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In spring and summer on the slopes of the wooded helicon. History and ethnology

The myth "Apollo and the Muses" is one of the most famous works ancient Greece. It is almost impossible to name the author or even the approximate date of creation. The myth "Apollo and the Muses" is necessarily included in school curriculum in many countries of the world. There are several versions of the original that differ slightly.

There are also several translations different people, who worked mainly during the USSR era.

"Apollo and the Muses"

The myth was created long before the advent of Christianity. Therefore, the original version underwent folklore changes. However, the researchers managed to almost completely recreate the original. This is due to the fact that the myth is written in the style of epic prose, which is easy to distinguish from “folk” folklore. The myth "Apollo and the Muses" describes the rise of the god to Olympus. The main gods sat on this mountain. There was always intrigue and hostility. Almost every god had his own enemy or envious person. Constant noise. And amid this bustle, Apollo appears, accompanied by 9 muses. He plays the cithara. The muses sing and dance around him. The gods immediately began to listen in fascination. Even the formidable Zeus did not utter a word. Eagle, Hera, Artemis - everyone looked at the arrivals. Their singing made us forget about troubles and just enjoy ourselves.

The main message of this myth is the search for harmony in art. 9 muses represented various sciences and arts. The legend tells the reader that even the best of the best can allow themselves to lose themselves in music. The supremacy of Apollo is the personification of the superiority of beauty. He seems to be a person who is inspired by creativity (for which the muses are responsible).

Apollo

The myth "Apollo and the Muses" assigns a significant role to Apollo. He is one of the most revered in Greek mythology. Many sculptural compositions are dedicated to him. Even after thousands of years, Apollo is still a common noun that means physical strength and the beauty of man.

Muses

Muses are patrons of the arts. Their images are also still used in many languages. For example, the well-known word “music” takes its roots precisely in ancient Greece, only then did it mean art in general. According to legend, the muses were born from Zeus himself. Each woman is responsible for a certain science or branch of art. The Muses come to mortals to inspire them. For this they build temples for the goddesses and write poems. Almost half of the muses are responsible for poetry. The myth "Apollo and the Muses" describes them dressed in snow-white robes and wreaths. In addition to singing, the goddesses also lead round dances, which are later joined by other inhabitants of Olympus.

Apollo and the Muses. Artist Helene Knoop (Norway, 1979)

Apollo
O. Respighi - Ancient dances and arias

APOLLO AND THE MUSES

(from ancient Greek mythology)

Birth of Apollo. The god of light, golden-haired Apollo, was born on the island of Delos. His mother Latona, persecuted by the goddess Hera, could not find shelter anywhere. Pursued by the dragon Python sent by Hera, she wandered all over the world and finally took refuge in Delos, which at that time was rushing along the waves of a stormy sea.

As soon as Latona entered Delos, huge pillars rose from the depths of the sea and stopped this deserted island. He became unshakable in the place where he still stands. The sea roared around Delos. The cliffs of Delos rose sadly, bare, without the slightest vegetation. Only sea gulls found shelter on these rocks and filled them with their sad cry.

But then the god Apollo was born, and streams of bright light spread everywhere. They covered the rocks of Delos like gold. Everything around blossomed and sparkled: the coastal cliffs, Mount Kint, the valley, and the sea. The goddesses gathered on Delos loudly praised the born god, offering him ambrosia and nectar. All nature rejoiced along with the goddesses.

Euterpe

The struggle between Apollo and Python and the foundation of the Delphic oracle. Young, radiant Apollo rushed across the azure sky with a cithara in his hands, with a silver bow over his shoulders; golden arrows rang loudly in his quiver. Proud, jubilant, Apollo rushed high above the earth, threatening everything evil, everything born of darkness. He strove to where Python lived, who was pursuing his mother Latona; he wanted to take revenge on him for all the evil that he caused her.

Apollo quickly reached the gloomy gorge, the home of Python. Rocks rose all around, reaching high into the sky. Darkness reigned in the gorge. A mountain stream, gray with foam, rushed rapidly along its bottom, and fog swirled above it. The terrible Python crawled out of his lair. His huge body, covered with scales, twisted between the rocks in countless rings. Rocks and mountains trembled from the weight of his body and moved from place. The furious Python brought devastation to everything, he spread death all around. The nymphs and all living things fled in horror. Python rose, powerful, furious, opened his terrible mouth and was ready to swallow Apollo. Then the ringing of the string of a silver bow was heard, as a spark flashed in the air of a golden arrow that could not miss, followed by another, a third; arrows rained down on Python, and he fell lifeless to the ground.

