On Polymnia and her sisters
Keywords:
Muses, Polymnia, inspiration, poetry, Hesiod, Homer, enárgeiaAbstract
The plural Μουσάων (“from the Muses”) is the first word of the first line of Hesiod’s Theogony, a poem about the origins of the world and of the gods – and Hesiod’s first step as a poet taught and “inspired” by the Muses. Starting from various analyses and approaches both ancient and recent, this article is a reflection on the Muses as intellectual agents in the enterprise of composing and performing poetry. Plato’s treatment of inspiration is contrasted to Hesiod’s: the Muses in his work Ion are sources for the philosopher’s criticism of the mímesis with its trademark enárgeia. Hesiod’s admission that singers and poets can be misled by the Muses is an index of Greek intellectual originality, as is the traditional concept of the Muses.
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