Created in 1546, the painting now stands in the Museum of Fine Arts located in Budapest.

A painting of Thalia by Michele Pannonio depicts the goddess seated on what looks like a throne with a wreath of ivy on her head and the shepherd’s staff in her right hand. Thalia has been depicted in several famous paintings, by artists such as Hendrick Goltzius and Louis-Michel van Loo. She’s also mentioned in the 76 th Orphic Hymn which was dedicated to the Muses. Thalia appears in the writings of several famous authors including Hesiod’s Theogony and the works of Apollodorus and Diodorus Siculus. According to some sources, Thalia had nine children (all Corybantes) by Apollo. Their children were known as the Corybantes and they were crested, armed dancers who would dance and make music to worship the Phrygian goddess, Cybele. Thalia had seven children by Apollo, the god of the music and light, and her tutor. Together with her sisters, she provided entertainment for deities of Olympus, retelling the greatness of their father Zeus and heroes such as Theseus and Heracles. However, her role on Mount Olympus was also an important one. Thalia spent her time amongst mortals, providing them with the guidance and motivation they needed to create and write. She was also said to be responsible for the development of fine and liberal arts in Ancient Greece. While her sisters inspired some of the greatest works in the arts and sciences, Thalia’s inspiration made laughter emanate from the ancient theatres. Thalia was the source of inspiration to dramatics, authors and poets who lived in Ancient Greece including Hesiod. Many sculptures of the goddess show her holding a trumpet and a bugle which were both instruments used to aid in the projection of the actors’ vocals.

She carries the comic mask in one hand and a shepherd’s staff in the other. Thalia is usually portrayed as a beautiful and joyous young woman, wearing a crown made of ivy, with boots on her feet. They sang and danced at celebratory events and at funerals they sang lamentations and helped those in mourning to move on. They were always very welcome in Olympus especially when there was a feast or some other event. While Thalia and her sisters were mostly worshipped on Mount Helicon, they actually spent almost all their time on Mount Olympus with the other deities of the Greek pantheon. In the accounts that mention Thalia as one of the Graces, her mother was said to be the Oceanid Eurynome. However, according to Hesiod, she was also a Grace (Charites), one of the goddesses of fertility. Her name means ‘flourishing’ because the praises she sang flourish for all eternity. Thalia’s area was pastoral or idyllic poetry and comedy. Known as the Younger Muses, Thalia and her sisters were each given authority over a specific area in the arts and sciences, and had the responsibility to guide and inspire mortals to partake in those areas. Mnemosyne conceived and delivered each of the daughters on each night. Her parents Zeus, the god of thunder, and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, slept together for nine consecutive nights. Thalia was the eighth-born of the Younger Muses. She was the goddess of comedy, idyllic poetry and as some sources say, of festivity. In Greek mythology, Thalia was one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, known collectively as the Younger Muses.

Thalia muse achilleion