In Greek mythology, Clio is a muse. She is known as the muse of history. Some stories say she is also the muse of lyre-playing. Her name is sometimes spelled Kleio, Cleio, or Cleo. Her Greek name is Κλειώ. The pronunciation of her name has changed over time. It was once pronounced "kly-oh," but now it is more commonly pronounced "klee-oh."

Etymology

The name Clio comes from Greek words that mean "to recount," "to make famous," or "to celebrate." In Latin, the name is usually spelled as Clio. However, some modern systems, such as the American Library Association-Library of Congress system, use the letter K to represent the Greek letter kappa and the letters ei to represent the Greek letters epsilon and iota. This changes the spelling to Kleio.

Depiction

Clio, sometimes called "the Proclaimer," is often shown with an open parchment scroll, a book, or a set of tablets. She is also shown with a trumpet used for important announcements and a clepsydra, which is a water clock. Cesare Ripa's Iconologia, an important book for artists during the Baroque period, said that Clio should be shown with a crown of laurels, a trumpet, and an open book.

Mythology

Clio is one of the Muses, the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. She lives with her sisters on Mount Helicon or Mount Parnassos. Other places linked to the Muses include Pieria in Thessaly, near Mount Olympus.

Clio had one son, Hyacinth, with different kings in various stories. These kings include Pierus, Oebalus of Sparta, or Amyclas, who was the ancestor of the people of Amyclae, who lived near Sparta. A note on Euripides' play Rhesus says Clio was also the mother of Hymenaeus and Rhesus. According to Apollodorus, Aphrodite made Clio fall in love with Pierus because Clio had laughed at Aphrodite for loving Adonis. Other stories say Clio was the mother of Linus by Magnes, a poet buried in Argos. However, Linus has different parents in different accounts, including being the son of Clio's sisters Urania or Calliope.

Legacy

Clio is known as "the proclaimer, glorifier and celebrator of history, great deeds and accomplishments." Her name appears in the titles of modern brands, such as the Clio Awards, which recognize outstanding work in advertising.

The Cambridge University History Society is sometimes called Clio. The Cleo of Alpha Chi society at Trinity College, Connecticut, is named after the muse. The Penn Museum's undergraduate outreach group at the University of Pennsylvania is called the Clio Society. Additionally, the first sorority established at SUNY Geneseo, Phi Kappa Pi, originally began as the Alpha Clionian literary society.

In academic contexts, "Clio" appears in coined terms like cliometrics and cliodynamics, which relate to the study of history. Clio Bay in Antarctica and the city of Clio, Michigan, are also named after the muse.

Gallery

• Statue of Clio created by Albert Wolff and located in Berlin
• Clio, Muse of History by Johannes Moreelse
• Clio, the Muse of History (1632) by Artemisia Gentileschi
• The Muse Clio (around 1689) by Pierre Mignard
• The Muse Clio by Bernhard Rode
• Clio, Muse of History (1800) by Charles Meynier
• Car of History, a chariot clock showing Clio, created by Carlo Franzoni in 1819 and located in National Statuary Hall
• Sculpture of Clio by Alexander Stirling Calder on the tomb of historian Henry Charles Lea