The Muses in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / The Muses

94 passages from 16 ancient authors that tell of The Muses, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. The Muses were the Greek goddesses of inspiration in literature, science and the arts. They were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (the personificat... For the story in one place, read our article on The Muses.

Hesiod (10)

Hesiod, Theogony 60–99The Muses on Olympus and their gifts to kings and singers (60-99)The Muses have their dancing places and fair homes on Olympus beside the Graces and Himerus, and they sing the laws of the gods and Zeus's overthrow of Cronus. The nine are named, with Calliope the chief because she attends on princes. Kings favoured by the Muses speak with persuasive words and settle quarrels fairly, and singers who serve the Muses make a sorrowing man forget his troubles.
Hesiod, Theogony 1–34The Muses of Helicon and Hesiod's calling (1-34)Hesiod opens by hailing the Muses who dance on Mount Helicon and bathe in its springs, and lists the gods they praise as they go abroad by night. While he is shepherding his lambs beneath Helicon, they address him harshly, saying they know how to speak many falsehoods as well as truths. They give him a laurel staff and a divine voice so that he can sing of things to come and things past, and the race of the blessed gods.
Hesiod, Theogony 35–59The Muses' song of gods and men; their birth (35-59)Hesiod turns from his own story to the song of the Muses, who delight their father Zeus on Olympus by singing first of the race of the gods, then of Zeus himself, then of men and the strong giants. Mnemosyne (Memory) bears them to Zeus in Pieria after nine nights, nine daughters whose hearts are set on song.
Hesiod, Theogony 960–1022Goddesses and mortal men; the end of the poem (960-1022)The Muses are asked to sing of the goddesses who lay with mortal men. Demeter bears Plutus to Iasion, Harmonia bears Ino, Semele, Agave, Autonoe and Polydorus to Cadmus, and Callirrhoe bears Geryon. The list continues with Eos and Tithonus, Aphrodite and Anchises, Thetis and Peleus, and ends with Circe and Calypso bearing sons to Odysseus before the poet turns to the company of women.
Hesiod, Works and Days 605–674Vintage, laying up the ship and Hesiod's own voyage (605-674)After the harvest Hesiod tells Perses to cut the grapes when Orion and Sirius are in mid-heaven, showing them to the sun for ten days before drawing off the wine. When the Pleiades set, gales rage, so the ship is to be hauled ashore, its tackle stowed and its rudder hung over the smoke. He recalls how his father left Aeolian Cyme and settled at Ascra by Helicon, and says that his only sea-voyage was to Chalcis, where he won a tripod with a song at the games of Amphidamas and dedicated it to the Muses.
Hesiod, Fragments 6.1–7.9Fragments of unknown position and of doubtful authorshipThese are short quotations whose place in Hesiod's poems is not known, among them the Three-fold people, and the Muses who make a man wise. A second group is of doubtful authorship and includes the Hesperides, a line about Telamon and the saying that gifts move the gods.
Hesiod, Theogony 100–129Invocation of the Muses; Chaos, Gaia and the first gods (100-129)The proem closes with an invocation: the Muses are asked to tell how the gods and the world first came to be. The cosmogony begins with Chaos, broad-breasted Gaia (Earth), murky Tartarus and Eros, fairest of the gods. Erebus and Night come from Chaos and bear Aether and Day, and Gaia bears Uranus (Heaven) and the hills.
Hesiod, Works and Days 1–39Invocation to Zeus; the two Strifes (1-39)Hesiod calls on the Muses of Pieria to sing of Zeus, who makes men famed or unfamed as he wills, and asks him to make judgements straight. He tells his brother Perses that there are two kinds of Strife on earth: one fosters war and battle, while the other is kinder to men and stirs even the idle to work by rivalry with their neighbours. He urges Perses to keep to work rather than the quarrels of the court-house over the inheritance.
Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 150–239The shield of Heracles: war, Lapiths and Centaurs, the harbour, Perseus (150-239)The shield's decoration continues with Pursuit, Flight, Tumult and Panic, deadly Fate dragging a dead man, twelve snake heads, and boars and lions glaring at one another. Other scenes show the Lapiths fighting the Centaurs, Ares in his golden chariot with Athena, the gods on Olympus where Apollo plays the lyre and the Muses sing, and a harbour with dolphins and a fisherman. Perseus, wearing the cap of Hades and carrying the Gorgon's head, flies above the shield while the Gorgons pursue him, and beyond him men fight for and against a town.
Hesiod, Fragments 9.1–8Precepts of Chiron and other fragmentsThe Precepts of Chiron are advice given to a young man, beginning with sacrifice to the immortal gods when you come to your house and with the rule not to decide a suit until you have heard both sides. Other fragments include the long life of the crow and the stag, the Silver Race, and a note on the Muses of Helicon.

