Urania
nymphUrania was the Muse of astronomy and celestial navigation — her gaze was fixed on the stars.
The Myth
Urania was depicted with a celestial globe and compass. She represented the most "universal" of the arts — astronomy encompassing the whole cosmos. Christian poets later claimed her as the Muse of sacred poetry (Milton invokes her in Paradise Lost). Her name comes from ouranos (heaven) — the same root as Uranus.
Children
Linus (in some traditions)
Symbols
Fun Fact
Milton invokes Urania at the start of Paradise Lost Book VII — claiming the Muse of the stars for Christian epic.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
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