Mythical Muses

epicted in the puzzle are ten figures dancing in a ring, implying a sisterhood of ten Mythical Muses. Students of Greek Mythology know that the number of Muses has varied over the centuries from as few as three but never more than nine. Indeed, the tenth dancing figure represents Apollo, who, by some reckonings, is their father.

Now, the tabulation in the puzzle does list a total of ten Muses...

Calliope
Clio
Erato
Euterpe
Melpomene
Polyhymnia
Terpsichore
Thalia
Urania
Wheelia

Beautiful of Speech -- muse of epic or heroic poetry
Glorious One -- muse of history
Amorous One) -- muse of love or erotic poetry
Well Pleasing -- muse of music and lyric poetry
Chanting One -- muse of tragedy
Singer of Hymns -- muse of sacred oratory, rhetoric
Delights in Dance -- muse of choral song and dance
Blossoming One -- muse of comedy, bucolic poetry
Celestial One -- muse of astronomy
Pedaling One -- muse of bicycling

he identity of that extra Muse on the list is obvious enough, but -- hey, all of them are mythical, are they not? Why not create more? The twelfth century was a long time ago. Surely in the intervening time, many previously unknown realms of creative endeavor have come along. Each deserves to have a Muse of its own.

Here are just a few modern Mythical Muses that come readily to mind...

Comedia
Guitaria
Instructia
Logicia
Mathematica
Nascaria
Newsmania
Physiciana
Spaciana
Wingiana

Well Kidding -- muse of jokes and puzzles
One Who Plucks and Strums -- muse of rock and roll
Delights in Teaching -- muse of the classroom
Singer of Syllogisms -- muse of deductive reasoning
Blossoming Numbers -- muse of algebra and geometry
Speedy One -- muse of racing and winning
Well Investigating -- muse of journalism, commentary
Delights in Curing -- muse of diagnosing and treating
Weightless One -- muse of orbital sciences
Glory of the Sky -- muse of aircraft flying

How about a Muse for creating Muses? If you have one of those, please share your inspirations here.

Epilog: Here are some modern Mythical Muses selected from on-line nominations...

Bureaucracia
Cafeteria
Canvasia
Celebritia
Chauferia
Cinemia
Hernia
Parentia
Politicia
Summitria

Organized One -- muse of office optimization and paperwork
Well Basting -- muse of the cooking arts
Painting One -- muse of brush and pallet
Blossoming Parties -- muse of patter and palaver
Glory in Gridlock -- muse of traffic congestion
Delights in Films -- muse of screen performances
Lifting One -- muse of the clean-and-jerk
One Who Guides and Nurtures -- muse of child raising
Singer of Elections -- muse of pander and promises
Glory of Climbing -- muse of pitons and carabiners

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