Graces, Muses, Furies, Fates and Gorgons

As far as quizzes are concerned, all you're likely to get asked on this topic is something along the lines of "In Greek mythology, how were Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia collectively known?" ... and pity the poor question person having to pronounce that lot.

In this page I've tried to put a bit of flesh on the bones, by trying to explain who they actually were. This helps me to remember the basics – and you never know, one day you might come up with a question setter who dares to be different ...

The Graces

The three Graces (more properly known, according to Wikipedia, as the Charites – pronounced KAIR–i–tees, singular Charis) were the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome. They were the handmaidens of Aphrodite and would dance and sing for the gods. You can see them in Botticelli's Primavera – between Venus in the centre and Mercury on the far left. They are also the subject of two famous sculptures by Antonio Canova, dating to just before 1820 (the period known in Britain as the Regency). The original was made for the Empress Josephine, but she died before it was completed. The 6th Duke of Bedford saw it in Canova's studio and offered to buy it, but it was claimed by Josephine's son Eugène; it can now be seen in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Nothing daunted, the Duke of Bedford commissioned a similar piece, which received much publicity in 1994 when it was nearly sold to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Now jointly owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Galleries of Scotland, it is alternately displayed by each and at Woburn Abbey, the seat of the Dukes of Bedford.

Aglaia		Splendour
Euphrosyne		Mirth (Gaiety)
Thalia		Good cheer (Festivity)

The Muses

The nine Muses presided over the arts and sciences. They were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Their music brings joy to all who hear it. Mount Helicon was consecrated to them.

Clio		History
Urania		Astronomy
Melpomene		Tragedy
Thalia		Comedy
Terpsichore		Dance
Calliope		Epic poetry
Erato		Love poetry
Polyhymnia		Songs to the Gods
Euterpe		Lyric poetry

The Furies

The Furies, or Erinyes, punished crime and relentlessly pursued wrongdoers, often driving them to suicide. They had snakes for hair and were given the following names by the Roman poet Virgil:

The Fates

The Fates decided a person's destiny, including how long he or she lived. They predated the Gods, and may also have determined their fate.

The spinner – spins the thread of life		Clotho
The measurer – chooses one's lot in life and how long it should be		Lachesis
She who cannot turn – cuts the thread of life with her shears		Atropos

The Gorgons

The Gorgons were the daughters of Phorcys, the old man of the sea, and Ceto, a female sea monster. They lived just beyond the edges of the Earth, where the sun and the moon are unable to reach. They were turned into monsters by Athena, who was enraged that Medusa lay with Poseidon in Athena's temple. Anyone who looked at them was turned to stone.