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Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of ...

, Thalia or Thaleia ( or ; grc, Θάλεια , Tháleia, the joyous, the abundance) was one of the three Charites or Graces, along with her sisters

Aglaea Aglaea () or Aglaïa (; grc, Ἀγλαΐα, lit=festive radiance) is one of the three '' Charites'' or ''Gratiae'' (Graces) in Greek mythology. Family According to Hesiod, Aglaea is the youngest of the Charites, the three daughters of Zeus ...

and

Euphrosyne Euphrosyne (; grc, Εὐφροσύνη), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, was one of the Charites, known in ancient Rome as the ''Gratiae'' (Graces). She was sometimes called Euthymia (Εὐθυμία) or Eutychia (Εὐτυχία). F ...

Hesiod Hesiod (; grc-gre, Ἡσίοδος ''Hēsíodos'') was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. He is generally regarded by western authors as 'the first written poet i ...

, ''

Theogony The ''Theogony'' (, , , i.e. "the genealogy or birth of the gods") is a poem by Hesiod (8th–7th century BC) describing the origins and genealogies of the Greek gods, composed . It is written in the Epic dialect of Ancient Greek and contain ...

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907
/ref> The Greek word ''thalia'' is an adjective applied to banquets, meaning rich, plentiful, luxuriant and abundant. Thalia is a part of the Nine Muses in Greek mythology. The Muses are the foundation of inspiration, arts and wisdom. The Muses are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosine who are the amorous counterparts of Apollo's posse of gods. The Muses, which Thalia is a part of, began their lives as nymphs, or an extensive class of female divinities. The nymphs then presented themselves as whispers in the ears of those that called upon them. An ancient writer Hesiod summoned them across the world as the nine muses, their names being: Thalia, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Calliope, Terpsichore and Urania. Thalia and the Muses were crucial to the artistic development of ancient Greece. Thalia, the eighth born of her siblings, is known as “the joyous and flourishing” muse. Thalia is one of the two muses of the theater. Thalia inspires comedy, idyllic poetry and conjures the natural world. Thalia is often portrayed as a giggling, uplifting woman with a slightly jeering expression. Thalia is often portrayed as wearing a crown made of ivy and boots on her feet. Many sculptures of the goddess will show her holding a shepherd's staff. Her most notable signature is the comic mask she carries around with her. Her name, Thalia, means “to flourish” or “flourishing”, it is known that Thalia's songs contained praises which were often found to sound fresh and new even as they aged overtime. Thalia can often be depicted dancing around in circles with her sisters. While Thalia and her sisters were mostly worshiped on Mount Helicon, they actually spent a lot of their time on Mount Olympus with the other deities of the Greek pantheon. Thalia and her sisters sang and danced at parties and events as well as singing lamentations at funerals. Thalia is known to play the bugle and the trumpet. Thalia was the source of a lot of inspiration for actors, authors and poets who resided in Ancient Greece. Thalia's inspiration made comedy emerge from ancient theaters. Thalia often spent time amongst the mortals, guiding them in with the help and encouragement they needed to create art. Thalia's role on Mount Olympus was very important, as she provided entertainment for deities of Olympus. Thalia had seven children by Apollo, the god of music and light. Apollo was also Thalia's tutor. Thalia and Apollo's children were known as the Corybantes. The Corybantes were dancers who would often dance and make music to worship Cybele, the Phrygian goddess. Thalia appears in several writings of many known authors, including Hesiod's Theogony. Thalia has also been depicted in several paintings by artists such as Hendrick Goltzius. A painting of Thalia, which is now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, depicts the goddess placed on what appears to be a throne with an ivy wreath on her head and the shepherd's staff placed in her right hand. The painting was created in 1546. Unlike her sisters, Thalia actually was not one of the best known of the Muses in Greek mythology.

Family

Typically, they were the daughters of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, ...

and Oceanid Eurynome. Alternative parentage may be Zeus and Eurydome, Eurymedousa, or Euanthe;

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

and Kronois; or

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; grc, , , Sun; Homeric Greek: ) is the deity, god and personification of the Sun (Solar deity). His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyper ...

and the Naiad Aegle.

In art

In art, they were usually depicted dancing in a circle. Thalia was the goddess of festivity and rich banquets and was associated with

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion (emotion), passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman god ...

, as part of her retinue. File:Le tre Grazie.jpg, Thalia depicted with her sisters in Antonio Canova's sculpture '' The Three Graces''

In popular culture

* The Charite Thalia is referred to in Neal Stephenson's book ''

The Diamond Age ''The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Neal Stephenson. It is to some extent a Bildungsroman or coming-of-age story, focused on a young girl named Nell, set in a future world in wh ...

''. * Thalia Grace is the demigod daughter of

in the series Percy Jackson & the Olympians. ** Her brother, Jason Grace, keeps the last name, but is named after a Greek Hero named

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...

Notes

References

* Apollodoros, ''Library'' (I, 3, 1). *

, ''

'' (v. 907–909). * Orphic hymns (LIX on the Charites). * Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' (IX, 35, 1). *

Pindar Pindar (; grc-gre, Πίνδαρος , ; la, Pindarus; ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar i ...

, ''Odes'' (''Olympics'', 14, str. 1–2). *Grimal, Pierre
over&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false ''The Dictionary of Classical Mythology''
Wiley-Blackwell, 1996,
"Thalia" 2. p. 442
* Smith, William; ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...

'', London (1873)
"Thaleia" 4.
{{Greek mythology (deities), state=collapsed Greek goddesses Children of Zeus Children of Dionysus