Homer (16)

Homer, Homerica 5.1–12Frogs and Mice: the Mouse drownedA thirsty Mouse called Crumb-snatcher meets the Frog Puff-jaw at the edge of a lake and tells him his parentage. Puff-jaw offers to carry him across on his back, but a water-snake appears, Puff-jaw dives, and the Mouse drowns. Lick-platter sees it and rouses the Mice, who arm themselves for war.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 20.1–25.7Hymns 20 to 25: Hephaestus, Apollo, Poseidon, Zeus, Hestia and the MusesSix short hymns. Hephaestus taught men crafts, so that they no longer lived in caves like beasts; the swan and the minstrel sing of Apollo; Poseidon tames horses and saves ships; Zeus is the chief of gods; Hestia tends the house of Apollo at Pytho; and the Muses and Apollo are the source of singers, while kings come from Zeus.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 30.1–33.19Hymns 30 to 33: Earth, Helios, Selene and the DioscuriFour hymns to cosmic and heroic figures. Earth, mother of all, feeds every creature and gives or takes away the means of life, and Helios drives his chariot, the son of Hyperion and Euryphaessa. Selene, the Moon, rides with a radiance that fills the sky, and the Dioscuri, Castor and Polydeuces, are saviours of ships in storms.
Homer, Homerica 6.63–72Contest of Homer and Hesiod: the prizeThe Greeks call for Homer to be crowned, but King Paneides has each poet recite the finest passage of his own poems. Hesiod recites the lines about the Pleiads and Homer the ranks about the two Aiantes, and although the Hellenes applaud Homer, the king gives the crown to Hesiod because he called men to peace and husbandry. Hesiod dedicates the tripod to the Muses and is later killed at Oenoé in Locris, as the oracle at Delphi had foretold.
Homer, Iliad 2.484–558The Catalogue of Ships (1): Boeotia to SalamisThe poet invokes the Muses, who are goddesses and know all things, since he could not name the whole host without them, and begins the Catalogue of the Achaean ships with the Boeotians. He lists the contingents from Orchomenus, Phocis, Locris and Euboea, and then the Athenians under Menestheus and Ajax's twelve ships from Salamis.
Homer, Odyssey 24.1–97The suitors in HadesHermes leads the ghosts of the suitors down to Hades with his golden wand, squeaking like bats, and they pass the streams of Ocean and the White Rock and come to the meadow of asphodel. There they meet the ghosts of Achilles, Agamemnon, Patroclus and Antilochus. Agamemnon tells Achilles of the splendour of his funeral, and that the Muses sang over him.
Homer, Iliad 2.559–644The Catalogue of Ships (2): Argos to AetoliaThe Catalogue continues with the men of Argos under Diomedes, the men of Mycenae under Agamemnon, who has the most and best ships, and Menelaus's men from Lacedaemon. It then lists Nestor's men from Pylos, the Arcadians, the Epeians, Odysseus's Cephallenians and the Aetolians under Thoas.
Homer, Iliad 2.645–785The Catalogue of Ships (3): Crete, Achilles' Myrmidons and ThessalyThe Catalogue turns to the Cretans under Idomeneus, Tlepolemus of Rhodes and Nireus of Syme. It lists Achilles' Myrmidons, who lie idle by their ships while he nurses his wrath, and then the contingents from Thessaly, including those of Protesilaus, Philoctetes and Eumelus. The poet asks the Muse who were the best of the men and horses, and names Ajax as the best man while Achilles was angry.
Homer, Odyssey 1.1–95Invocation; the gods in councilThe poet asks the Muse to sing of the man who wandered long after the sack of Troy and lost his comrades through their folly in eating the cattle of the Sun. Odysseus is held on Calypso's island, longing for home, while Poseidon, who is angry with him, is away among the Ethiopians. In the council of the gods Zeus speaks of Aegisthus, and Athena pleads for Odysseus and obtains leave to send Hermes to Calypso and to go herself to Ithaca.
Homer, Odyssey 8.1–92The assembly; Demodocus singsAt dawn Alcinous leads Odysseus to the assembly of the Phaeacians, where he calls for a ship to be made ready and fifty-two young men chosen to row it. The company goes to the palace for a feast, and the blind bard Demodocus sings of a quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles. Odysseus covers his head and weeps, unseen by the others.
Homer, Odyssey 8.454–586Demodocus sings of the wooden horseNausicaa meets Odysseus as he comes from the bath and says that she hopes he will remember her in his own country, for to her he owes his life. At the meal he gives Demodocus a piece of meat from his own portion and asks him to sing of the wooden horse. The bard sings of the sack of Troy, and Odysseus weeps again, and Alcinous asks him to say who he is and why he grieves.
Homer, Homerica 5.13–22Frogs and Mice: the Frogs arm and the gods hold backThe Frogs hear a herald from the Mice, and Puff-jaw denies that he killed anyone before the Frogs arm themselves. Zeus calls the gods to see the armies and asks who will help the Frogs and who the Mice, and Athena refuses to help the Mice. Gnats sound the trumpets and the fighting begins.

4 more passages of Homer that name The Muses

Apollodorus (1)

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.3.1–6Zeus's children, the Muses, Orpheus and the birth of AthenaZeus marries Hera and has children by many goddesses, among them the Seasons, the Fates, the Graces, Persephone and, by Mnemosyne, the nine Muses. The Muses' sons include Linus and Orpheus, who goes down to Hades for Eurydice and loses her by looking back, as well as Hyacinth (loved by Thamyris and by Apollo), Rhesus and the Corybantes; Thamyris is blinded by the Muses and the Sirens are born of Melpomene. Hephaestus is born to Hera (alone, or by Zeus, in Homer's version) and thrown out of heaven, and Athena springs from the head of Zeus after he swallows Metis.

