Analysis of Theogony Hesiod

“Blessed is the man whom the Muses love; sweet song flows from his mouth.

A man may have some fresh grief over which to mourn,

and sorrow may have left him no more tears, but if a singer,

a servant of the Muses, sings the glories of ancient men

and hymns the blessed gods who dwell on Olympos,

the heavy-hearted man soon shakes off his dark mood, and oblivion

soothes his grief, for this gift of the gods diverts his mind.”

The Muses were the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. They were goddesses blessed with the power to soothe men and let them forget about their problems. They were always very much praised for their singing and songs. Their people admired them and always wanted to be in their presence. They however acted arrogantly and egotistically and used their royals to look down on others. People would believe whatever lie they may tell and because they knew this, they would use it to command people to do what they wanted. As Hesiod would say they were masters of word-craft, knew how to use words oratorically and convincingly.