Clio in Greek tradition
Aphrodite punished Clio after the Muse mocked her love for the mortal Adonis. Clio is a Greek heroine known as the Muse of History, the Proclaimer, and the Celebrator, associated with history, historical writing, fame, and renown. Under Aphrodite’s influence, she desired Pierus, son of Magnes, and bore Hyacinthus; her Greek transliteration is Kleio.
The quick answers
Who is Clio?
Clio is a Greek hero associated with history, historical writing, fame and renown.Source
Source
- Isaac Newton and the Study of Chronology: Prophecy, History, and Method
- The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
- Dictionary of Mythology
- Classical Mythology a to Z
What is Clio the god of?
history, historical writing, fame and renownSource
Source
- Isaac Newton and the Study of Chronology: Prophecy, History, and Method
- The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
- Dictionary of Mythology
What family links are recorded for Clio?
Father: Zeus, Mother: Mnemosyne, 2 children, 8 siblings.
Clio’s family, at a glance
Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.
The names Clio answers to
Kleio
Greek transliteration of Clio's name
SourceClassical Mythology a to Z
Muse of History
The Muse associated with history and historical writing
SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
The Proclaimer
One who announces or makes deeds known
SourceClassical Mythology a to Z
The Celebrator
One who celebrates glorious deeds
SourceDictionary of Mythology
The myths of Clio
1 myth, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources.
Aphrodite Makes Clio Love Pierus
Clio mocked Aphrodite for loving Adonis, a mortal. Her reproach treated such love as beneath a goddess, although love between gods and mortals was acceptable for gods. Aphrodite answered the insult by making Clio experience the same kind of passion. The Muse therefore became subject to love for a mortal herself.
Clio fell in love with Pierus, the son of Magnes. This passion came upon her through Aphrodite’s anger. Clio and Pierus had intercourse, and Clio bore a son, Hyacinthus. The account identifies this son as the Hyacinthus who later aroused the desire of Thamyris, the son of Philammon and the nymph Argiope. Thamyris was described as the first man to love other males.
Hyacinthus later died when Apollo, who had become his lover, accidentally killed him while throwing a discus. The account also links his story with Thamyris’s later challenge to the Muses. Thamyris, celebrated for his beauty and skill in singing to the lyre, challenged them to a musical contest. He agreed that, if he won, he would have intercourse with all of them, while, if he lost, they could take whatever they wished from him. The Muses defeated him and deprived him of both his eyes and his skill in singing to the lyre.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-18
- 1The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
- 2Hesiod, TheogonyT1
Quote
“Clio, angering Aphrodite by mocking her love for Adonis, was made to desire Pierus and bore Hyacinthus, who later became the beloved of Apollo and Thamyris.”
Hesiod, Theogony
- 3The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
Also appears in
The myths across MythSource where Clio features, each on that figure’s page.
- Mnemosyne and Zeus’s Nine-Night Union · on Mnemosyne
- Zeus and Mnemosyne · on Zeus
1 work catalogued
This is the candidate catalogue for Clio: candidate reworks first, then references, then names used as atmosphere. Nothing here has been checked against a source yet. Only reviewed myth-to-work links are promoted in Overview.
Showing 1 of 1 works.
Film1
- L'anfora di ClioReference
These are catalogue candidates, not proof that every work retells this figure. Reviewed myth-to-work links appear in Overview.
What this page is built from
About this page
Written and maintained by MythSource. Last reviewed not yet recorded. How a page gets built.
2 sources are cited on this page, primary texts and corpus scholarship, listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Clio. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/clio
"Clio." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/clio.
"Clio." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/clio.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the primary texts and scholarship above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only reviewed joins are presented as modern reworks in Overview.
The film
The Underdrawing video on Clio embeds here once it publishes.