MUSES, goddesses presiding over song and ultimately over the liberal arts generally (Mokat, originally *Mlinat, 1116Paat "the mindful ones"). In Homer, they are represented as singing to the gods, to the accompaniment of Apollo, and as jealous of the attempt of Thamyris the Thracian bard to rival them (11. 604; H., 594 ff.), also as inspiring or instructing poets generally; sometimes a single Muse is invoked for that purpose (as 0d., I), sometimes all (as 11., ii., 484) ; but nothing is said of their number or names. In Hesiod there are nine Muses, daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne (Memory) ; their names are Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Urania, and Calliope. This is the canonical list ; but there were many local variants ; for example, it was said that originally but three Muses were worshipped on Helicon, and their names were 111neme, Aoide (Practice, Memory, Song). At Delphi also there were three, worshipped in connection with Apollo, who is often called Alztsagetes, or leader of the Muses; at Sicyon there were three, of whom one was called Polumatheia ("much learning"). We may, therefore, conclude that their names are much later than their cult. From the beginning they are associated with Thrace; Orpheus and Rhesus are sons of Muses, Thamyris is their unsuccessful rival, they are traditionally associated with Pieria, Leibethra, and Pimpleia, and the cult of their father Zeus is in very ancient times situated on Olympus. But quite early a
cult almost more famous was established at Helicon in Boeotia. We may reasonably suppose that the worship of the Muses entered Greece with the Greeks and moved southward with them. As to their original functions, it has been suggested that they began as water-deities, a theory plausible enough in itself, since water is closely associated with inspiration, prophetic or poetical. But this does not account for the name [why should a deity of water be called "mindful"?] nor for the fact that in our earliest author ities the Muses are definitely goddesses of song, not water. They are, however, associated with holy streams or springs, Castalia, Hippocrene, and Aganippe.
The assigning of different functions to individual Muses (see CALLIOPE) is late and erratic. The Romans often identified the Muses with the Camenae, who appear to have been deities of water; also perhaps connected with prophecy (see G. Wissowa, Religion and kultus, 2nd ed., p. 21g).
See Roscher's Lexikon, s.v.; L. R. Farnell, Cults of the Greek States (1896) v., P. 434 (references, p. 469).