Pindar (15)

Pindar, Pythian Odes 1.1–100Pythian 1: for Hieron — the golden lyre and AetnaPindar hymns the golden lyre of Apollo and the Muses, before which even the enemies of Zeus, such as Typhon beneath Aetna, are terrified. He praises Hieron, founder of the city of Aetna, victor in the chariot race, and prays that Dorian order may last there, recalling the battles of Salamis, Cithaeron and Himera. He ends by contrasting the fame of Croesus with the infamy of Phalaris.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 9.1–112Olympian 9: for Epharmostus — Deucalion and OpusPindar praises Epharmostus of Opus, wrestling victor, and Opus, mother-city of the Locrians, and begs his lips to speak no ill of the gods, recalling Heracles' battles with Poseidon, Phoebus and Hades at Pylos. He tells how Deucalion and Pyrrha made a people from stones, and how Zeus took the daughter of Opus of Elis to Locrus, who named her son Opus after her father. The ode ends with Epharmostus' other victories and a tribute to his skill.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 3.1–84Nemean 3: for Aristocleides — the Aeacidae and CheironPindar calls on the Muse to come to Aegina for the pancratiast Aristocleides, and says that victory in the contest heals its blows. He recalls the Aeacidae: Peleus, who took Iolcus and won the sea-nymph Thetis, Telamon, who followed Heracles against Laomedon, and Achilles, whom Cheiron trained in all the arts of a hero. The ode ends with the virtues that suit each age of life.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 9.1–55Nemean 9: for Chromius — Adrastus and the SevenPindar leads the Muses from Sicyon to the new city of Aetna to praise Chromius, victor in the chariot race. He tells how Adrastus, who had fled Argos, founded contests for Apollo at Sicyon, and how Zeus swallowed Amphiaraüs and his chariot in the earth at Thebes. He ends by praising Chromius' courage in battle at the river Helorus and his wealth.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 6.1–105Olympian 6: for Hagesias — Iamus, son of ApolloPindar likens the opening of his ode to the building of a hall on golden pillars and praises Hagesias of Syracuse, an Iamid and victor with the mule-car, recalling Adrastus' lament for Amphiaraüs. He tells how Euadne, loved by Apollo, hid her child Iamus among the violets, where bees' honey fed him, and how Apollo later gave him the gift of prophecy and an oracle at Olympia. He closes by sending Aeneas to praise Hera and Stymphalus, and with a prayer to Poseidon.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 13.1–115Olympian 13: for Xenophon — Corinth and BellerophonPindar praises Corinth and the house of Xenophon, victor in the foot-race and pentathlon, and asks who first invented the dithyramb and the bridle. He tells of the Corinthian heroes of the Argo and of Troy, and how Bellerophon slept at Athena's altar, was given the golden bridle and tamed Pegasus at the spring of Peirene. The ode ends with the list of the family's victories at the Isthmus and Nemea and a prayer to Zeus.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 4.1–142Pythian 4: for Arcesilas — Medea's prophecy and Jason at IolcusPindar honours Arcesilas, king of Cyrene and victor in the chariot race, and recalls the word that Medea spoke at Thera, that her companions' descendants would colonise Libya, so that Arcesilas is eighth in the line from Battus. He then turns to Jason, who arrives at Iolcus wearing one sandal and astonishes the crowd in the market-place, and who says that he has come to recover his father's honour. His kinsmen Pheres, Amythaon, Admetus and Melampus gather to him, and he leads them to the hall of Pelias and begins his appeal to the king.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 5.1–125Pythian 5: for Arcesilas — the Battiads and the colonists of CyrenePindar praises Arcesilas of Cyrene, victor in the chariot race, as blessed with wealth joined to honour, and praises his charioteer. He traces the Dorian colonists from Sparta through Thera and the Heracleidae and Aegeidae to Cyrene, where they brought the Carneian festival. The ode ends with a prayer that Zeus grant the race of Battus a new victory at Olympia.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 10.1–72Pythian 10: for Hippocleas — Perseus and the HyperboreansPindar praises Thessaly and the Aleuadae and Hippocleas, victor in the boys' double foot-race, and prays that his house may prosper. He tells how Perseus, favoured by Athena, feasted among the Hyperboreans, killed the Gorgon Medusa and turned the islanders of Seriphus to stone. He ends by praising Thorax of Larissa and by saying that men cannot climb to heaven but may reach the furthest limit allowed them.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 5.1–54Nemean 5: for Pytheas — Peleus and the wife of AcastusPindar sends his song out from Aegina to announce the pancratium victory of Pytheas, and says that reverence restrains him from telling how Peleus and Telamon left the island. He tells instead how Peleus resisted the false advances of the wife of Acastus, and how the Muses sang at his wedding to Thetis. He ends by praising Pytheas and his trainer Menander and by bringing garlands to the portals of Aeacus.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 6.1–69Nemean 6: for Alcimidas — the Bassidae and AchillesPindar says that men and gods have one mother yet differ in power, and praises Alcimidas of Aegina, boys' wrestling victor, and his grandfather Praxidamas, who had won at Olympia. He praises the clan of the Bassidae and tells how Achilles, in the contest with Memnon, son of Dawn, killed him in battle.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 7.1–105Nemean 7: for Sogenes — Neoptolemus at DelphiPindar invokes Eleithyia, goddess of birth, and praises Sogenes of Aegina, boys' pentathlon victor, saying that song gives fame to the deeds of heroes. He tells how Neoptolemus, who sacked Troy, lies buried at Pytho after being struck down in a quarrel over the sacrifice, and defends himself against the charge of having slandered him. He ends by praising the Aeginetan hero's family and warning against idle talk like babbling to babes of 'Corinth, the city of Zeus'.
Pindar, Isthmian Odes 2.1–48Isthmian 2: for Xenocrates — the poets of oldPindar says that the poets of old sang freely of the beauty of boys, and praises Xenocrates of Acragas, victor in the Isthmian chariot race, and his son Thrasybulus. He sends the song by Nicasippus to Thrasybulus and says that Xenocrates' house has always been open to song and to guests.
Pindar, Isthmian Odes 6.1–75Isthmian 6: for Phylacidas — Heracles and TelamonPindar mixes a second bowl of song for the house of Lampon after the pancratium victory of Phylacidas. He tells how Heracles, as Telamon's guest, prayed to Zeus for a son and Zeus sent an eagle, so that the child was named Aias, and how Heracles sailed with Telamon against Troy and killed Laomedon and his sons. He ends with the victories of Phylacidas, Pytheas and their uncle Euthymenes, who has won at the Isthmus and Nemea.
Pindar, Isthmian Odes 8.1–70Isthmian 8: for Cleandros — Thetis and the AeacidaePindar calls on the youths to sing at the door of Telesarchus for Cleandros of Aegina, pancratium victor, and says that the relief from war's dread may be healed by freedom. He tells how Zeus and Poseidon strove to wed Thetis until Themis declared that she must bear a son greater than his father, so that she was given to Peleus. He ends by praising Cleandros' kinsman, the boxer Nicocles, who won the crown of Dorian celery at the Isthmus.

