- Calliope
In
Greek mythology , Calliope ("beautiful-voiced", also spelled "Kaliope" or "Kalliope", in Greek, "Καλλιόπη", pronounced in English /kə'laɪəpi/ ka-LIE-oh-pee) was themuse of epic poetry, daughter ofZeus andMnemosyne , and is now best known asHomer 's muse, the inspiration for theIliad and theOdyssey .She had two sons,
Orpheus and Linus, by eitherApollo or the kingOeagrus , ofThrace . She was the oldest and wisest of the Muses, as well as the most assertive. She was represented by a stylus and wax tablets.She is always seen with a writing tablet in her hand. At times, she is depicted as carrying a roll of paper or a book or as wearing a gold crown.
Fiction
Calliope is a character in the graphic novel "Sandman", by
Neil Gaiman . Her story is in the collections "Dream Country" and "Fables & Reflections". According to the comic's canon, Morpheus was actually the lover and husband of Calliope, and the father of Orpheus.The author
Nick Sagan , son of famous authorCarl Sagan , also makes reference to Calliope in his debut novel, "Idlewild". In his book, the main character, Halloween, suffers amnesia after a power surge, referred to as the Calliope Surge. The author also makes reference to Calliope being the daughter ofMnemosyne , the personification of memory.A magical woman named Calliope acts as a Muse for the protagonist of the novel "Fool on the Hill" by
Matt Ruff . Though she is never explicitly said to be the Calliope of Greek mythology, she is immortal, magical, and is described as enjoyingretsina andfeta , both Greek foods.Tony Award winner
Lillias White provided the voice for the muse Calliope in Walt Disney Pictures film "Hercules".On the season four "Simpsons" episode "
Treehouse of Horror III ", school nerdMartin Prince dressed as Calliope during the Simpsons' Halloween party (and gets punched in the stomach by Nelson, who's dressed as a pirate).Jackie Hoffman played the muse Calliope in the musical "Xanadu", which opened in 2007 on Broadway.Calliope is a character in the novel "
Middlesex " byJeffrey Eugenides .Calliope is the name of the daughter of Kratos, the protagonist of the "God of War" video game series.
Calliope is also the name of a female character in
Francesca Lia Block 's novels "Ecstasia" and "Primavera". These works are heavily influenced by myth.Calliope is the name of the punk rock heiress protagonist of
Andrew Foster Altschul 's novel "Lady Lazarus".Calliope ( [http://www.kalliope.bernstein-verlag.de Kalliope] ) is a new German Magazine for Literature and Art, which also publishes original texts in English or art from English and other European artists.
Welsh band 'El Condor Pasa' have a song titled 'Calliope'.
New Zealand rock band The Veils also have a song titled 'Calliope'.
In the "" season 4 episode "A Tale of Two Muses," a town of worshipers of Calliope is convinced to overturn their ban on dancing, a dictate they believe Calliope handed down. (The episode is a pastiche of
Christian revivalists .In the 2005 movie "Sahara", William H. Macy's yacht is named the Calliope.
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