dancing and the Dramatic Chorus; not yet seen | |||
| Thalia | Wonder Woman Annual Vol. 2 #7 (1998) | Active | Muse of Comedy and Pastoral Poetry | |
| Urania | Muse of Astronomy and Astrology; not yet seen |
HISTORY
The Muses are the Greek goddesses of poetry and art, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, and the companions of Phoebus Apollo. They are known individually as Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia and Urania, each one the personification and patron of a noble art form.
The Muses sometime serve as patrons for specific individuals, granting them inspiration and skills. One such example is Calliope, the Muse of Epic Poetry, taking the bard Homer under her wings with the Iliad and the Odyssey as the end results. It has been suggested that this inspiration may have been granted through sexual contact in some cases, since Erasmus Fry and Richard Madoc were able to benefit from Calliope’s gifts through raping her.
The Muses seem to have some type of preference or connection to areas with wells and springs, like Mount Helicon, Delphi and the Parnassus. They are also closely associated with the Camenae – the Roman goddesses of wells and springs known individually as Mneme, Aiode and Melete – referring to them as ”mothers”. It is however unlikely that the Camenae, another aspect of the Witches Three, are the biological mothers of the Muses; this mother-daughter relationship is most likely of a spiritual kind.
In modern times, only two of the Muses have interacted with the world of man. First, Calliope, who spent nearly 60 years in captivity until she was freed by her former husband Oneiros/Morpheus/Dream, who had also been a prisoner up till then. Calliope then resumed her duties and later attended Morpheus’ funeral. Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, was confronted by Wonder Woman when she staged a scheme to flood the streets of Boston with the amnesia drug Lethe, so that people would forget their worries and be happy.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Muses in chronological order click here]