In Greek mythology, Thalia (/θəˈlə/[1][2] or /ˈθliə/;[3] Ancient Greek: Θάλεια; "the joyous, the flourishing", from Ancient Greek: θάλλειν, thállein; "to flourish, to be verdant"), also spelled Thaleia, was one of the Muses, the goddess who presided over comedy and idyllic poetry. In this context her name means "flourishing", because the praises in her songs flourish through time.[4]

Thalia
Goddess of Comedy
Member of the Muses
Roman statue of Thalia from Hadrian's villa, now at the Prado Museum (Madrid)
Genealogy
ParentsZeus and Mnemosyne
SiblingsEuterpe, Polyhymnia, Urania, Clio, Erato, Calliope, Terpsichore, Melpomene and several paternal half-siblings
ConsortApollo
Childrenthe Corybantes
Thalia on an antique fresco from Pompeii

Appearance

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Thalia was portrayed as a young woman with a joyous air, crowned with ivy, wearing boots and holding a comic mask in her hand. Many of her statues also hold a bugle and a trumpet, or occasionally a shepherd's staff or a wreath of ivy.

Family

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Thalia was the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the eighth-born of the nine Muses. According to Apollodorus, she and Apollo were the parents of the Corybantes.[5]

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Thalia". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ "Thalia Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster".
  3. ^ "Home : Oxford English Dictionary".
  4. ^ "Thalia | Greek mythology | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  5. ^ Apollodorus, 1.3.4. Other ancient sources, however, gave the Corybantes different parents (see Frazer, n. 2 on 1.3.4).

References

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