Nine Athenian Muses Series

Goddesses to Inspire and Guide Your Art, Writing, and Creative Imagination

The muses were the nine sister Goddesses of Imagination, Inspiration, and The Arts in ancient Greek mythology. Many cultures have celebrated, worshipped, and tried to entice the Muses. This original Creativity Portal series will explore the variety of ways in which you can invoke each of the muses (Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polymnia / Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania) in your own expressions of creativity, while learning more about them and yourself along the way.

Meet the Muses

Urania: Muse of Astronomy, Astrology & Universal Love
By Molly Anderson-Childers
Urania invites my ten-year-old self for a picnic beneath the stars.

Thalia: Athenian Muse of Comedy
By Molly Anderson-Childers
There’s something delicious about laughing when you should be solemn and serious,” she tells me.

Terpsichore: Muse of Music and Dance
By Molly Anderson-Childers
Terpsichore, Athenian Muse of Music and Dance, mother to The Sirens, is a tiny, fiery old woman.

Polymnia: Muse of Sacred Song, Oratory, Lyric Poetry
By Molly Anderson-Childers
She is referred to in some texts as Polyhymnia; in others, simply Polymnia. Credited with inventing the lyre, she is the inspiration of lyric poets everywhere.

Melpomene: Muse of Tragedies and Elegies
By Molly Anderson-Childers
Melpomene is a guide for the lost; a dark-haired woman, clad in widow’s weeds.

Making Marvelous New Music with Euterpe
By Molly Anderson-Childers
Euterpe, the Athenian Muse of lyric poetry and music, has many gifts to share.

Erato: The Art and Soul of Sensual Poetry
By Molly Anderson-Childers
Erato, the Athenian Muse of Erotic Poetry, will be our guide through this exotic realm, where nothing is as simple as it seems.

Clio's Lessons
By Molly Anderson-Childers
Clio, the Athenian Muse of history, education, and knowledge, is often neglected by writers and artists.

In Praise of Calliope: Invoking the Muse of Epic Poetry
By Molly Anderson-Childers
Who is Calliope? The Muse of epic poetry may have inspired Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey,” but what has she done for us lately?

Belly-Dancing with Your Inner Muse
By Molly Anderson-Childers
Wonderful ways to inspire and delight yourself.

Quick Ways to Bring Creativity and Spirituality Together
By Molly Anderson-Childers
The links between artistic inspiration and the Divine are seen throughout history.