Calliope

The solemn victory song (paean) of the golden-haired Apollo, the conqueror of Python, sounded loudly, and the golden strings of the god’s cithara echoed it. Apollo buried the body of Python in the ground where the sacred Delphi stands, and founded a sanctuary and an oracle in Delphi in order to prophesy in it to people the will of his father Zeus.

From a high shore far out to sea, Apollo saw a ship of Cretan sailors. Having turned into a dolphin, he rushed into the blue sea, overtook the ship and flew up from the sea waves to its stern like a radiant star. Apollo brought the ship to the pier of the city of Chris and led the Cretan sailors through a fertile valley to Delphi. He made them the first priests of his sanctuary.

Apollo at Admetus. Daphne. Apollo had to be cleansed from the sin of the shed blood of Python. After all, he himself cleanses the people who committed murder. By decision of Zeus, he retired to Thessaly to the beautiful and noble king Admetus. There he tended the king's flocks and with this service he atoned for his sin.

Apollo helped Admetus get the hand of Alcesta, daughter of King Iolcus Pelias. Her father promised to give Alceste as a wife only to the one who could harness a lion and a bear to his chariot. Apollo endowed his favorite Admet with invincible power, and he fulfilled this task for Pelias. Apollo served with Admetus for eight years and then returned to Delphi.

Presumably, it was during the time when Apollo served as a shepherd that he happened to fall in love with the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus. Whenever he saw her, she would hide and run away from him. Apollo decided that she was avoiding a meeting with a mere mortal shepherd and, chasing her, cried out who he was. Daphne was completely frightened and turned to Father Peneus, let the earth open up and swallow her.

The bark covered her tender body, her hair turned into leaves, and her hands raised to the sky were in the branches of a laurel. And high in the sky, laughing, Eros flew. Now he laughed, as Apollo had once laughed at his tiny bow and arrows. Eros struck Phoebus with an arrow that evokes love in the heart, and unfortunate Daphne with an arrow that kills love.

Apollo understood everything; he endowed the laurel with evergreen foliage, made a wreath of its leaves and adorned his head with it. Dead love was forever green, like all nature in spring.

Melpomene.

Apollo and the Muses. In spring and summer, on the slopes of the wooded Helikon, where the sacred waters of the Hippocrene spring mysteriously murmur, and on high Parnassus, near the clear waters of the Castalian spring, Apollo dances with nine muses. Young, beautiful muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, are Apollo's constant companions. He leads the choir of muses and accompanies their singing by playing his golden lyre.

Apollo walks majestically ahead of the choir of muses, crowned with a laurel wreath, followed by all nine muses: Calliope - the muse of epic poetry, Euterpe - the muse of lyric poetry, Erato - the muse love songs, Melpomene - the muse of tragedy, Thalia - the muse of comedy, Terpsichore - the muse of dancing, Clio - the muse of history, Urania - the muse of astronomy and Polyhymnia - the muse of sacred hymns. Their choir thunders solemnly, and all nature, as if enchanted, listens to their divine singing.

Polyhymnia.

In complete silence, the strings of Apollo's cithara sound solemnly. When Apollo cheerfully strikes the golden strings of the cithara, then a bright, shining round dance moves in the banquet hall of the gods. Muses, Charites, the eternally young Aphrodite, Ares and Hermes - everyone takes part in a merry round dance, and in front of everyone is the majestic maiden, Apollo’s sister, the beautiful Artemis. Flooded with streams of golden light, the young gods dance to the sounds of Apollo's cithara.

Terpsichore

Waist

Urania

Helen Knop is a Norwegian artist, born in 1979, lives and works in Oslo, Norway. Her oil paintings present the viewer with a sensual touch, where the light comes from within. Each painting is created to high quality using a lengthy process, often taking up to a year to complete. Her paintings are done in a classical manner, with strong influences from the Renaissance and symbolism. In his work, the artist uses materials created by old masters; oil painting on canvas.

