Hesiod and the Muse, 1891 - Oil on canvas, Musee d'Orsay, Paris Gustave Moreau.

Melpomene (Greek Μελπομένη, pronounced /mɛlˌpɒmɪˈni/) ("to sing" or "the one that is melodious") was a Muse in Greek mythology. She was the muse of tragedy, despite her joyous singing. She is often represented with a tragic mask and wearing the cothurnus, boots traditionally worn by tragic actors. Often, she also holds a knife or club in one hand and the tragic mask in the other. On her head she is shown wearing a crown of cypress. Melpomene is the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Her sisters include Calliope (muse of epic poetry), Clio (muse of history), Euterpe (muse of flute playing), Terpsichore (muse of dancing), Erato (muse of erotic poetry), Thalia (muse of comedy), Polyhymnia (muse of hymns), and Urania (muse of astronomy). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (707x1230, 189 KB) Gustave Moreau: Hesiod ÅŸi Muza, 1891 - Musée dOrsay, Paris File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Muse Melpomene ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (707x1230, 189 KB) Gustave Moreau: Hesiod ÅŸi Muza, 1891 - Musée dOrsay, Paris File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Muse Melpomene ... Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Self portrait of Gustav Moreau, 1850 Gustave Moreau (April 6, 1826 – April 18, 1898) was a French Symbolist painter. ... In Greek mythology, the Muses (Greek , Mousai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root *men- think[1]) are a number of goddesses or spirits who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, traditional music and dance. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... For other uses, see Tragedy (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Cupressus sempervirens L. Cupressus sempervirens, the Mediterranean Cypress, is a species of cypress native to the eastern Mediterranean region, in northeast Libya, southeast Greece (Crete, Rhodes), southern Turkey, Cyprus, western Syria, Lebanon and western Jordan, and also a disjunct population in Iran. ... For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). ... Mnemosyne (Greek , IPA in RP and in General American) (sometimes confused with Mneme or compared with Memoria) was the personification of memory in Greek mythology. ... This article is about the muse. ... Clio—detail from The Allegory of Painting by Johannes Vermeer For other uses, see Clio (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Euterpe (disambiguation). ... Terpsichore, Muse of Music and Dance, oil on canvas by Jean-Marc Nattier 1739 Terpsichore holding an Aeolian harp. ... Erato - Oak panel, Simon Vouet Erato (lovely) is a Greek Muse, shown with a wreath of myrtle and roses, holding a lyre, or a small kithara (a musical instrument that she herself invented); at her feet there are 2 turtle-doves eating seeds off of the floor. ... For other uses, see Thalia (disambiguation). ... Polyhymnia, section of Roman mosaic, 240 A.D Polyhymnia by Francesco del Cossa, 1455-1460. ... Simon Vouet, The Muses Urania and Calliope, c. ...

Appearances in popular culture

• In Roman and Greek poetry, it was traditional to invoke the goddess Melpomene so that one might create beautiful lyrical phrases (see Horace's Odes).
• Melpomene is mentioned in the first line of George Peele's poem "Œnone's Complaint" and also in Section LVI of John Keats' poem "Isabella; or The Pot of Basil."
• Danish rock band Kashmir included a song titled Melpomene on their 2003 album Zitilites.
• The muse Melpomene appeared in Walt Disney Pictures film Hercules (1997 film); Broadway actress Cheryl Freeman provided her voice.
• In the video game Dead or Alive 2, the character Helena Douglas' fight theme is entitled "Blazed up Melpomene".
• She is portrayed in Xanadu the Musical on Broadway by Mary Testa.
• Melpominée is the name of the discipline developed and used by the Daughters of Cacophony in the role playing game Vampire: the Masquerade.

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Melpomene