Nine Muses In The Odyssey

Moving on, there are various inspirations that could have lead Homer to write the Odyssey. In a mythical sense, thunder god Zeus came across a young woman Mnemosyne, the personification of memory; the father of gods slept with her for nine nights, which is how the nine muses came about (“The Nine Muses” 6). Muses encourage creation and were believed to give inspiration to artists of all caliber (“The Nine Muses” 1). These nine celestials consist of the following: Clio, Europe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania, and Calliope — known to be the superior muse (“The Nine Muses” 3). According to myth and legend, Calliope is the protector of heroic poems and rhetoric art (“The Nine Muses” 18). It is presumed that Homer prayed to Calliope to grace him with inspiration for his writings.
Being so, Homer preceded to write such heroic tales with the god-given inspiration. Nevertheless, there are still more possible rationales — two being completely superficial. One includes fame; it was a spur and an incorporeal object coveted by the Ancient Greeks. Since Homer’s Odyssey was written around the time of the fall of Troy, one could assume he wrote it to guarantee his fame, since heroic tales were a source of entertainment (Rance 2). Money is another reason; if there was an instance where one could make money, people would act upon it — Homer not being an exception. Although deeply respected, writers needed to make a living as well, and a story like the Odyssey could have guaranteed riches for Homer (Rance 3). The next reason is simple; that Homer loved to tell and write stories. He may have been fascinated by them when he was a boy, and it could have had such an impact on his mind that stories like the Odyssey were developed (Rance