The nine muses: which way of seeing is yours?
Nine muses. Nine distinct ways of moving through the world.
A muse is not a personality type. She is a way of seeing: the lens you reach for when life gets complicated, and the one other people notice in you before you do.
Almost every culture has a figure who stands behind the creative act: Saraswati in India, Brigid in Ireland, Oshun in Yoruba tradition. Ancient Greece gave her nine faces. The nine Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, and artists, poets, philosophers and leaders turned to them before creating anything of consequence. To be visited by a muse was to be handed both permission and responsibility: permission to create, and responsibility to do it truthfully.
GlobalWoman gives each of the nine a modern title, and each moves through all four worlds: inner, outer, under and other. This guide speaks to each muse in turn, beginning with Calliope, the chief of the muses. Find yours first, then read the other eight. You will start to recognise the women around you.
Every GlobalWoman has a muse
A GlobalWoman is any woman finding her way in the world, and finding your way takes more than a map. It takes a way of seeing: what you notice first, what you trust, what you reach for when things get hard. That is your muse.
She is not a role you are cast in or a type you are sorted into. She is the part of you that has always been fluent in something, only now given a name. You move through all four worlds with her beside you, and she looks different in each one. The quiz tells you which of the nine is guiding you right now.
Back to contentsMeet the nine muses
The Sovereign
Calliope is the chief of the muses, the one the ancient poets honoured above the rest. She is the muse of epic poetry, but what she rules is voice, and the story you came here to tell, the one too big to be boxed in or boiled down. She is not quiet, not sweet and not here to be liked. She is here to be heard. Not performative confidence, but truth, spoken aloud. Think of Maya Angelou, Arundhati Roy, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Amanda Gorman.
The Keeper
Clio is the muse of history, truth-telling and cultural memory. She helps you find clarity by looking back, not to stay there, but to understand how we got here. She helps you remember, and reimagine. She gives weight to your words and asks you to hold history with care. Think of Rebecca Solnit, Roxane Gay, Ai-jen Poo and Alexis Wright.
The Mover
Euterpe is the muse of music and emotional flow. You do not only process the world with logic. You feel your way through it, hear the undertones and sense the shift in pitch before the words land. She shows you how to trust that attunement and let mood and meaning move through you like water. Think of Florence Welch, Solange, Janelle Monáe, Miriam Makeba and Cesária Évora.
The Alchemist
Melpomene is the muse of tragedy, but she is not here to wallow in sorrow. She helps you face the hard truths, move through what hurts and emerge with wisdom you can trust. She knows grief is a teacher, and that transformation begins with telling the truth. Think of Michaela Coel, Sharon Olds, Han Kang and Gloria Anzaldúa.
The Seeker
Thalia knows how to speak truth through humour. She brings lightness to what is heavy, insight to what is hidden and joy to what has been overlooked. She is the voice in you that giggles in the dark. Laughter is not a distraction. It is a medicine, a protest and a practice of survival and delight. Think of Hannah Gadsby, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Aditi Mittal, Wanda Sykes and Ali Wong.
Which muse is guiding you right now?
Nine questions. Nine muses. Find the one showing you the way.
Take the quiz. Meet your muse.The Maker
Terpsichore is not about performance. She is about presence. She invites you into a deeper relationship with your body, your senses and your pulse. Your body is not a machine to be optimised. It is a compass, and a source of knowing. Think of Pina Bausch, FKA twigs, Germaine Acogny and Katherine Dunham.
The Oracle
Polyhymnia is the still point in a spinning world, the one who knows without needing to explain. She is the muse of the pause before action, and of what is felt but not always spoken. Not all power is loud. Think of Audre Lorde, Maya Lin and Rabia of Basra.
The Envisioner
Erato’s name means “desired”, and she is here to show you that desire is sacred. Love, in all its raw and tangled complexity, is a way of seeing the world. Think of Rupi Kaur, Elizabeth Acevedo, Warsan Shire and Forugh Farrokhzad.
Meet your muse
If you haven’t met your muse yet, take the quiz. Nine questions tell you which muse is guiding you right now.
Which muse is guiding you right now?
Nine questions. Nine muses. Find the one showing you the way.
Take the quiz. Meet your muse.