The work of almost every great artist is unthinkable without the presence of a woman who inspires him - the muse.

Raphael's immortal works were painted using images that his lover, the model Fornarina, helped create; Michelangelo enjoyed a platonic relationship with the famous Italian poetess Vittoria Colonna.

The beauty of Simonetta Vespucci was immortalized by Sandro Botticelli, and the famous Gala inspired the great Salvador Dali.

Who are the muses?

The ancient Greeks believed that every area of their life that they considered most important had its own patron, a muse.

According to their ideas, The list of muses of ancient Greece looked like this:

Calliope is the muse of epic poetry;
Clio is the muse of history;
Melpomene - the muse of tragedy;
Thalia is the muse of comedy;
Polyhymnia - the muse of sacred hymns;
Terpsichore – muse of dance;
Euterpe is the muse of poetry and lyricism;
Erato is the muse of love and wedding poetry;
Urania is the muse of science.

According to classical Greek mythology, nine daughters were born to the supreme god Zeus and Mnemosyne, daughter of the titans Uranus and Gaia. Since Mnemosyne was the goddess of memory, it is not surprising that her daughters began to be called muses, translated from Greek this means “thinking”.

It was assumed that the favorite habitat of the muses was Mount Parnassus and Helicon, where in the shady groves, to the sound of clear springs, they formed Apollo's retinue.

They sang and danced to the sound of his lyre. This subject was loved by many Renaissance artists. Raphael used it in his famous paintings of the Vatican halls.

Andrea Montegna's work "Parnassus", which depicts Apollo surrounded by muses dancing for the supreme gods of Olympus, can be seen in the Louvre.

The famous sarcophagus of the Muses is also located there. It was found in the 18th century in Roman excavations, its lower bas-relief is decorated with an excellent image of all 9 muses.

Museyons

In honor of the muses, special temples were built - museions, which were the focus of the cultural and artistic life of Hellas.

The most famous is the Alexandria Museum. This name formed the basis of the well-known word museum.

Alexander the Great founded Alexandria as a center of Hellenistic culture in the Egypt he conquered. After his death, his body was brought here to a tomb specially built for him.. But, unfortunately, then the remains of the great king disappeared and have not yet been found.

One of the associates of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I Soter, who laid the foundation for the Ptolemaic dynasty, founded a museum in Alexandria, which combined a research center, an observatory, a botanical garden, a menagerie, a museum, famous library.

Archimedes, Euclid, Eratosthenes, Herophilus, Plotinus and other great minds of Hellas worked under its arches.

The most favorable conditions were created for successful work, scientists could meet each other, have long conversations, and as a result, greatest discoveries, which have not lost their significance even now.

The muses were always depicted as young, beautiful women; they had the ability to see the past and predict the future.

The greatest favor of these beautiful creatures was enjoyed by singers, poets, artists, muses encouraged them in creativity and served as a source of inspiration.

Unique abilities of muses

Clio, the "Glory-Giving" Muse of History, whose permanent attribute is a parchment scroll or board with writing, where she wrote down all events in order to preserve them in the memory of descendants.

As the ancient Greek historian Diodorus said about her: “The greatest of muses inspires love for the past.”

According to mythology, Clio was friends with Calliope. The surviving sculptural and pictorial images of these muses are very similar, often made by the same master.

There is a myth about a quarrel that arose between Aphrodite and Clio.

Possessing strict morals, the goddess of history did not know love and condemned Aphrodite, who was the wife of the god Hephaestus, for her tender feelings for the young god Dionysus.

Aphrodite ordered her son Eros to shoot two arrows, the one that kindled love hit Clio, and the one that killed her went to Pieron.
Suffering from unrequited love convinced the strict muse not to judge anyone anymore for their feelings.

Melpomene, muse of tragedy

Her two daughters had magical voices and decided to challenge the muses, but lost and to punish them for their pride.

Zeus or Poseidon, here the opinions of myth-makers differ, turned them into sirens.
The same ones that almost killed the Argonauts.

Melpomene vowed to forever regret their fate and all those who defy the will of heaven.