Euripides (6)

Euripides, Rhesus 882–949Exodos: the Muse mourns her son RhesusThe Chorus wonders why fate changes and brings Troy again to mourning, and sees the corpse of Rhesus being carried in. The Muse, his mother, appears, laments her son, and curses the son of Oeneus and the son of Laertes. She tells how she bore Rhesus by the river Strymon and gave him to the fountain nymphs to rear, and she blames Athena for his death.
Euripides, Heracles 637–700Second choral song: youth, old age and the glory of HeraclesThe Chorus says that youth is always dear, but that old age is a burden heavier than the crags of Aetna, and wishes that it might have both, since the gods have given no sign to separate the good from the bad. It sings of the Muses and the Graces, and says that the son of Zeus has shown that noble spirit wins its reward.
Euripides, Rhesus 319–387Second episode: Hector grudgingly accepts Rhesus; the Chorus welcomes himHector says that he will find many friends now that fortune smiles, but that he loathes the friend who comes too late, like one who arrives at the feast when he was not with the hunters. The Chorus Leader and the shepherd urge him to receive the newcomer, and Hector agrees. The Chorus sings in welcome of Rhesus, the son of Strymon and a Muse, and prays that he will humble Achilles.
Euripides, Alcestis 962–1007Third choral song: nothing is stronger than NecessityThe Chorus says that it has traced the paths of the Muses and studied the sky, and yet found nothing stronger than Necessity, that there is no remedy for it in the writings of Orpheus or in the herbs of the sons of Asclepius. They say that Alcestis, who died for her husband, will be honoured as a goddess, and the Chorus sees Heracles coming toward the hearth.
Euripides, Trojan Women 512–567First choral song: the wooden horse and the sack of TroyThe Chorus calls on the Muse to sing a dirge for Troy, telling how the Greek horse of wood was brought into the city by the Trojans in rejoicing, and how at night, in the dancing and the songs, the Greeks sprang out. They sing of the cries of the women and of the dead lying in the streets, and how they are now to be carried across the sea as slaves.
Euripides, Rhesus 950–996Exodos: the Muse's prophecy and Hector's ordersHector says that it needed no seer to tell him that Rhesus had perished by the arts of Odysseus, and that he is ready to raise a tomb for him. The Muse says that her son will lie hidden in a cavern of the silver-veined land, restored to life as a deified man, and foretells that Achilles will also die. Hector orders the allies to arm and wait for the trumpet at dawn.

Callimachus (1)

Callimachus, Hymns 4.1–86Hymn to Delos: Asteria among the islandsThe poet resolves to sing of Delos, nurse of Apollo, a wave-beaten isle that leads the others when they gather before Oceanus and Tethys. He tells how the island, once the floating Asteria who fled the love of Zeus, was named Delos when it became the birthplace of Apollo. Hera, angry with Leto, posts Ares on Haemus to watch the mainland and Iris on Mimas to watch the islands, and the cities of Greece flee from Leto. Apollo, still in the womb, rebukes Thebe.

