Editing Muses (section)

{{Short description|Inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts}}
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[[File:Muse reading Louvre CA2220.jpg|thumb|Muse, perhaps [[Clio]], reading a scroll (Attic red-figure [[lekythos]], [[Boeotia]], {{circa|430 BC}})]]
In [[ancient Greek religion]] and [[Greek mythology|mythology]], the '''Muses''' ({{langx|grc|Μοῦσαι|Moûsai}}, {{langx|el|Μούσες|Múses}}) were the [[Artistic inspiration|inspirational]] goddesses of [[literature]], [[science]], and [[the arts]]. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the [[poetry]], [[lyric poetry|lyric songs]], and [[myth]]s that were related orally for centuries in ancient Greek culture.

The number and names of the Muses differed by region, but from the [[Classical Greece|Classical period]] the number of Muses was standardized to nine, and their names were generally given as [[Calliope]], [[Clio]], [[Polyhymnia]], [[Euterpe]], [[Terpsichore]], [[Erato]], [[Melpomene]], [[Thalia (Muse)|Thalia]], and [[Urania]].<ref>Grimal, s.v. Muses.</ref>

In modern figurative usage, a '''muse''' is a [[Muse (source of inspiration)|person who serves as someone's source of artistic inspiration]].