She is always wrapped in a theatrical robe, and her symbol is a mournful mask, which she holds in her right hand.
In her left hand is a sword, symbolizing punishment for insolence.

Thalia, muse of comedy, sister of Melpomene, but never accepted her sister’s unconditional belief that punishment was inevitable, this often became the reason for their quarrels.

She is always depicted with a comedy mask in her hands, her head is decorated with an ivy wreath, and she is distinguished by her cheerful disposition and optimism.

Both sisters symbolize life experience and reflect the way of thinking characteristic of the inhabitants of ancient Greece that the whole world is a theater of the gods, and people in it only perform their assigned roles.

Polyhymnia, muse of sacred hymns, faith expressed in music

The patroness of speakers, the fervor of their speeches and the interest of listeners depended on her favor.

On the eve of the performance, one should ask the muse for help, then she would condescend to the person asking and instill in him the gift of eloquence, the ability to penetrate every soul.

The constant attribute of Polyhymnia is the lyre.

Euterpe – muse of poetry and lyricism

She stood out among other muses for her special, sensual perception of poetry.

To the quiet accompaniment of Orpheus' harp, her poems delighted the ears of the gods on the Olympian hill.

Considered the most beautiful and feminine of the muses, she became the savior of his soul for him, who had lost Eurydice.

Euterpe's attribute is a double flute and a wreath of fresh flowers.

As a rule, she was depicted surrounded by forest nymphs.

Terpsichore, muse of dance, which is performed in the same rhythm with heartbeats.

The perfect art of Terpsichore dance expressed complete harmony of the natural principle, movements of the human body and spiritual emotions.

The muse was depicted in a simple tunic, with an ivy wreath on her head and with a lyre in her hands.

Erato, muse of love and wedding poetry

Her song is that there is no force that can separate loving hearts.

Songwriters called on the muse to inspire them to create new beautiful works.
Erato's attribute is a lyre or tambourine; her head is decorated with wonderful roses as a symbol of eternal love.

Calliope, which means “beautiful-voiced” in Greek, is the muse of epic poetry.

The eldest of the children of Zeus and Mnemosyne and, in addition, the mother of Orpheus, from her the son inherited a subtle understanding of music.

She was always depicted in the pose of a beautiful dreamer, holding in her hands a wax tablet and a wooden stick - a stylus, which is why the well-known expression “writing in a high style” appeared.

The ancient poet Dionysius Medny called poetry “the cry of Calliope.”

The ninth muse of astronomy, the wisest of the daughters of Zeus, Urania holds in her hands the symbol of the celestial sphere - a globe and a compass, which helps determine the distances between celestial bodies.

The name was given to the muse in honor of the god of heaven, Uranus, who existed even before Zeus.

Interestingly, Urania, the goddess of science, is among the muses associated with different types arts Why?
According to Pythagoras' teaching about "harmony celestial spheres", the dimensional relationships of musical sounds are comparable to the distances between celestial bodies. Without knowing one, it is impossible to achieve harmony in the other.

As the goddess of science, Urania is still revered today. There is even a Urania Museum in Russia.

The muses symbolized the hidden virtues of human nature and contributed to their manifestation.

According to the ideas of the ancient Greeks, the muses had the amazing gift of introducing the souls of people to the great secrets of the Universe, memories of which they then embodied in poetry, music, and scientific discoveries.

Patronizing all creative people, the muses did not tolerate vanity and deception and severely punished them.

The Macedonian king Pierus had 9 daughters with beautiful voices, who decided to challenge the muses to a competition.

Calliope won and was declared the winner, but the Pierids refused to admit defeat and tried to start a fight. For this they were punished, and they were turned into forty.

Instead of wonderful singing, they announce their fate to the whole world with sharp guttural screams.

Therefore, you can count on the help of the muses and divine providence only if your thoughts are pure and your aspirations are selfless.

Read an interesting article about Hera, Aphrodite and Athena.

In spring and summer, on the slopes of the wooded Helikon, where the sacred waters of the Hippocrene spring mysteriously murmur, and on high Parnassus, near the clear waters of the Castalian spring, the god of light Apollo led round dances with nine muses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. In their free time from round dances, each of the muses was exclusively engaged in their own business. Euterpe played music. Terpsichore danced. Thrifty Urania counted the stars. Laughing Talia was telling something funny to Melpomene, who was sitting with a tragic expression on her face. Polyhymnia, as usual, made faces in front of the mirror, while simultaneously composing hymns. Clio told different stories, and Calliope, listening to them, wrote another epic. And little Erato, secluded in a gazebo overgrown with wild grapes, thought about love...

