Clio

Clio is a deity in the Greek mythology that is known as a Muse, which is a being that refers to a desire or a wish. Muses are also symbols of inspiration, and artistic and philosophic creation. The Greek Muses are generally represented as ethereal women with god-like beauty.

Clio is the Muse that was known for discovering history and guitar. She is generally represented with a clarion in her right arm and a book in her left hand. She provides music, song and dance to the artistic realm in the mythology, however, her name primarily represents history. Kleô is a Greek verb that means 'to celebrate' or 'to make famous'.

The nine Muses were assigned a specific aptitude for a branch of the liberal arts like poetry, song, dancing, astrology, and more. Clio was given her name and aptitude because of the praise and glory that her songs bestow to those who she chooses to celebrate. Like the other Muses, she is the daughter of Zeus and the Mnemosyne. The sisters of Clio are Calliope, Euterpe, Erato, Melpomene, Ourania, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, and Thalia.

Clio is known for reprimanding Aphrodite for her love for Adonis, and was, in return, punished by the goddess. She was made to fall in love with Pierus, the king of Macedonia, with who she gave birth to her son Hyacinthus. Her son was later killed by Apollo, and his blood created a flower, the hyacinth. There are also instances of Clio potentially being mother to the minor god Hymenaeus, who is a god associated with weddings.

Clio makes appearances throughout pieces in classic literature including Hesiod's Theogony, Philodemus, On Piety, the Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, and the Orphic Hymn 76 to the Muses, and several others. In the mythology, there was a shrine of the Muses with springs full of water. The water was used for libations and lustrations. The overseer of the holy lustratio-water was Clio. She would "give the water-drawers from the ambosial cave the fragrant lovely water sought with many prayers."

Another specific mention of Clio and her attributes as a Muse comes from Statius' poem Thebaid, "Begin thou, unforgetting Clio, for all the ages are in thy keeping, and all the storied annals of the past."