Polyhymnia or Polymnia was among the nine Muses or Mousai in Greek mythology. The goddess was in charge of the sacred song, music, dance, pantomime, and agriculture in the old era. Mousai were to carry out specific literary and artistic spheres when she was given these roles. Her Greek names ‘poly’ means ‘many’ and ‘hymnos’ that means ‘praise’.
The supernatural human is depicted as pensive, serious, and meditative. She often dresses in a veil and a long cloak holds a finger to her mouth and rests her elbow on a stake. Polyhymnia is at times credited as the Muse of meditation and geometry.
Polyhymnia Greek goddess brings distinction to famous authors by her great praises according to Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica. She is referred in current fiction works like in Paradiso Canto XXIII, Dante’s Divine Comedy. Polyhymnia and the other Mousai had a spring on Mount Parnassus that was sacred. Pythia that is the priests and priestesses used the water for oracle purposes like divination and prayers.
Polyhymnia Family
Polyhymnia was the daughter of Zeus, king of the gods, and Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. She presided over poems and was believed to have discovered the lyre. Polyhymnia and her siblings resided above the clouds above the sacred Mounts Olympus, Parnassus, Pindus, and Helicon. She became Orpheus mother by Oeagrus.
The Zeus family joined the Olympian gods for entertainment and feasts where they took milk, honey, and water but never wine. They extended their roles over time to include tragedy, comedy, history, sacred hymns, rhetoric, and harmony. Polyhymnia also had a prophesying gift.
Polyhymnia Roles
According to Ancient Greeks, beliefs and traditional, Polyhymnia took part in divine inspiration prayers. She could sketch and wave her arms in the air to signify a soundless voice and pass a message with her hands. In Astrology, there is a belt asteroid named after Polyhymnia as was revealed by J. Chacornac in 1854.
Polyhymnia Powers
Muses were a source of help and inspiration to mortals. They were also arrogant and vain and could resent any being that would question their art supremacy. Polyhymnia had considerable powers. The Mousai were immortal and used the grace of their songs and beauty of their dances to comfort the heartbroken and heal the ill. They could transform and they turned Pierides into chattering birds for challenging them in a contest.
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