I'm not a tramp and I'm not a loser,

Not rich, not nouveau riche...

Here come the Muses.

How can you not talk here?

There is a lantern outside the window, bored,

Lights up the old courtyard...

And I'm having tea with the Muses

I'm starting a conversation.

We have always looked up to heroes

Those that Vasnetsov drew.

And with us they walked in formation,

And three of them too, but in the basement.

The men were not weak,

True, we came across and in vain,

But our women would have beaten us,

If necessary, and a hero.

Feats? Yes, there were a ton of them!

For example, to deliver your paycheck.

So, far away from all “Kalevals”

And “Manasam”, Lord forgive me!

Life was seething: weddings and divorces,

And “Love” - again cries - “yes advice!”

Someone's water broke

Someone departed to the next world.

Sighs, kisses, cracking slaps,

Swearing, oaths, truth and lies...

Who will say that then it’s not very

This was our existence.

Knew the region both joys and sorrows,

I walked through a dense forest...

The beach and the sea lifted our spirits -

The most of all miracles.

Feat? Every day!.. Know Europe

What a living we lived on!..

If you wish, Calliope,

You write the epic yourself.

In a hasty life

Glad to look back.

Rewind, Clio,

Time back.

Draw simply

Bright panel,

Where does he pick apricots?

A bunch of boys.

It's okay that it's early

There is no sweetness in them,

“Kanchik” for the crowd

Sweetest of all candies.

Even though they scolded me harshly

For the raids

There was darkness on the branches

Tanned bodies.

I don't care about advice

And a storm of scandals...

Left in the summer

For pasture:

Sieve top,

Cut lengthwise

Matches, snack

And, of course, salt.

Even if it’s fast, God

You passed the time

But still remained

Old apricot.

Clio, my bow to you,

I'll return to your garden

Let's rewind again

Time back.

Do you remember, Terpsichore,

A girl with a braid?

We followed her at that time

They ran in a crowd.

Thin figure

Checkered jacket...

The lessons were parting

And they looked after.

Svetka walked

Proudly and easily.

There are ballet shoes in the bag,

Ribbons and tights.

Beauty with talent!

She succeeded

Dance on pointe shoes

"Dance of the Swans"

To say “Hello!”

I'm following her

Having broken a bouquet

In our Botanical Garden,

Come on, local guy,

The timid ones are not us!

Again in front of the entrance

I'm becoming mute.

Do you remember, Terpsichore,

Girls eyes,

What I love which

Didn't say so?

Euterpe, there is a beautiful “phono”,

Let your fingers run the scale path...

And I barely made an effort,

And I opened the notes as rarely as possible,

Our noisy bros were for me

The most important and clearest of all are the “solfeges”.

Now I would shine in companies

With my art, and after hearing the play,

The one I secretly dreamed of

I would look at it with genuine interest.

And with her I would be in the last row at the cinema

We should go to a session of Indian drama...

What a pity that a long time ago

I did not accept the advice of my strict mother.
5.

Lilac bodice - tartar color

Many, many years ago

Warm roof "Udarnik"

And the September starfall.

Urania Planetarium

You, like everyone else, are passionate.

I'm wounded in my heart by you.

Why are you keeping silent? Your fault!

You see, Orion's belt...

Sagittarius is still out there somewhere...

Stars cold neon light...

Our childhood is over.

The morning will soon rise early:

Once a civilian, he became a soldier.

I ask you, Urania,

Give us a star as a souvenir.

During exercises, the sidelight light

And the letter will be returned

Warm roof "Udarnik"

And the September starfall.

The June day was ordinary.

Every summer every year

Mass entertainer loudly

He provoked people.

People guessed “even and odd”

The parrot was dragging “fate”...

Just delivered in the evening

Valka in a zinc coffin.

There was crying throughout the whole area,

The door to the house did not close,

I said goodbye to my friend,

Suddenly learning about the “pain of loss.”

