2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
Calliope is the muse of epic poetry, philosophy and science in ancient Greek mythology. Calliope's name means "beautiful voice". It is considered the supreme goddess among her own kind living on Parnassus. Among the friends closest to the crowned Calliope are the muse of astronomy Urania and the patroness of ballet and dance art Terpsichore. These three muses can be seen together in the paintings of Dutch painters. The French artist Pierre Mignard depicted the trinity on his canvases more often than others, while Calliope was always in the center of the picture with a harp in her hands. Another painter from France, Simon Vouet, devoted a lot of time and effort to paintings on the theme of mythology. His most notable work in this direction is the canvas "Apollo and the Muses", where the god Apollo sits among the nine muses. Closest to him is Calliope. Another masterpiece called "The Muses of Calliope and Urania" was created by the artist in 1634. The canvas is in the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
The ancient Greek muse Calliope is the eldest daughter of Zeus the Thunderer and the goddess Mnemosyne. She gave birth to the sons of Orpheus and Linus from the god Apollo. She is the mother of the Thracian hero Res, who at one time conceived him from the river god Strymon. Byone of the versions, Calliope also gave birth to Homer, also from Apollo. In addition, motherhood is attributed to her in relation to some of the Corybantes, divine dancers living on Olympus. Zeus is considered the father of the Corybants with a demonic appearance. The muse of Apollo Calliope, she is also his wife, accompanied her husband everywhere, this explains such a numerous offspring, and when God wished to part with her, she did not grumble. The meekness and obedience of goddesses towards their husbands is undeniable.
What is the muse Calliope responsible for
All deities living on Parnassus are somehow connected with people. Calliope, the muse of ancient poetry and the ancient epic, has always been a soothsayer. She represented deep philosophy and science. According to the teachings of Hesiod, a reliable representative of the genealogical epic, Calliope is a muse walking behind earthly kings. She was mentioned by Virgil, Stesichorus and Dionysius the Copper. The latter called poetry "Cry of Calliope". Not Euterpe and not Erato, although their poems are closer to art in their sound. Apparently, poetry in the understanding of the ancients was more identified with philosophy and less with art.
In modern mythology, Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, appears as a goddess who kills authors when they finish their work. The cruel custom was justified by the need to preserve a poetic masterpiece in a single copy, without the possibility of creating another one of the same. This myth was used in the production of the American television series "Supernatural" by Eric Kripke, filmedin 2006 year. Scriptwriters and directors of world cinema often turn to the topic of mythology, but not everyone manages to convey that elusive flair that shrouds the legends associated with the gods.
Nine Muses
In ancient Greek mythology, there are goddesses who are responsible forthose or other types of human activity, these are:
- Calliope is the muse of epic poetry;
- Melpomene - the muse of tragedy;
- Terpsichore - the muse of dance art;
- Clio is the muse of history;
- Urania is the muse of astronomy;
- Erato - the muse of the poetry of love;
- Euterpe is the muse of lyric poetry and musical art;
- Thalia is the muse of comedy and light poetry;
- Polyhymnia is the muse of solemn music and hymns.
External signs
Often, the ancient Greek muse Calliope is depicted holding wax tablets and styluses. These writing instruments are in line with her status as patroness of epic poetry, science and philosophy.
Clothes and paraphernalia
In some images, Calliope is shown playing the harp, the musical instrument of the divine Olympus, although music, according to ancient Greek canons, is the prerogative of the muse Euterpe. Nevertheless, such pictures exist. Thus, Calliope is the most versatile muse of all mentioned in Greek mythology. In sculptural sculptures, she is often depicted with a flute as a symbol of art. However, in some casesThe calliope is depicted without any attributes, in a freely flowing tunic, and her hands are free.
Crowning
In confirmation of her superiority over other muses, Calliope wears a golden crown. She is considered the only goddess to whom Zeus could entrust important matters on Olympus. Once he instructed Calliope to conduct a trial on a controversial issue that arose between Persephone and Aphrodite regarding the god Adonis.
Astronomy and musical instruments
Calliope is named after a large asteroid discovered in the mid-nineteenth century by John Hind, an English astronomer.
One of the most unusual wind musical instruments in the world is also named after her. This is the "Calliope" steam organ, assembled from locomotive and ship whistles. The terrifying roar of this instrument is in no way associated with the gentle appearance of the muse, but nevertheless such an incident happened, and the most extravagant musical instrument received the name of the goddess, which is translated from ancient Greek as "beautiful voice".
High Destiny
According to legend, the eternal companion of kings and the patroness of their singers Calliope gives people of art a great power of influence on human souls, because in her arsenal, among other poetic forms, heroic poetry is listed. From Calliope comes the chanting of military prowess, dignity and courage, the noble desire for self-sacrifice in the name of high ideals.
Divine Lyre
The magic of the mother passed to the son of Calliope, Orpheus. Apollo gave him a lyre, and the Muses taught the young god to play the strings. Orpheus achieved such perfection in the game that his lyre became magical. Divine music subjugated people, animals and plants. Nature itself listened to the sound of Orpheus' lyre. Rocks, trees and bushes danced around. The storm subsided in the ocean, the waves calmed down under soothing lyrical passages.
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