Polyhymnia
| Polyhymnia | |
|---|---|
Goddess of Hymns | |
| Member of the Muses | |
 Roman statue of Polyhymnia, 2nd century AD, depicting her in the act of dancing | |
| Abode | Mount Olympus |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Zeus and Mnemosyne |
| Siblings | Euterpe, Calliope, Urania, Clio, Erato, Thalia, Terpsichore, Melpomene and several paternal half-siblings |
| Children | Orpheus, Triptolemus |
Polyhymnia (/pɒliˈhɪmniə/; Greek: Πολυύμνια, lit. 'the one of many hymns'), alternatively Polymnia (Πολύμνια), is, in Greek mythology, the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn, dance and eloquence, as well as agriculture and pantomime.
Etymology
[edit]Polyhymnia name comes from the Greek words "poly", meaning "many", and "hymnos", which means "praise".[1]
Appearance
[edit]Polymnia is depicted as serious, pensive and meditative, and often holding a finger to her mouth, dressed in a long cloak and veil and resting her elbow on a pillar. Polyhymnia is also sometimes credited as being the Muse of geometry and meditation.[2]
In Bibliotheca historica, Diodorus Siculus wrote, "Polyhymnia, because by her great (polle) praises (humnesis) she brings distinction to writers whose works have won for them immortal fame...".[3]
Family
[edit]As one of the Muses, Polyhymnia is the daughter of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne. She was also described as the mother of Triptolemus by Cheimarrhoos, son of Ares,[4] and of the musician Orpheus by Apollo.[5]
Dedications
[edit]On Mount Parnassus, there was a spring sacred to the Muses. It was said to flow between two big rocks above Delphi, then down into a large square basin. The water was used by the Pythia, who were priests and priestesses, for oracular purposes including divination.[2]
In popular culture
[edit]- In astronomy, there are ten asteroids named after the Muses, and moons named after another two. The one named after Polyhymnia is a main belt asteroid discovered by Jean Chacornac, a French astronomer, in 1854.[2]
- Polyhymnia appears in Dante's Divine Comedy: Paradiso. Canto XXIII, line 56, and is referenced in modern works of fiction.
Gallery
[edit]-
Polyhymnia, Friedrich Ochs, 1857 -
Polyhymnia, Milano -
Polyhymnia, Giovanni Baglione, 1620 -
Polyhymnia, Francesco del Cossa, 1455 – 1460 -
Polyhymnia, Giuseppe Fagnani, 1869 -
Cast of Polyhymnia, Pushkin Museum, Moscow
-Friedrich_Ochs-Sanssouci-Mittlerer_Lustgarten_Steffen_Heilfort.JPG)
See also
[edit]- Muses in popular culture
- Asteroid 33 Polyhymnia
Notes
[edit]- ^ "Polyhymnia". Theoi. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ a b c "Polyhymnia". talesbeyondbelief. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus Library of History (Books III - VIII). Translated by Oldfather, C. H. Loeb Classical Library Volumes 303 and 340. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1935.
- ^ Scholia on Hesiod, Works and Days, 1, p. 28
- ^ Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1.23
References
[edit]- Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History translated by Charles Henry Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 3. Books 4.59–8. Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site
- Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica. Vol 1-2. Immanel Bekker. Ludwig Dindorf. Friedrich Vogel. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1888–1890. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Polyhymnia at Wikimedia Commons- Primary sources and basic information concerning Polyhymnia
- Polyhymnia in painting
- Warburg Institute Iconographic Database