Everything seemed like a boy’s trick,

A joke, a prank, a game...

To hell with that Domansky!

No Valyukha since yesterday.

Somehow there was a sharp smell of the sea,

The acacia trees were blooming all around...

Blackened with grief

Valina's mother was wandering.

Is life a theater? A banal phrase!

And you don't want change

And she will press, the infection,

Without any Melpomene.

Polyhymnia, do you remember

Once upon a time there lived a mime with us -

The whole fault before the authorities is only

That I wandered like a pilgrim.

He could do everything, he knew everything, he saw everything,

I could show anyone

In everyday life - not a leader,

In pantomime - king and god.

And on the embankment in summer

My head was spinning:

Everyone walks and eats,

In general, a sabbath! Is it a Sabbath?

The carousel was spinning with a crunch,

Ferris wheel...

He stood there sadly sad

An exact copy of Marceau.

Spectacles of a different kind

They were fashionable at that moment

Because at the resort

The contingent has changed.

From the crowd that flowed past,

(So, the people were planning!)

Someone turned to the mime:

Look, sign language translation!

What, sick, in the rhythm of everyday life

Lost the habit of communication?

Or, God protect us, it’s difficult

Official language?

Come on, say it all in words!

Sing us something, even a hymn!

I just threw up my hands

A mime who has aged immediately.

Agree with me, Thalia,

Crimea, of course, is not Italy.

But why not live with us?

And will I forget all the places,

Where did those whose waists go

How about Gin Lollobrigidae?

Stretch yourself, even we will remember,

Duva lived behind the ridges

And worked as a salesman,

In the summer we are dressed up

Proudly walked the beaches

With a dazzling face.

I remember the color of copper hair.

Only - touchy, nasty!

This is the beach! Nobody will eat!

She answered me, they say, I am a lady...

In general, pure comedy!

I was bored the whole race.

Evpatoria with Italy

I will hardly compare

But I will give advice to visitors:

Vacations not in apartments are valuable

And not by sea with souvenirs -

There must be a ROMANCE for the ladies.

Are you sleeping, Erato, or are you dreaming?

What, I don’t understand? Are you composing?..

How easy everything is for you!

Give me a master class!

However, no, I won’t be able to -

I'm sick of studying.

Paths?.. Rhymes?.. And words?

My head is spinning...

You once wrote a rondo.

Tamara from the housing stock.

Yes, we only have a couple of sentences...

Rondo? Tomke? These are the times!

And the brunette, remember Sveta?

I lured her with a sonnet...

So it was a sonnet!

Waves from these Lights.

And, in the seventieth, in the summer,

Did you entertain Nina with a verse?

Nina?.. Originally from Ukhta?

Did I sing the verses? Wow!

Remember the Muscovite Emma,

You give her a whole poem

Dedicated two notebooks!..

I was young and stupid.

So, both rondo and couplets,

And poems and sonnets

You write to the ladies, to everyone

Is 100% success expected?

One hundred percent? Well I do not know.

Ninety I promise!

It’s a pity, I didn’t know, otherwise I would have given the heat!

Nowadays it’s just memoirs.

The night is already greeting the dawn...

Oh, the alarm clock is ringing!

Cups of cooled tea...

What was it? Reality or dream?

Childhood, youth... It's sacred!

Muses?.. Will they drop by again?

I don't know, but Erato

She promised to fly.

Apollo and his muses.

Ancient Greek mythology tells that in spring and summer on the slopes of the wooded Helikon, where the sacred waters of the Hippocrene spring mysteriously murmur, and on high Parnassus, near the clear waters of the Kastal spring, Apollo dances with nine muses. Young, beautiful muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, are Apollo's constant companions. He leads the choir of muses and accompanies their singing by playing his golden lyre. Apollo walks majestically ahead of the choir of muses, crowned with a laurel wreath, followed by all nine muses: Calliope - the muse of epic poetry, Euterpe - the muse of lyric poetry, Erato - the muse of love songs, Melpomene - the muse of tragedy, Thalia - the muse of comedy, Terpsichore - the muse of dancing, Clio is the muse of history, Urania is the muse of astronomy and Polyhymnia is the muse of sacred hymns. Their choir thunders solemnly, and all nature, as if enchanted, listens to their divine singing.

