More about Music & Muses |
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THE
MOUSAI (Muses) |
Muse ~~ Greek
Mousa or Moisa,
Latin Musa, in Greco-Roman
religion
and mythology, any of a group of sister goddesses of obscure but ancient
origin, the chief centre of whose cult was Mount Helicon in Boeotia, Greece.
They were born in Pieria, at the foot of Mount Olympus. Very little is known
of their cult, but they had a festival every four years at Thespiae, near
Helicon, and a contest (Museia),
presumably—or at least at first—in singing and playing. They probably were
originally the patron goddesses of poets (who in early times were also
musicians, providing their own accompaniments), although later their range
was extended to include all liberal arts and sciences—hence, their
connection with such institutions as the
Museum (Mouseion,
seat of the Muses) at Alexandria, Egypt. There were nine Muses as early as
Homer’s
Odyssey, and Homer invokes either a Muse or the Muses
collectively from time to time. Probably, to begin with, the Muses were one
of those vague collections of deities, undifferentiated within the group,
which are characteristic of certain, probably early, strata of
Greek religion.
from Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.
[
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/398735/Muse
]
About the Muse's Instrument ~~ Pictured in the muse's arms is a kithara, an ancient Greek ancestor
of the harp in its many forms and guises throughout history
and multiple cultures. Also called cithara, cither, cittern, etc., it
is in essence a lyre, a term closely associated with the lyrics that would
have been sung or recited to its accompaniment.
Derivative cognates of kithara would include the Spanish 'gittara', whence
the guitar.
from
Random House Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language:
"A musical instrument of ancient Greece
consisting of an elaborate wooden soundbox having two arms connected by a
yoke to which the upper ends of the strings are attached."
Extracted and collated from multiple Internet sources, including:
http://www.intellectualloafing.com/activitiesfolder/beinformedfolder/theninemuses.htm
http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Mousai.html
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/mgodsandgoddesses/tp/Muses.htm
http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/nine-muses-in-greek-mythology
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-nine-muses-greek-mythology-series-5-euterpe-8063808.html?cat=4
~~*~~
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