Detail of the painting
The Muses Urania and Calliope by
Simon Vouet.
In
Greek mythology,
Urania (Οὐρανία, in English), was the
muse of
astrology. Some accounts list her as the mother of the musician
Linus. She is usually depicted as having a globe in her left hand. She is able to foretell the future by the arrangement of the stars. She is often associated with Universal Love and the Holy Spirit. She is dressed in a cloak embroidered with stars and keeps her eyes and attention focused on the Heavens. Those who are most concerned with philosophy and the heavens are dearest to her.
Urania, o'er her star-bespangled lyre,
With touch of majesty diffused her soul;
A thousand tones, that in the breast inspire,
Exalted feelings, o er the wires'gan roll—
How at the call of Jove the mist unfurled,
And o'er the swelling vault—the glowing sky,
The new-born stars hung out their lamps on high,
And rolled their mighty orbs to music's sweetest sound.
During the
Renaissance, Urania began to be considered the Muse for
Christian poets. Urania is the "heavenly muse" invoked in
John Milton's
epic poem Paradise Lost. In
Muse, a magazine for children, Urania is one of the characters in the "Kokopelli and Co." comic by
Larry Gonick published in each issue of the magazine. She is the only "old muse" who remains among the "new muses" featured in the magazine.
Her name has been used to name
astronomical observatories such as the Urania in
Berlin,
Budapest,
Vienna,
Zurich and
Antwerp and
Uraniborg on the island of
Hven. The official seal of the
U.S. Naval Observatory portrays Urania. There is a Urania Street in
New Orleans, between Polymnia ("Polyhymnia") and Felicity Streets. Hr.Ms.
Urania is a sail training vessel for the
Royal Netherlands Naval College. There has been a Hr.Ms.
Urania in the Royal Netherlands Navy since 1832. Urania is also the name of a popular female-fronted rock band in Honduras.
Urania Cottage was a refuge for fallen women established by the writer Charles Dickens in Shepherd’s Bush, London in the 1840s.
At Columbia University (end of 18th century) there was a Urania Society, for the improvement of oratory skills, felicity of composition and aptitude to debate philosophical topics. DeWitt Clinton joined that society.
On 9th November 1970, the
http://www.uraniatrust.org Urania Trust was formed in London. The aims of the Trust are to further the advancement of education by the teaching of the relationship between man’s knowledge of beliefs about the heavens and every aspect of his art, science, philosophy and religion.
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