When Apollo, accompanied by the muses, appears in the host of gods on bright Olympus and the sounds of his cithara and the singing of the muses are heard, then everything on Olympus falls silent. Ares forgets about the noise of bloody battles, lightning does not sparkle in the hands of the thunderer Zeus, the gods forget strife, peace and silence reign on Olympus. Even the eagle of Zeus lowers its mighty wings and closes its watchful eyes, its menacing screech is not heard, it quietly dozes on the rod of Zeus. In complete silence, the strings of Apollo's cithara sound solemnly. When Apollo cheerfully strikes the golden strings of the cithara, then a bright, shining round dance moves in the banquet hall of the gods. Muses, Charites, the eternally young Aphrodite, Ares and Hermes - everyone takes part in a merry round dance, and in front of everyone is the majestic maiden, Apollo’s sister, the beautiful Artemis. Flooded with streams of golden light, the young gods dance to the sounds of Apollo's cithara.

Muses:

Calliope"beautiful voice" · the muse of epic poetry and science, she stands out among all other muses. She was depicted as a girl with a wax tablet and an otyl - a sharpened slate stick for writing letters - in her hands. “Calliope keeps the songs of heroic times in the book,” wrote the ancient Roman poet Ausonius.

The sons of Calliope and Eager (or Apollo) were the famous singers Lynx and Orpheus. According to some sources, the Thracian hero Res, who was killed near Troy by Diomedes, is also considered her son.

Clio, Klia · one of the nine Olympic muses, the muse of history, the one “who glorifies.” In the imagination of the ancients, a girl with a papyrus scroll and a slate stick in her hands: obviously, the scroll contained a chronicle of bygone times. It is known about Clio that she fell in love with Pierre, the son of Magnet, and gave birth to a son, Hyacinth.

Melpomene · muse of tragedy (Greek: “singing”). At first, Melpomene was considered the muse of song, then of sad song, and later she became the patroness of theater in general, the personification of tragic stage art. Melpomene was depicted as a woman with a bandage on her head and a wreath of grape or ivy leaves, in a theatrical robe, with a tragic mask in one hand and a sword or club in the other (a symbol of the inevitability of punishment for a person who violates the will of the gods). From the river god Aheloy gave birth to sweet-voiced sirens, famous for their singing.

Polyhymnia, Polymnia · first the muse of dance, then of pantomime, hymns, serious gymnasium poetry, which is credited with the invention of the lyre. Polyhymnia helped to “remember what was captured.” The name Polyhymnia indicates that the poets acquired immortal fame for the hymns they created. She was depicted as a girl wrapped in a blanket in a thoughtful pose, with a dreamy face and with a scroll in her hand.

Talia, Falia · one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, patroness of comedy and light poetry. She was depicted with a comic mask in her hands and an ivy wreath on her head. The Corybantes were born from Thalia and Apollo. Zeus, turning into a kite, took Thalia as his wife. Out of fear of Hera's jealousy, the muse hid in the depths of the potion, where demonic creatures were born from her - paliki (in this myth she is called the nymph of Etna).

Terpsichore · was considered the muse of choral singing and dance, and was depicted as a young woman in the pose of a dancer, with a smile on her face. She had a wreath on her head, in one hand she held a lyre, and in the other a plectrum. She is “enjoying round dances.”

According to one version of the myth, Terpsichore gave birth to sirens from the river god Aheloy. There is a myth according to which she is the mother of the singer Lin (according to another version, his mother is Urania). This muse is associated with Dionysus, attributing to her an attribute of this god - ivy (as stated in the inscription on Helicon dedicated to Terpsichore).

Urania · the muse of astronomy, a girl with a globe and a compass (or pointing stick) in her hands, in other versions of the myth was considered the embodiment of sublime, heavenly love. According to some versions, the mother of the singer Lina, whom she gave birth to from Apollo.

Euterpe · the patron muse of lyric poetry, usually depicted with a double flute in her hand. Res, the hero who died at the hands of Diomedes under the walls of Troy, was considered her son from the god of the river Stremon.

Erato · one of the muses, she was given the role of patroness of lyric and love poetry. She was depicted with a cithara in her hand.