Focus On: (38) Leda
Name origin: Aetolian princess who became a Spartan queen; mother of the Dioscuri, Clytaemnestra and Helen, after Zeus seduced her in the guise of a swan.
Name origin: Aetolian princess who became a Spartan queen; mother of the Dioscuri, Clytaemnestra and Helen, after Zeus seduced her in the guise of a swan.
Name origin: Roman goddess of trust and good faith (bona fides). One of the original virtues to be considered an actual religious divinity. She is everything that is required for “honour and credibility, from fidelity in marriage, to contractual arrangements, and the obligation soldiers owed to Rome.”
Name origin: Greek Muse of astronomy and astronomical writings. Ourania was often depicted pointing at a celestial globe with a rod. The astrological symbol represents compass calipers.
Name origin: Greek sea goddess and wife of Poseidon. He courted her in the form of a dolphin (or, in some tellings, sent a dolphin as messenger).
Name origin: Roman goddess of war; the name was chosen to mark the beginning of the Crimean War. Bellona is known for her temple outside of Rome being the official decision making centre in regards to war.
Name origin: Greek Muse of lyric poetry. Euterpe’s attribute was the double flute. Her name is derived from two Greek words meaning “giver of much delight.”
Phocaea or Phokaia (modern-day Foça in Turkey) was a city on the western coast of Anatolia. Greek colonists from Phocaea founded the city of Massalia (Marseille), from where the asteroid was discovered.
Name origin: Greek Titan goddess of divine law and order. Themis presides specifically over the traditional rules of conduct first established by the gods. She was also a prophetic goddess who presided over the most ancient oracles, including Delphi.
Name origin: Ancient Greek muse of comedy and bucolic poetry. ‘Thalia’ translates to “Rich Festivity” or “Blooming”. Possibly, with Apollo, parent of the Korybantes, worshippers of Cybele.
Name origin: Ancient Greek Muse of eloquence and epic poetry. Kalliope was the eldest of the Muses, depicted in older art with a lyre, and later with a tablet and stylus or a scroll.