The Most Interesting Things About Calliope, The eldest of the Mousai

In the world of mythology, Calliope is one of the nine Muses. She is also referred to as the “ronimas” or the “Crowned Muse” because of her self-proclaimed status. In the epic poem by Homer called The Odyssey (Book X), Calliope is mentioned as the muse that inspires singers and poetry.

It was either through her inspiration or perhaps her vanity that led her to claim this title. When we look past her brashness, however, there are some interesting things about Calliope, the eldest of the Mousai – which translates to "Muses" — goddesses who inspired mankind in different ways.

She has a beautiful voice.

It is widely believed that Calliope’s voice was so beautiful that it was able to calm even the fiercest of storms. This has led to a theory that she was the one who first discovered music being able to calm a person’s soul.

Her voice is said to have been the sweetest even though she spoke with a harsh accent. Even though her voice was beautiful, there are no records of her actually performing any songs.

We are left to wonder if Calliope’s voice had an influence on the way we perceive the art of song even to this day.

She is the wisest of the Mousai.

Although she claimed the title of being the most creative and inspiring muse, we have to remember that Calliope is also the wisest of the Mousai. Some theorize that it was through her wisdom that she was able to compose such captivating stories.

While creativity and inspiration are both important when it comes to creating something, it is wisdom that keeps everything together. Interestingly enough, Calliope’s wisdom is never mentioned in classical literature.

Her bold and seemingly ignorant claim of being the most inspired and creative of the Mousai has left her wisdom to be mostly forgotten.

Fortunately, we do know that Calliope was responsible for teaching Odysseus how to navigate his way home. The knowledge she imparted upon Odysseus is what ultimately led him to be able to navigate his treacherous journey home to Ithaca.

She is proud and vain.

The thing that makes Calliope so interesting is that she is undeniably vain and proud, yet she is still a muse that people pay homage to. She is an example of someone who is completely immersed in themselves and their own vanity.

In fact, one of the most famous quotes in all of literature is spoken by Calliope herself. It is said that she has told the epic poet Homer that “her head with its flowing hair” is the source of her poetry.

In other words, she believes that she is responsible for all the poetry that is ever composed because her hair inspires it. This is an example of how vain and proud she is. She is so in love with herself that she believes that everything in existence is there because of her.

Her influence on Odysseus and his journey home.

Odysseus, the man who is said to have been the inspiration behind Homer’s The Odyssey, was the one who was able to finally put an end to Calliope’s pride.

When Odysseus visited the land of the Mousai, he was challenged to try and win their favour through a competition of sorts.

The winner of this competition would receive the gift of inspiration, something that stems from the Muses themselves. Odysseus, in his prideful and vain manner, decided to try and win the affection of the Mousai through flattery.

The only muse who was easily swayed by Odysseus’s flattery was Calliope. She was so vain that she believed Odysseus when he spoke of her beauty and her unrivalled talent as a muse.

Unfortunately for her, Odysseus also wanted to win the competition because he wanted the gift of being able to compose poetry through the night without ever sleeping.

Calliope’s symbolic meaning: vanity and self-importance

Now that we have taken a closer look at Calliope, we can now try to understand what her character means in relation to the rest of the story. When we consider the things that Calliope is known for, vanity and self-importance, they can link back to something that is going on in The Odyssey.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus is trying to make his way back home after a 10-year journey in which he fought in the Trojan War. He is faced with many difficulties along the way and has to deal with some obstacles that put him in huge amounts of danger.

Of course, Odysseus is the hero of this story and is able to overcome these obstacles. The interesting thing about Odysseus is that, when you look at his journey, it is almost like he is trying to get home as quickly as possible.

Final Words

Vanity and self-importance are two qualities that can be both beneficial and destructive in equal measure. It is only when we let our vanity take control of us that it can become a negative thing.

A little bit of vanity is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can actually be very beneficial. It can inspire us to push ourselves to be better and to be the best that we can be.

It is when we let our vanity lead us down a path of self-importance that it becomes negative. It can lead us to believe that we are better than everyone else and that what we have to say is more important than others.

One thing is for certain – when you take a closer look at the Mousai, you can learn a lot about yourself and the people around you.