The word muse originates from Greek mythology. The Greek gods Zeus and Mnemosyne had nine daughters called the Muses. The nine daughters were of one being in heart, spirit and thought. If the muses loved a man, then the man's worries instantly disappeared. The man who was loved by the muses was considered to be more sacred than a holy man.
Throughout the history of the arts, men and women have been inspired by their own muses. Think of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, two people who were inspired by each other and became the subject of much of the other's work. One world famous artist who incorporated his muses into his work was the painter Pablo Picasso. Throughout his life, each of the women he met and loved became his subject.
Picasso had relationships with many women, many of which ended in heart-breaking circumstances for the women. Picasso's work can be seen progressing with each woman he had a relationship with. From the first flush of romance to the deterioration of the relationship, all of the stages can be seen in his art. Picasso's women were his inspiration, and he is sometimes judged harshly for discarding the women in his life when the inspiration dissipated and his work began to suffer. Picasso would move onto a new woman, and his inspiration and art would be invigorated.
The muse is not always a human being. As the idea of the muse originated in a spiritual world, so too do many musicians see their muse as coming from a different dimension. Musician Jim Morrison of the rock band The Doors claimed to call on the spirit world to inspire his music. Many people see the muse as a dark supernatural force that possesses the artist and helps create his or her work. This is why some people call some forms of music, mistakenly, the devil's work.
