Urania

🌿 nymphΟὐρανία

Muse of astronomy

Urania was the Muse of astronomy and celestial navigation — her gaze was fixed on the stars.‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌

The Myth of Urania

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.

Parents

Zeus and Mnemosyne

Children

Linus (in some traditions)

Symbols

celestial globecompassstarscrown of stars

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. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.

Urania

Explore Further

Phaeo

🌿 nymph

Stars, nursing

One of the Hyades nymphs who nursed the infant Dionysus and was later placed among the stars

Hyades

🌿 nymph

Rain-bringing star nymphs

The Hyades were nymphs who nursed the infant Dionysus and were placed among the stars as a cluster whose rising brought the autumn rains.

Hyades

Phyto

🌿 nymph

Stars, nature

One of the Hyades nymphs whose name means growth or planting, connected to the agricultural significance of the star cluster

Aegle

🌿 nymph

light, healing

A nymph whose name means "radiance" — identified variously as a Hesperid, a daughter of Asclepius, or the most beautiful of the Naiads.

Asia

🌿 nymph

Land, territory

Oceanid nymph whose name was given to the continent of Asia

Asia

Polyxo

🌿 nymph

Stars, nursing

One of the Hyades nymphs and nurse of Dionysus, transformed into a star for her devoted care of the god

Callisto

🌿 nymph

Nymph transformed into the Great Bear

Callisto was a companion of Artemis who was seduced by Zeus and transformed into a bear — placed in the sky as Ursa Major, the Great Bear constellation.

Callisto