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KamilaKowalczyk
tivesreservedforPythia)1aseer,beitmanorwoman,who,puttoastateof
ecstasy,wouldfreelycommunicatewiththedivinity,thus,wasabletosayordo
thingsimpossibletoahumanbeinginanormalstateofmind3.
Since,noevidencegatheredfromtheancientliterature,fromHomeronward
seemedtovalidatethethesisofecstaticpossession,manyscholarscametothe
conclusionthatthenotionofpoeticinspiration,wasinfact,aformulationofthe
5thcenturyphilosophers4.Theimageofthe“possessed”poetwas,nevertheless,
repeatedwithno,orhardlynoscepticismuptothe20thcentury.
TheconceptofpoeticinspirationisfundamentaltoGreeknotionsaboutpoetry,
andfromHomeronward,wasexpressedthroughamysteriousbondbetweenthe
poetandMuses.Inanessay“PoeticInspirationinEarlyGreece”PenelopeMur-
raycorrectlyobservedthat,inordertoescapePlatonicmisunderstandingsabout
ancientviewsonpoeticcreativity,onemustmakeacleardistinctionbetweenthe
conceptofpoeticinspirationandpoeticgenius.Shedefinesthefirstas“temporary
impulsetopoeticcreation,relatingprimarilytothepoeticprocess”5,whereasthe
latterstandsfor“apermanentqualityonwhichpoeticcreativitydepends,andre-
latestothepoeticpersonality”6.Thus,therelationshipbetweenthepoetandhis
Museistobeunderstoodtwofold.Inthebeginningthedeity,MuseorgodApollo
himself,bestowsonhim,thegiftofpermanentpoeticability,whichbecomesfrom
nowonthepoet’sinherentquality;andlater,whenaneedarisessupplieshimwith
temporaryaidaswell.7
InthecourseofIliadandOdysseyHomeraddresseshisMuse,seekingheras-
sistance,inordertogatheraccurateinformation,asforexampleinthebeginning
oftheCatalogueofShips8:
ἜσπεtενoνpoiΜoυσOiὈλύpπiOδώpOt΄ἔχoυσOi
ὑpεῖgγὰρGεOίἐσtεέπάρεσtέtεἴσtεtεπάνtO,
ἡpεῖgδKλέogooνἀKoύopενońδέtiἴδpεν
oἵtiνεgἡγεpόνεgΔOνOῶνKOlKo{ρOνoiἦσOν
Andnow,oMusesdwellersinthemansionsofOlympus,tellme1
foryouaregoddesses,areinallplacessothatyouseeeverything
3G.M.Ledbetter:PoeticsbeforePlato.Oxford2003;P.Murray:“PoeticInspirationin
EarlyGreece”.JHS1981,Vol.101,pp.871103;E.T.Tigerstedt:“FurorPoeticus:Inspirationin
GreekLiteraturebeforeDemocritusandPlato”.JHI1970,Vol.31,pp.1631178.
4See:E.A.Havelock:PrefacetoPlato.Oxford1963.Also,P.MurrayandE.A.Tigerstedt;
however,theyrejectHavelock’sopinion,thattheconceptofpoeticinspirationwasaltogetheralien
toHomer,HesiodorPindar.
5Murray,“PoeticInspiration…”,p.89.
6Ibidem.
7ForexampleofpermanentpoeticabilityseeOd.VIII44145;andtemporaryinspiration:
Od.8.73.
8Thelistofinvocations:Il.I117,II7611762;XI2181220;XIV5081510;XVI1121113;
Od.I1110.