Theocritus (7)

Theocritus, Idylls 1.1–152Idyll 1: Thyrsis' lament for DaphnisA goatherd persuades the shepherd Thyrsis to sing the song of the sufferings of Daphnis, and offers him a carved ivy-wood cup, whose scenes he describes. In the song the Nymphs are called to mourn as Daphnis wastes away for love, and Hermes, Priapus and the herdsmen come to ask what ails him. Daphnis answers Aphrodite's taunts, bids the wild beasts farewell, and dies.
Theocritus, Idylls 16.1–109Idyll 16: The Graces, or HieroThe poet complains that no one will receive the Graces or pay the singers, and that rich men no longer honour song. He praises Hiero of Syracuse, before whose arms the Phoenicians of Libya shudder, and asks for his patronage. He ends by saying that he will not leave the Muses or the Graces.
Theocritus, Idylls 7.1–157Idyll 7: The Harvest FeastThe speaker walks with Eucritus and Amyntas from the city to a harvest feast of Demeter, and on the way they meet the goatherd Lycidas. They exchange songs, Lycidas wishing a safe voyage to the beloved Ageanax and Simichidas singing of his friend Aratus' love. They reach the farm and lie down among poplars and elms to feast.
Theocritus, Idylls 9.1–36Idyll 9: Daphnis and Menalcas' pastoral songA herdsman bids Daphnis begin a pastoral song and Menalcas answer it. Daphnis sings of the sweetness of the calf and heifer and of his bed beside the cool water, and Menalcas of his cave and his flocks. The herdsman gives Daphnis a staff and Menalcas a shell, and ends with praise of the Muses.
Theocritus, Idylls 5.1–150Idyll 5: Comatas and Lacon's singing matchComatas and Lacon trade insults over a stolen goat-skin and a stolen pipe, and then challenge each other to a singing match with Morson as judge. They sing in turn, with taunts and rustic wishes. Morson awards the lamb to Comatas.
Theocritus, Idylls 11.1–81Idyll 11: The Cyclops' love for GalateaThe poet tells his friend, the physician Nicias, that the only cure for love is song. It tells how the Cyclops Polyphemus, in love with Galatea, sat by the sea and sang to her and was eased by it. He praises his flocks and his cave and reproaches himself for pursuing her.
Theocritus, Idylls 17.1–137Idyll 17: In praise of PtolemyThe poem begins with Zeus and passes to Ptolemy son of Lagus, whom it praises as foremost among men, and to his mother Berenice. It tells of his birth on the isle of Cos, of the lands he rules and the wealth of Egypt, and of the temples he has built for his parents. It ends with his marriage to his sister, likened to the bridal of Zeus and Hera.

Aristophanes (8)

Aristophanes, Birds 862–958Episode: the sacrifice and the PoetA Priest begins the sacrifice with prayers to the bird-gods, and Peisthetaerus interrupts to add jokes of his own. He drives the Priest off when he calls ospreys and vultures to a victim that one kite could carry away, and the Chorus sing a hymn. A Poet arrives with songs in praise of Cloudcuckoobury and asks for a gift, and Peisthetaerus gives him a jerkin and a tunic to be rid of him.
Aristophanes, Peace 729–816Parabasis: the Chorus praises its poetThe Chorus see Trygaeus off and turn to the audience, praising their poet for ending the stale jokes about a gluttonous Heracles and a whipped slave, and for fighting the many-tongued monster of the sycophants. They ask for the prize and the support of every bald-headed man. They call on the Muse to join them and not to help the sons of Carcinus, and mock Morsimus and Melanthius.
Aristophanes, Birds 723–797Parabasis: the birds invite the audience to a bird's lifeThe Chorus promise that if men take the birds for gods they will give them health, wealth, happiness and peace, and they sing to the woodland Muse, saying that Phrynichus drew his songs from them. They invite the spectators to a bird's life, where all that is condemned by the laws here is right and proper: a son may strike his father and a runaway may be called a Francolin. They sing of the swans who praised Apollo on the banks of the Hebrus, and end by praising a suit of feathers, which would let a spectator who is bored by a tragic chorus fly home and come back for the comedy.
Aristophanes, Frogs 870–898Agon: prayers before the contestDionysus calls for fire and incense and asks the Chorus to invoke the Muses with a song. Aeschylus prays to Demeter, and Euripides says that he prays to Ether, to the tongue and to his own nostrils. The Chorus watch the two take their stands, eager for the tournament.
Aristophanes, Frogs 1300–1359Agon: Aeschylus parodies Euripides' songsAeschylus says that Euripides draws his lays from rotten sources, and he calls for a lyre and for the Muse of Euripides. He then parodies the monodies of Euripides, with a dream, a lost cock and the call of Mania to the hounds, and rounds off the parody with a song of spiders and halcyons and an appeal to Hecate.
Aristophanes, The Knights 498–623aParabasis: the Chorus speaks for the poet, then praises Poseidon, Athena and the KnightsThe Chorus wish the Sausage-seller luck and then turn to the audience, explaining why their poet did not ask for a chorus earlier, since training a comedy is the hardest of tasks. They recall the fortunes of earlier poets, Magnes whom the audience deserted in his grey hairs, Cratinus swept along like a river and now drivelling, and Crates who held out to the end. They ask for a hearty welcome for the poet, invoke Poseidon and Pallas and praise the Knights who fought with them afloat. The Sausage-seller then returns, and the Chorus ask him to tell what happened.
Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae 1–100Prologue: Euripides and his kinsman at Agathon's doorMnesilochus, an old man, complains to Euripides as the poet leads him along a road he does not know, and Euripides tells him he will soon see for himself. They stop at the door of the tragic poet Agathon, where a servant comes out to pray in verse and to command silence for the Muse. Euripides then explains that the women are meeting that day to plot his death and that he wants Agathon to go among them disguised as a woman.
Aristophanes, Ecclesiazusae 877–975Episode: the Old Woman and the Girl quarrel over the YouthAn old woman stands waiting for a lover, and a girl looks out to spoil her chance, so that the two trade jokes and insults. A youth arrives hoping to be alone with the girl, and the old woman answers that under the new law he must come to her first. The girl reappears at her window and the youth and the girl sing to each other.

