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a little history about the Original Greek Muses

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The Muses are the nine Greek goddesses whose role it was to inspire poets and
musicians and to promote the arts and sciences. Here is their history.

After Zeus led the war against the Titans and established himself as the leader of
the Olympians, he feared that, even though he might be immortal, his great victories
and decisions might soon be forgotten. Longing for a way to preserve the memory
of his many great feats, he dressed as a shepherd and went to find Mnemosyne,
the goddess of memory. They slept together for nine nights before he returned to
his home on Mount Olympus. Months later, Mnemosyne gave birth at Pieria at the
foot of Mount Olympus for nine days, each day delivering a daughter. Collectively
they were known as the Muses and were described as "having one mind, their
hearts set upon song and their spirit free from care."

No banquet on Mount Olympus was complete without them. Seated near the throne
of their father, they entertained the guests, singing of the greatness of Zeus, the
glorious deeds of the Greek heroes and the creation of the heavens and the earth
and all its creatures. The nine Muses are Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Euterpe, Erato,
Terpsichore, Urania, Thalia, and Polymnia. All tales and all songs, and all inspired
knowledge come from the Muses. The Muses are also credited with the invention
of the letters and their poetic combination.

Mnemosyne, mother of the Muses and the Greek goddess of memory, was
considered one of the most powerful goddesses of her time. This beautiful
Titaness with rich, flowing hair, daughter of Cronus and the Gaia, discovered the
uses of the power of reason, and gave a name to every object, which enabled
thoughts to be expressed. She also gave mortals the power to remember,
something we scrapbookers cherish. Together, names and memory enable to
mortals to hold conversations with each other and pass on their histories. Memory
was of the utmost importance at this time in human history. Society had to rely
solely on the lessons passed on in through oral history, as the alphabet and the
written word had not yet been invented. The memory of Mnemosyne was the
memory of the rules and energies of the universe, the cycle of life, the memory of
how to live in the world.

www.eliki.com/portals/fantasy/circle/define.h
tml

messagenet.com/myths/bios/muses.html

www.goddessgift.com/Goddess-myths/muses.
htm

www.answers.com/topic/muse-1

www.pantheon.org/articles/m/muses.html

www.loggia.com/myth/muses.html