Inspiration
Aganippefountain at foot of Mt. Helicon, consecrated to Muses. [Gk. Myth.: LLEI, I: 322]
traditional representation of inspiration. [Herb Symbolism: Flora Symbolica, 164]
Muse of heroic poetry. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 47]
Parnassian spring; regarded as source of inspiration. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 52]
Muse of history. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 64]
source of afflatus. [Art: Hall, 161]
(del Toboso) country girl, whom Quixote apotheosizes as guiding light. [Span. Lit.: Don Quixote]
Muse of lyric poetry, love poetry, and marriage songs. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 97]
Muse of music and lyric poetry. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmer-man, 105]
Mt. Helicon spring regarded as source of poetic inspiration. [Gk. Myth.: NCE, 1246]
representation of poetic and musical impulse. [Art: Hall, 161]
of tragedy (tragic drama). [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 163]
traditional identification of a Muse. [Gk. Myth.: Jobes, 374]
steed of the Muses; symbolizes poetic inspiration. [Gk. Myth.: Espy, 32]
fountain in Macedonia, sacred to the Muses, believed to communicate inspiration. [Gk. Myth.: Benét, 787]
Muse of sacred song, oratory, lyric, singing, and rhetoric. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 216]
her body inspired Strickland to paint nude portrait. [Br. Lit.: The Moon and Sixpence, Magill I, 621–623]
Muse of choral song and dancing. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 260]
Muse of comedy. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 261]
manifestation of Holy Spirit’s descent on Pentecost. [N.T.: Acts 2:1–4]
Muse of astronomy. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 284]
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Inspiration
a psychological state characterized by sharply increased activation of the inner personality, a strong emotional upsurge, and a straining of the spiritual and physical powers. Inspiration is one of the main precursors to creative process and is closely related to a great effort to concentrate with the simultaneous utilization of memory, imagination, and intense thought processes. All this is usually accompanied by the orientation of the personality toward a sharply restricted aim and the exclusion from its attention of everything not having a direct relation to the creative task to be resolved.
REFERENCES
Woodworth, R. S. Eksperimental’naia psikhologiia. Moscow, 1950. Chapter 25. (Translated from English.)
Petrovskii, A. V. Rol’fantazii v razvitii lichnosti. Moscow, 1961.The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.