Diodorus Siculus (3)

Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.6.1–4.7.4Priapus, Hermaphroditus and the MusesThe historian gives an Egyptian myth of Osiris, slain and dismembered by the Titans, to explain Priapus, whom others call the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, and he adds a short account of Hermaphroditus. He then treats the Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne in the usual account, quotes Homer and Hesiod for their number and names, and offers a reason for each name.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.2.1–4.5.4DionysusIn the Greek account Semele, daughter of Cadmus, dies when Zeus appears to her in his glory, and Hermes takes the child to the nymphs at Nysa. Dionysus teaches mankind the vine and a barley drink, leads an army that includes women, and returns from India to be honoured by festivals every other year. Some writers speak of an earlier Dionysus, son of Zeus and Persephone, and the chapters list the god's epithets and his Satyr and Muse companions.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 5.73.1–5.77.8The gods' discoveries and their Cretan originsZeus is said to have given each god a field of invention: the Muses the letters and poetry, Apollo the lyre, healing and the bow, Hermes the herald's staff, Athena the olive, and Dionysus the vine. The chapters then give an older Heracles, Artemis, Plutus, and the claim that most of the gods began in Crete and spread to other lands.

Ovid (3)

Ovid, Metamorphoses 5.250–337Athena visits the Muses; PyreneusAthena (Minerva), having helped Perseus, visits the Muses on Mount Helicon and sees the spring that Pegasus made with his hoof. One of the Muses tells how King Pyreneus once offered them shelter in a storm and then tried to rape them, and fell to his death when he leapt from a tower thinking he could fly. The Muses then speak of the nine daughters of Pierus, who had challenged them to a singing contest, and Athena sits down to listen.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 5.338–461Typhoeus; the rape of PersephoneCalliope sings for the Muses of the giant Typhoeus buried under Sicily, whose struggles shake the island, and of how Aphrodite (Venus) asks Eros (Cupid) to wound Hades (Pluto) with love. Hades, driving through Sicily, sees Persephone (Proserpina) gathering flowers by the lake of Pergus and carries her off in his chariot. The nymph Cyane tries to stop him and is changed into a pool, and Hades drives through the earth to his own kingdom. Demeter (Ceres) begins her search for her daughter, and turns the boy Stellio, who mocks her thirst, into a lizard.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 5.572–678Arethusa; Triptolemus; the PieridesArethusa tells Demeter (Ceres) how she fled from the river god Alpheus under the earth and came up again in Sicily. Demeter sends Triptolemus in her chariot to teach men the use of grain, and he is nearly killed by King Lyncus, whom she turns into a lynx. Calliope ends her song, and the Muses tell how the Pierides who challenged them were turned into magpies.

