Musing on the Muses

I must say my first thoughts when I read the hymn to the Muses was laughter, for in my preliminary post I mentioned the influence of my Muse being like a madness at times as it interrupts life sometimes and what I have planned.  I frequently refer to my Muse rather than the Muses as a whole but it was interesting to see that even in  other references Their number is not static.  To me, as an artist, this does make sense.  For to be inspired easily means many things and that is Their function, and even when divided into nine many things overlap.  There are several of the Muses devoted to writing in different forms, but most artistic pursuits are varied in the way they are expressed.

It's also interesting to note that the Muses primarily deal with writing, singing, and dancing - but there is far more to art than just those things.  As there is music, painting, and many others.  So then that makes me wonder how those things fit in with the Muses if they are nine.  Then there is the reference to the Muses as three, which I found very interesting and more applicable to what we generally think of Them as today - an inspiratory force.

I learned that Apollo is considered the god of inspiration, and while I was aware of His role as a creative force and His involvement (along with a handful of other deities) with the arts I didn't know He held any sway over them.  For me I have always considered the Muses as nine and not so much servants but set aside from the rest of the pantheon - like the nymphs and "lesser" gods.

Understanding etymology I still found it interesting that we have so many words today that reference the Muses without us really being aware of it.

Lastly, I thought the original function of the Muses - to act through nature and wild places to inspire, rather than to create something new and unique as is thought of today - very interesting.  I myself often find things I wish to create in another form, or feel inspired to do something.  As the saying goes, "There are no new ideas."  And I agree, it's just reviving them a little bit, sometimes mish-mashing many together...