Write about an unassuming character who secretly controls things from behind the scenes.

— Person

The Polyhymnia Conspiracy

The Grand Bargain

between the realms

uplifted the hairless apes

and gave them art

and gave them song

and gave them story

and gave them history

and gave them society

and gave them justice

and gave them sport

and gave them science

and gave them belief

and made them human.

To each realm of thought,

a Muse:

Lyrical Euterpe,

Historical Clio,

Comedic Thalia,

Tragic Melpomene,

Kinetic Terpsichore,

Lovestruck Erato,

Scientific Urania,

Epic Calliope,

And Polyhmnia,

who mediates the link

between matter and spirit

between profane and holy

between nature and the supernatural

Invoked in the open

as one of nine,

but contained,

herself,

within the invocation

within every invocation

to every god

providing definition and instruction

to every god

giving realms and powers

to every god

or, on a whim, taking them away.

In the myth

she created about herself

Polyhymnia

was a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne,

and Zeus

was the son of Kronos and Rhea,

and Kronos, Rhea, and Mnemosyne

were the children of Ouranous and Gaia,

and Ouranous,

scandalously,

was also a child of Gaia,

and Gaia

was a child of Chaos

and Chaos

was an invention of Polyhymnia.

Polyhymnia allowed Zeus had a good run

atop Mount Olympus

where she'd placed him

after she'd named him

for a sky god

and allowed him

to conquer the sky.

Polyhymnia coupled Zeus

with many consorts.

She allowed Zeus

many offspring:

more gods for humans to worship,

more heroes for humans to marvel at,

until Polyhymnia grew bored.

She rebranded Zeus as Jupiter.

She moved his base to Rome.

She inspired Ovid and Virgil

and bought her creation

a few more centuries

at the top of the sky.

But eventually,

Polyhymnia let Zeus fade

and replaced him

with other deities

that she created

always

working behind the scenes

sometimes

in plain sight

as an angel

or a tree

or a serpent

or a ghost.

Polyhymnia

The Muse of Belief

In traditional Greek myth, Polyhymnia was the Muse of Belief. In this capacity she inspired humans to create hymns and odes to celebrate the gods.

"The Nine Muses - Polyhymnia (Rhetoric)" (1781) by Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder (1722 - 1789)

Family

Her mother was Mnemosyne, the Titaness of memory. Her father was Zeus, Olympic god of the sky. She and her eight sisters, the nine Musai (or Muses), were born on the same day but conceived over nine sequential nights.

Depiction

In art, Polyhymnia is usually depicted looking or pointing up with a prayerful expression, often holding a scroll, seated next to a scribe, or playing a lyre or harp.

Divine Domains

Hymns, odes, and beliefs

On This Page:

Elsewhere:

Join World Anvil to subscribe to updates.

---

Mythology

Greek/Roman

Pronouns

she/her/hers

Divine Classification

Muse

Parents

Mnemosyne

Read the Manuscript

Poetry! (Mythic Verse, Vol. 1)

READ