Pausanias (12)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.29.1–9Helicon: Ascra, the number of the Muses, Aganippe and the shrine of LinusPausanias says Ephialtes and Otus first sacrificed to the Muses on Helicon and founded Ascra, and gives the tradition that they honoured three Muses until Pierus introduced nine. On the way to the grove of the Muses he describes the spring Aganippe, the relief of Eupheme and the grotto of Linus, with the traditions about Linus' death, his song and his burial, and a second Linus, son of Ismenius.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.31.1–10Troezen: Saviour Artemis, Pittheus’ tomb and the purification of OrestesIn the market-place of Troezen Pausanias describes the temple of Saviour Artemis founded by Theseus and the altars of the gods below, the tomb and judgment seats of Pittheus, the sanctuary of the Muses and the temple of Wolfish Artemis. Near these are the sacred stone and the booth where Orestes was purified, the sanctuary of Thearian Apollo, the colonnade with statues of the Athenian women and children, the fountain Hippocrene, the Hermes Polygius with the sprouting club of Hercules, and the temple of Saviour Zeus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.30.1–4Athens: the Academy, tomb of Plato and ColonusAt the Academy are an altar of Love and, in the city, an altar of Love Returned, with the story of Meles and Timagoras. Pausanias describes the altar of Prometheus and the torch race, the altars of the Muses, Hermes, Athena and Hercules, an olive plant, and Plato’s tomb with Socrates’ dream of the swan. Nearby are the tower of Timon and Colonus Hippius, with its altar of Horse Poseidon and shrine of Pirithous, Theseus, Oedipus and Adrastus, burnt by Antigonus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.30.1–12Helicon: statues of the Muses and of the poets, and the traditions about OrpheusPausanias lists the statues in the grove of the Muses, among them images of the Muses by Cephisodotus, Strongylion and Olympiosthenes and a Dionysus taken by Sulla from Orchomenus. He describes statues of Thamyris, Arion, Sacadas, Hesiod and Orpheus. He gives his view of Orpheus and the various accounts of his death, including the river Helicon and the destruction of Libethra by the torrent Sys, and says Orpheus' hymns are short and sung by the Lycomids.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.18.1–8Olympia: the Chest of Cypselus, second and third fieldsPausanias describes the second field of the chest, with Night nursing Death and Sleep, Justice and Injustice, Idas and Marpessa, Alcmena, Menelaus and Helen, Medea, the Muses, Atlas and Hercules, and Perseus pursued by the Gorgons. The third field shows armies meeting, which he reads as the migration of Melas to Corinth.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.32.1–5Megalopolis: the southern quarter and its theatrePausanias describes the south side of the river at Megalopolis, with the largest theatre in Greece, the foundations of the Thersilium built for the Arcadian Ten Thousand and a house built for Alexander. He lists the ruined sanctuaries of the Muses, Apollo and Hermes, of the three Aphrodites, of Ares, Dionysus and Hercules and Hermes, and the stadium. On the eastern hill are the temples of Huntress Artemis and Aesculapius, the images of Athena Worker and Apollo, and the huge bones said to be those of a giant.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.34.1–10Itonian Athena, Coronea, Mount Laphystius and the early history of OrchomenusPausanias describes the sanctuary of Itonian Athena, where the Boeotians hold their general assembly, and the story of the priestess Iodama. At Coronea he lists the altars in the market-place and the sanctuary of Hera, as well as Mount Libethrius and the sanctuary of Laphystian Zeus where the golden ram saved Phrixus and Helle. He then begins the history of Orchomenus with Andreus, Athamas and the founders of Haliartus and Coronea, and Eteocles.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.2.1–6Athens: from Piraeus to the Ceramicus, tomb of Antiope, early kingsEntering Athens from Piraeus, Pausanias notes the tomb of the Amazon Antiope, the ruins of Conon’s walls and the graves of Menander and a cenotaph of Euripides, which leads him to poets at royal courts. Inside the gate he describes the building for the processions, a temple of Demeter with statues attributed to Praxiteles, the colonnades to the Ceramicus and the sanctuary of Dionysus with clay images of Amphictyon feasting the gods. He ends with the first kings of Athens, from Actaeus and Cecrops to Cranaus, Amphictyon and Erichthonius.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 4.33.1–7Mount Ithome, Clepsydra and the road to Andania and DoriumOn the way up Ithome Pausanias describes the spring Clepsydra, the Messenian claim that Zeus was reared by the nymphs Ithome and Neda, the image of Zeus by Ageladas and the festival Ithomaea. He then follows the road to Megalopolis, where Thamyris threw down his lyre at the Balyra, and the Stenyclerian plain, the Carnasian grove with the Great Goddesses’ mysteries, Andania, Polichna and Dorium, where Thamyris lost his sight.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.14.1–10Olympia: Zeus Averter of Flies, the white poplar and the altars in order of sacrificePausanias notes the wonders of the altar, including the kites and Hercules’ sacrifice to Zeus Averter of Flies, and explains the use of white poplar wood. He lists the altars of Olympia in the order the Eleans sacrifice on them, from Hestia and Olympian Zeus to Artemis, Athena, Alpheus, Hephaestus, Hercules and his brothers, then the altars of Hera, the Muses and the Nymphs near the Pelopium.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.9.1–10Mantinea: temples, the grave of Arcas and the cult of AntinousPausanias describes the double temple of Aesculapius and Latona at Mantinea, with Praxiteles' images of Latona's children and the Muses and Marsyas, and lists the sanctuaries of Zeus, the Dioscuri, Demeter and Hera. He quotes the Delphic oracle that told the Mantineans to bring the bones of Arcas from Maenalus, and notes the tomb of Antinoe and that of Grylus, son of Xenophon. He also covers the temple of Aphrodite Alliance, the worship of Antinous introduced by Hadrian, and the contested honours of the hero Podares.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.27.1–8Thespiae: the worship of Love, the statues by Praxiteles and the sanctuary of HerculesPausanias says the Thespians honour Love above all gods and keep an ancient image of him in the form of an unwrought stone. He discusses the poets' accounts of Love's parentage, the statues by Lysippus and Praxiteles, and their removal by Caius and Nero. He lists other sights of Thespiae, including works by Praxiteles, a bronze statue of Hesiod and the temple of the Muses. He ends with the sanctuary of Hercules, whose priestess remains a virgin, and the tale of Thestius' fifty daughters.

Quintus Smyrnaeus (1)

Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 3.582–664Thetis and the Muses mourn AchillesThe sound of the wailing reaches the Nereids in the deep, who rise from the sea. Zeus gives the Argives courage to look at the goddesses, who mourn round Achilles with the Muses. Thetis cries out her grief, and Calliope urges her to stop lamenting.

