In the modern world, it’s not customary to talk about the art of science as we talk about choreography, poetry, theater or vocals. The fact is that the ancient Greeks, unlike us, perceived the Cosmos as the most perfect work of art and the muse of Urania was perceived by them as the inspirer of his knowledge. For the first time her name in Western literature is found in the work of Hesiod. Before learning more about Urania itself, we will meet its divine relatives.
Who are muses?
According to the Hellenes, the muses are the nine daughters of the supreme god Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Each area of activity that was considered important, according to the ancient Greeks, should have had its patroness - the muse, and thanks to it, to develop and prosper. In addition, all the muses, including the muse of Urania, accompanied and inspired Musaget – Apollo, the god of art and harmony, personified all the most wise, bright and beautiful, including morality, science and all types of art.
Spheres of patronage
The very first mention of muses is found in Homer's works, other sources also contain information about the nine daughters of Zeus and the areas of science and art supervised by them:
- Calliope (“wonderful voice”) is a muse of sacrifice and patriotism, epic poetry. It was her Greeks who were considered the supreme muse and depicted with a laurel wreath or crown on their heads.
- Clio (“granting glory”) is a muse of history, which, according to the ancient Greeks, wrote down any, even the most insignificant events in her scrolls, so that the memory of them would not be erased.
- Melpomene (“song, singing”) is the muse of tragedy, dressed in theatrical robes, holds a dramatic mask in his hand.
- Waist ("good nature") is a comedy muse with a simple ivy wreath on his head and a comedy mask in his hands.
- Polyhymnia (“many songs”) is a muse of sacred hymns and a patroness of speakers.
- Terpsichore (“fun dance”) is a muse of dances, including wedding ones. Dressed in a simple tunic, on her head - a wreath of ivy, holding a lyre in her hands.
- Euterpa (“joy”) is a muse of lyrics and poetry, the head of which is decorated with a wreath of fresh flowers. Her instrument is a double flute.
- Erato (“dear”) is the muse of love and wedding poetry. She was portrayed in a wreath of roses and always with some perky and cheerful musical instrument in her hands, for example, a tambourine or lyre.
- Urania is the muse of science and astronomy. The youngest of all the daughters of Zeus and the wise along with Athena Pallas. In the hands of Urania there is always a compass and a celestial sphere, dressed in a star cloak, on the head - a crown of constellations.
The most serious muse
As already mentioned, the muse of Urania (the photo of her sculpture you see) is the youngest among the nine sisters, but she is also the most knowledgeable and smart of them. She is beautiful, like all other muses, because the Greeks professed the principle of kalokagatii, which consisted in the fact that outwardly beautiful is just as beautiful inside. Therefore, the patrons of the arts and sciences simply could not have an unsightly appearance.
Despite the fact that Urania and her sisters accompany, inspiring, Musageta, with pleasure dancing and having fun at the holidays in honor of Dionysus, she personifies the power of knowledge and contemplation. The muse of Urania calls everyone to distance themselves from the chaos of everyday existence in order to immerse themselves in the study and contemplation of the majestic life of the Cosmos and the movements of stars reflecting earthly destinies. As already mentioned, all muses have certain attributes, in Urania it is the celestial sphere and compass.
What is she responsible for?
Our modern ideas about such an exact science as astronomy do not admit any points of intersection with poetry or other art. However, during the formation of Greek mythology and the emergence of the cult of muses, astronomy was more an art than an exact science. Urania is the muse of astronomy, which began, along with mathematics and astrology, its development in ancient Greece.
Over time, the Greeks managed to reach significant heights in the study of the heavenly vault, stars, and Cosmos. It was in ancient Greece in the III century BC. e.
Aristarchus of Samos was the first to formulate the hypothesis of heliocentrism, and the calculations of Eratosthenes of Cyrene, made at about the same time, formed the basis of the calendar that we use today. Hipparchus of Nicaea in the 2nd century BC e. managed to compile the first catalog of "fixed stars" by their brightness and completed tables of motion of the moon and the sun. But Urania’s sister, Clio, is rather ironic: the erroneous geocentric theory put forward in the 2nd century BC is widely known. e. Claudius Ptolemy, and which served as the basis of the Christian church doctrine of the structure of the Universe, and not the earlier discoveries of Greek scientists.
As already mentioned, astronomy is the science of the muses of Urania, one of the most ancient disciplines. It was studied by Babylonian foretellers and magicians, Greek philosophers and storytellers, monks and noble persons of the Renaissance, astrologers, mystics and great thinkers of closer times to us. The content and concepts of astronomy have always served as the basis of the worldview of a given time and were at the epicenter of the opposition of ideas.
Aphrodite Urania
Indeed, in Greek mythology the epithet “Urania” was used.
in relation to the daughter of the god of heaven - Aphrodite, personifying the physical strength of nature. Aphrodite Urania - Heavenly was venerated by the Hellenes not only as the patroness of pure love and family, but also as the goddess of fertility and plant powers, who were in charge of fields, gardens, groves and vineyards.
The image of Urania in art
More than a century has passed since the heyday of Ancient Greece, but the muse of Urania has always inspired not only the astronomers and scientists associated with it. The image of Urania can be found on the canvases of Simon Vouet “Muses of Urania and Calliope”, Louis Tokke “Muse of Astronomy”, Angelika Kaufman and Louis de Boulogne, Johann Heinrich and Eustache Le-sur, engravings by Jan Hevelius and Hendrick Goltzius. Of course, the muse in these paintings is depicted in robes according to the fashion of the time when the artist worked, but here the celestial sphere and compasses are in his hands, or the stylus and the map of the starry sky are present.
Writers and poets also did not ignore her: Urania is the muse of astronomy, which inspired Lomonosov and Tyutchev to "odic reasoning." Our famous contemporary Joseph Brodsky published in 1987 a book of poems “To Urania”. In St. Petersburg, it is planned to erect a monument to the poet in the form of three steles with the verses “To Urania” engraved on them.
The Moscow planetarium even created the Museum of Urania, which exhibits the star globe created by Jan Hevelius, on which the constellations known in the 17th century are painted. In addition, the museum presents many interesting items related to the study of outer space and stars.