Muses

It woudl be entirely improper and disrespectful to mention any of these great works without addressing first the very beings that inspired the authors thereof.

There were usually thogut to be 9 of them, each with their own unique name and specialty:


Calliope - Chief of the muses and muse of epic poetry
Clio - history
Erato - erotic poetry
Euterpe - lyric song
Melpomene - tragedy
Polyhymnia - sacred song
Terpsichore - dance
Thalia - comedy
Urania - astronomy

When wanting to compose or write, an artist would invoke the goodwill of the appropriate muse, such as:

"Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but do what he might he could not save his men, for they perished through their own sheer folly in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion; so the god prevented them from ever reaching home. Tell me, too, about all these things, O daughter of Jove, from whatsoever source you may know them. "

From the opening of Homer's The Odyssey