Thursday, February 2, 2012

Week 5 -C- Calliope

This week I have decided to blog about Calliope. She is one of the nine Muses in Greek Mythology. It is said she is the eldest & most distinguished of the Muses. She is the Goddess of music and poetry. She has a beautiful voice that inspires brilliance in debate and makes even the wimpiest of poems resound with epic meaning. She is considered the inspiration for heroic or epic poetry such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey as well as other epic poems such as Beowulf.

Most images of Calliope depict her wearing a golden crown, carrying a roll of paper or book, or holding a writing tablet and stylus or quill.
She is also considered a patron of persuasive speaking. So she would be a good one to call on if you are giving a presentation, speech or joining the debate team. She may also be a very good patron for people running for office.

I have read that she has many children with different Gods... Carybontes who was fathered by Zeus, Hymen, Ialemus, and Linus fathered by Apolo, Rhesus by the River Strymon, the Sirens, Orpheus, and Oeagrus. All of these children with the exception of Rhesus had something to do with music or poetry.

Calliope had a special weakness when it came to Achilles. She taught him to entertain and enhance the morals of his friends by singing at their feasts.

Among all of this she is also considered very fair. According to one myth she was called upon by her father Zeus to be a mediator between Aphrodite and Persephone on who would be able to have the human-made-immortal, Adonis. Calliope decided that his
time would be split between the two during specific times of the year. Persephone wanted him as he had died and was to come to the underworld with her, Aphrodite wanted him as her plaything. So here Adonis comes back for Spring and Summer for Aphrodite and returns to the underworld for Fall and Winter, giving us another story of the turning of the seasons.

Colors: Red, Gold, Blue, Light Brown, Orange, Ivory

Symbols: Stringed instruments, Quill and parchment, Golden crown, Books, Scrolls, Sword

Scents/Herbs: Orange, Lemon, Dragon's Blood, Spearmint, Clove, Carnation

Gemstones: Amber, Aquamarine, Bloodstone, Carnelian, Celestite, Fossils, Garnet, Red Jasper, Lava Rock, Tiger's Eye, Turquoise

Celebrations: President's Day (USA), Memorial Day, Election Day, Independence Day, Any celebration dealing with a person in office or celebrating a historic battle.

Patron of: Bards, Business People, Cheerleaders, Coaches, Debate Team Members, Mascots, Newscasters, Pep Squad, Politicians, Public Speakers, Rally Leaders, Sales People, Solders, Spiritual Leaders, Spokes People, Teachers

2 comments:

  1. Love it! I have never heard of her before, maybe I should add muses to my weekly study list!

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  2. I know my fair share of Greek mythology, but I've never studied the muses. Thanks for writing about Calliope this week; as I'm participating in a reading tonight, I might call on Her.

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