Nonnus of Panopolis (4)

Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 25.0–79Book 25: The poet's invocation; Dionysos set beside PerseusThe poet invokes the Muse and Thebes, announcing that he will sing only the last year of the war, and says he will measure the valour of Dionysos against that of the sons of Zeus. He begins with Perseus, who beheaded the Gorgon and then fled, and contrasts him with Dionysos, who defeated whole armies and fought the river.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 1.0–133Book 1: Invocation; Zeus carries Europa across the seaThe poet asks the Muse to tell of the twice-born Dionysos and calls for the wand, cymbals and fawnskin of his rites, picturing Proteus's many shapes as the god's. Zeus, as a bull, carries Europa over the sea while Eros drives him and the sea-gods marvel. The girl cries out to the shores, to her father and to Boreas.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 41.0–118Book 41: Beroe, the oldest city, where Aphrodite first landedDionysos plants vines under Lebanon and roofs a grove for Adonis and Aphrodite. The poet invokes the Muses to sing the war of Poseidon and Dionysos over Amymone. He describes Beroe between mountain and sea, the first city of earth-sprung men, older than Zeus, and claims that Aphrodite, newly born from the foam, came ashore there and not at Cyprus.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 41.212–337Book 41: Beroe's upbringing; Aphrodite seeks Harmonia's counselBeroe is nursed by Astraia on statutes and honey, and Zeus and Poseidon both desire her, though Zeus yields her to his brother. Aphrodite, seeing the great cities of old, resolves to make a city for Beroe worthy of Law. She visits Harmonia, who is weaving a cosmic robe, and asks which city is to be given the rule of justice.

Aratus (1)

Aratus, Phaenomena 1–115Zeus and the northern sky: the Bears and the DragonAratus begins with Zeus, who gave men the signs of the heavens, and with a prayer to the Muses. He describes the Axis and the two Bears, Helice and Cynosura, which were set in the sky for nursing the infant Zeus in Crete, and the Dragon winding between them. He goes on to the kneeling figure called Engonasin, the Crown, Ophiuchus with the Serpent and the Scorpion, Arctophylax or Boötes, and the Maiden, whom men called Justice and who lived on earth in the Golden Age.

Bacchylides (4)

Bacchylides, Epinicians (Odes of Victory) 9.1–104Ode 9: Automedes of Phlius, pentathlon at NemeaThe poet calls on the Graces to help him sing of Phlius and of Nemea, where Hera reared the lion that Heracles was to overcome and the Argive heroes held the first games in memory of Archemorus. He praises Automedes, who outshone his rivals in the pentathlon, and sings the river Asopus and its daughters, the brides of gods. The middle of the ode is restored from fragments. It ends with the city that Zeus granted to the people of Phlius and with Automedes, son of Timoxenus.
Bacchylides, Epinicians (Odes of Victory) 3.1–4.20Odes 3–4: Croesus saved by Apollo; Hieron's victoriesCleio is told to praise Demeter and Hieron of Syracuse, whose horses won at Olympia. The poet tells how Croesus, with Sardis falling to the Persians, mounted a pyre with his family, how Zeus quenched the flames and how Apollo carried him to the Hyperboreans. The ode closes with Apollo's advice to Admetus, son of Pheres, and the promise that Hieron's glory will be sung by the nightingale of Ceos. Ode 4 hymns Hieron's third Pythian victory and his two at Olympia.
Bacchylides, Epinicians (Odes of Victory) 5.1–200Ode 5: Heracles meets Meleager in HadesThe poet sends Hieron a song and compares his own flight to the eagle's, celebrating the victory of the chestnut horse Pherenicus at Olympia and at Pytho. He tells how Heracles went down to Hades for the hound of Hades, saw the shade of Meleager and drew his bow, but was told there was nothing to fear. Meleager tells of the Calydonian boar sent by Artemis, of the quarrel over its hide, and of the brand burned by his mother Althaea that ended his life. Moved to tears, Heracles asks about a sister he might marry, and Meleager names Deianeira; the ode ends with praise of Hieron and a prayer to Zeus.
Bacchylides, Epinicians (Odes of Victory) 12.1–14.23Odes 12–14: Pytheas of Aegina and the Aeacidae; Cleoptolemus of ThessalyOde 12 asks Cleio to guide the poet to Aegina and to a wrestler's victory at Nemea, but only its opening survives. Ode 13, for Pytheas of Aegina, shows Heracles, the descendant of Perseus, mastering the Nemean lion, praises Aegina and her heroes Peleus, Telamon, Achilles and Ajax, and tells how Achilles' anger let the Trojans drive the Greeks to their ships until Ajax stopped Hector. It ends with praise of the trainer Menander and of the host Lampon. Ode 14 reflects that fortune can crush or exalt a man before honouring Cleoptolemus of Thessaly and the domain of Poseidon Petraios.

Orpheus (attributed) (2)

Orpheus (attributed), Orphic Hymns 72–76Hymns 72-76: Fortune, the Daemon, Leucothea, Palaemon, the MusesFortune is asked to come with rich abundance, and the Daemon, or guardian genius, is invoked as a mighty, life-giving power called mild Jove. Leucothea, born of Cadmus and nurse of Bacchus, and Palaemon, who was nursed with Dionysius and dwells in the deep sea, are invoked as protectors of the initiated at sea. The group ends with the nine Muses, daughters of Jove, who are named one by one.
Orpheus (attributed), Orphic Hymns 77–82Hymns 77-82: Mnemosyne, Aurora, Themis, the North, West and South WindsMnemosyne, the consort of Zeus and source of the Muses, is invoked to wake the memory of the initiate, and Aurora as the goddess whose rising ray leads on the day. Themis is hailed as the illustrious child of heaven. The last three hymns address the winds: Boreas, whose wintry blasts tear the air, Zephyrus of the west, who gives rest to weary labour, and Notus of the south, who drives the rain clouds.