Goddess Posters, Prints, & Photographs at The Creative Process for history, theology, social studies classrooms, home schoolers, and inspirational art.

The Greek Muses are a sisterhood of nine goddesses who inspire the creative process; their mother is Mnemonsyne, the personfication of memory. The muses are Clio - history, Thalia - comedy, Terpsichore- dance, Eurerpe - music & lyric poetry, Polyhymnia - sacred songs, Calliope - the chief muse and muse of epic poetry, Erato - love poetry, Urania - astronomy & astrology, Melpomese - tragedy.

The words music, museum and mosaic are derived from the same root as the word muse.

• The Nine Muses: A Mythological Path to Creativity

Venus with a Horn, from Laussel in the Dordogne, Giclee Print

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Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty, her Roman equivalent is Venus. Their symbolic flower is the rose.

• Explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville was responsible for the French acquiring the now famous statue called "Venus de Milo" which is housed in the Louvre.

Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom (symbol owl), war, the arts, industry (weaving), justice and skill. The city of Athens takes its name from Athena who provided the citizens with the valuable olive tree. Athena's most famous temple is the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens.

Athena, who emerged fully grown and armed with helmet, shield and thunderbolt, out of her father's head, was the favorite child of Zeus and his first wife, Metis (wisdom). Zeus, fearing that Metis would give birth to a son more powerful than himself, had swallowed Metis, to prevent a rival. What he got was a tremedous headache.

The goddess Minerva was the Roman equivalent of Athena.

Ceres is the Roman goddess of growing plants (note the similarity with the word cereal) and motherly love. The name derives from the Proto-Indo-European "ker" meaning grow.

The Greek equivalent of Ceres is the older Demeter; it is Demeter's grief during the six month disappearance of her daugher Persephone that was the cause of seasonal change.

• Did you know a statue of Ceres is atop the Missouri State Capitol Building?

Mary, Mother of Jesus, is much venerated in most Christian churches. The Roman Catholicism belief of the corporeal assumption of Mary into Heaven was formally declared dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950. The Islamic faith also holds Mary in a revered position; she is the only woman directly named in the Quran.