Aiton’s Encyclopedia
A Practical Reference Library in Five Volumes — keyed from the public-domain original
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Calliope

kal-li’O-pe, in Greek mythology, the muse of epic poetry. She was the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of Memory, and the mother of Orpheus. Calliope presided over eloquence. She was represented wearing a crown of laurel, holding in one hand a trumpet, in the other an epic poem. The literal meaning of the name Calliope is beautiful voiced, whence the name of the musical instrument (commonly pronounced Kal li-op) beloved of the circus goer.

Volume I · Aiton’s Encyclopedia