The Monthly Matter of Mythology

The Muses and the Arts

Naomi Trenary

Long before the beautiful sculptures of ancient Greece were built, the first artists we had were our distant ancestors that one could associate with the likes of The Flintstones. These cave dwellers who etched primal stories onto walls with their ancient tools and bare hands were just the beginning of our 64,000 years embracing the arts as a catalyst for expression of history and emotion. We can thank this development of expression for the beliefs and creation of the Greek gods and their stories, which give us a glimpse back into the lifestyle of people from that era. The Muses were made up of nine goddesses from Greek mythology that represented the arts and sciences of life. The Muses came from Zues and the Titan Mnemosyne (meaning memory) and are associated with art, music, poetry, and many other things. They are proof of the importance of the arts and its effect on our lives, even reminding us to slow down and enjoy the finer things in life.

The Muses were known to be good friends with Apollo and the three Graces (Thalia, Aglaia, and Euphrosyne), who were similar to the Muses in that the Graces were known for their beauty and dancing among the gods. In earlier depictions of the Muses, they were only known as being a whole representative for the arts, but as time progressed each Muse had a specific area of expertise. For example, Clio was the Muse of history, Urania was the Muse of astronomy, Melpomene was the Muse of tragedy, Thalia was the Muse of comedy, Calliope was the Muse of epic poetry, Erato was the Muse of love poetry, Polyhymnia was the Muse of songs for the gods, and finally Euterpe was the Muse of lyric poetry. Some of these categories may seem odd, such as tragedy, but for the Greeks, it all made sense because what they had back then was mostly poetry and theatre. What most people don't know about the Muses is that they actually had four mountains of their own that they were known for! They were born on Mt. Pierus, but they also had Helicon and Parnassus. By default, the fourth mountain was Olympus as it belonged to all the gods.

Calliope was widely known as the leader of the Muses and she was the one who would attend the births of kingly nobles and bestow blessings to mortals. Mortals who had been blessed by the Muses could use the beauty and grace of their power to sing and dance those who were sick back to health and help those who were heartbroken or distraught to be comforted. While the image of the muses was generally light and almost angelic, they could easily use their power to revoke the blessings of the mortals when provoked. One example of this is when King Pierus  boasted that his nine daughters rivaled the Muses in beauty and talent. In response to this, the Muses quickly turned his daughters into magpies as a swift punishment for the king’s ignorance.

In conclusion, the Muses were not only symbols of artistic inspiration but also a long standing testament to the power and influence of the arts throughout history. The Muses remind us of the significance of creativity in our lives, serving as a bridge between the divinely powerful and the mortally fragile. Just remember not to speak ill of them or you too may become a magpie…

Sources:

Mythology by Edith Hamilton

The Student Government of LCHS

By Ashlee Wilson

The world, as we know it, is swallowed by politics. Every aspect of day-to-day life is affected by political policies and schemes. When a person is in a position of authority, their life is in the limelight, so every action they take has the potential to fuel the public’s aversion. It is easy for individuals to place blame on the president if a decision is made that they don’t support. On January 20, every four years, a new president is sworn into office. With a new president comes new faculty; this staff advises the president and ensures their integrity in the Oval Office. There are fifteen members that make up the group that assists the president. These people are carefully chosen to guarantee the decisions being made are in the citizens' best interests. Our student body government doesn’t look much different.

Every year, elections are held for each class body to choose the candidates they think will best represent their class. A president, vice president, sergeant at arms, secretary, and treasurer are selected, and these people aid in making decisions to enhance the school experience. The president is the person that has the final say, and they communicate the group’s judgments with the administration. Along with the administration, the student government gets assistance from students and faculty to ensure that events run smoothly.

On February 14, the junior class hosted the Valentine’s Day Cake Walk at the high school. The junior class president, Klayr Shepherd, was in charge of filling positions like announcers, DJs, and ushers. The junior student government was assigned to choose a theme, decorate the gym, and supply extra goodies. Along with these few people, many of the students came together to provide Klayr assistance in curating a playlist for the event and designing costumes for the characters.

Another case of a whole class coming together to assist the president and their cabinet was a senior fundraiser that took place last autumn. The senior class sold pumpkins for a fundraiser with Faith Farms. This ended up being the biggest fundraiser Faith Farms ever participated in, so Jaxon Fite, the senior class president, had to call in backup. A large number of seniors and teachers came to the high school commons area to help unload and transfer pumpkins. This team effort ended up providing the senior class with substantial funds, and the local pumpkin farm’s status was boosted with this advertising.

Another example of our student body government being a group effort, much like the official president of the United States, is a basketball tournament that is hosted by the sophomore class. This was started last year by President Ryder Ward, and the sophomore government confirms that it will be hosted again this year.

Lewis County High School utilizes the support of student body government positions to help boost school morale, spirit, and student experiences. Without the help of our presidents and their cabinets, our school would be lackluster and autocratic. Much like this remarkable country, the students at LCHS admire and appreciate the things that our student body government has done for us. We understand that this school is not just run by a single group of administrators, but it is led by a conglomeration of students and staff. The harmony between our student body government, students, and faculty is clearly evident in the fun environment created in this school.

WINTER CHAOS

By: Brodie Runions    

In the final weeks of January and continuing into February, sickness was set loose on much of the school system. It hit different schools at different times, but at the high school, as many as 170 students were sick at any given time from flu, strep, Covid, RSV, stomach bugs, and other types of illness. Many teachers also got sick, with some starting the days like normal but then heading home during the final hours of the school days.

It was so widespread that we eventually had to close for a day because of the high numbers of absent students and staff.

Student Preston Tripp stated, “It was bad, lots of people were out, and there was barely anyone at school at one point.”

Another student, Brandy Price, remarked that “it was shocking to see how many students got sick.” Classrooms looked bare and the halls were unnaturally empty for a while.

These illnesses now seem to be winding down, and we are all hopeful that all of those affected are recovering and starting to feel back to normal. With similar trends happening in other counties around us, let’s hope we don’t catch another wave of illness so we can close out the rest of this school year feeling healthy.

Message from a Senior

I am a senior at Lewis County High School, and I find it amazing that we’ve branched out our club's curriculum to be able to write for the town’s newspaper! As a member of our school's Book and Writing Club, I would like to say a few words about our upcoming graduation and all the feelings behind that. In just a matter of months, my peers and I will be heading off to college, work, or maybe even vacations away from this tiny town. This can be extremely scary for some people, but exciting for others. It solely depends on one's perspective and how they see things as a whole. I believe it is helpful for everyone to cherish the moments happening now, especially their surroundings and the people they are with. It is necessary for us as newly young adults to join in on all the fun while we still can. To soak in the laughter at the lunch tables, to acknowledge all the people we pass by in the hallways, to have fun with our teachers and peers. Instead of worrying about what comes next, I want those around me to cherish the moments happening right now. High school is the highlight of a lot of people's lives, which can be heart wrenching knowing that it will end so soon. I never wanted to believe those upperclassmen that always said “before you know it, you will be graduating and wondering how time went by so fast.” At the time, it felt like the world was moving so slowly, and I wanted things to speed up and “happen already.” Now I regret those foolish words; I wish time would slow down to allow me to be a young child again. I would like to say congratulations to my peers for making it this far in your high school career, and I hope that you take these last few months as an opportunity to have fun and not worry so much!

• Harper Carroll ‘25