Book 1) Who were the Muses?
In Greek mythology they were originally the Nymphs of inspiring springs, then goddesses of song in general, afterwards the representatives of the various kinds of poetry, arts, and sciences. Homer considers them as goddesses dwelling in Olympus, who at the meals of the gods sing sweetly to the lyre of Apollo, inspire the poet and prompt his song. Hesiod calls them the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, born in Pieria. Thracian settlers, in the Pierian district at the foot of mount Olympus and of the mountain named Helicon in Boeotia are usually mentioned as the original founders of the worship of the muses. Archaeologists have found the oldest sanctuaries dedicated to the Muses at these sites. According to the general belief, the favorite haunts of the Muses were certain springs, near which temples and statues had been erected in their honor. The Athenians offered them sacrifices in the schools, while the Spartans did so before battle. As the inspiring Nymphs of springs they were ea
