Few historical peoples were as inspired by beauty, aesthetics, and creativity as the ancient Greek civilization. They believed in the nine goddesses, ‘The Nine Muses,’ representing the nine major artistic disciplines.
The daughters of Zeus, the King of the Gods, the Nine Muses were also known for providing artists of all kinds, poets, writers, musicians, dancers, painters, and sculptors, with the inspiration needed to create their artwork.
Before embarking on any new work, artists in ancient Greece would ‘invoke’ the muse associated with their particular creative discipline. Calliope, for example, was the muse of eloquence and epic poetry, while Terpsichore was the muse of dance.
And the muses continue to live among us. Even in the modern era, many people continue to draw inspiration from Euterpe, the muse of music, whose various tones can elicit powerful emotions, including awe, love, joy, and even dread.
For example, many artistically-inclined people today, including several content creators on YouTube, rely on the availability of royalty free tracks for their daily dose of inspirational music.
In fact, many of today’s artists and visionaries will attempt to invoke their particular muse before setting out on an artistic enterprise. ‘When the muse comes,’ the Sage Goddess writes, ‘you must, if you are serious, go with her.’
But you don’t have to be a professional artist to get in touch with, and listen to, your muse. Some people even invoke their particular muses (i.e., the more creative side of their nature) before engaging in mundane tasks, such as selecting a quality sofa cover or choosing which color to paint the living room.
While few people in the modern era can list the names of the nine ancient muses, the word ‘muse’ still remains in wide use today, typically referring to anyone, or anything, that provides an artist with their creative inspiration.