The Muses

Danielle Sanchez

The Muses, daughters of Zeus, are depicted as beautiful, musical, and poetic gods with many variations. This prose will discuss personal perspective and comparative analysis of the Muses. Exploring how they are portrayed in various works and how it relates to ancient myth. Some of the earliest works about the Muses comes from the Theogony by Hesiod, a poem that shares the origins of the gods. It is believed that the Muses of literature and arts were creators of “no mere artistic convention but rather the utterance of a prophetic visionary,” (Morford et al.H32) In the story of the Theogony, Hesiod is bestowed the power of song to tell of the past and the future. However, he must always tell of the Muses first and last in his songs (Morford et al. 60)

One of the first portrayals and stories of the Muses that I had come across was in the movie Hercules. In the movie, Hercules, the opening sequence starts with the voice of a male narrator who is interrupted by 5 women dressed in greek robes. These are the Muses: Calliope, Clio, Thalia, Terpsichore, Melpomene that appear in the film. They start the movie beginning with the tale of Hercules. At the conclusion of the film, the Muses reappear, closing out the film with another song summarizing the heroic story of Hercules. This movie’s depiction of the Muses is the one I am most familiar with when it comes to imaging these goddesses, as singing storytellers. This modern depiction of the Muses has ties to gospel choirs and musical narration.

In comparison, a more traditional depiction of the muses is the Roman marble statue of Polyhymnia, the Muse of sacred poetry. Carved by an unknown Roman sculptor. Her pose remains thoughtful and reflective to represent the connection of art and wisdom. When comparing these two depictions of the Muses. This one feels reverent, one of respect and serious adoration. Meanwhile, the movie is an animated children’s film about a popular mythology. The statue comes from ancient Roman times that perhaps still had more serious appreciation and worship of gods. Now, Greek gods are seen as myths only, not serious beings of power.

Returning to the Theogony’s representation of the Muses, there are some aspects that still seem faithful to this originating text. In the film, the Muses are the ones to begin and end the story. Just like Hesiod was asked to do when he would share his stories, he must sing of the Muses at the start and at the end. Although in the film the Muses are not prophetic and simply narrate what is occurring in the previous scenes.

In conclusion, the portrayal of the Muses has evolved from their ancient origins to modern representations. Perhaps this reflects changing cultural values and forms of artistic expressions. In Hesiod’s Theogony, the Muses are revered as divine beings whose power to inspire through song and prophecy establishes them as central figures in the communication of both past and future. This traditional understanding of the Muses contrasts with their depiction in Disney’s Hercules, where they are portrayed as lively, musical storytellers with a more playful tone.

Works Cited

Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. Available from: VitalSource Bookshelf, (12th Edition). Oxford University Press Academic US, 2023.