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In Greek mythology, Calliope (/kəˈlaɪ.əpiː/ kə-LY-ə-pee; Ancient Greek: Καλλιόπη, Kalliopē "beautiful-voiced") is the muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. She is spoken of by Hesiod and Ovid as the "Chief of all Muses."
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Mythology
One account says Calliope was the lover of the war god Ares, and bore him several sons: Mygdon, Edonus, Biston, and Odomantus (or Odomas), respectively the founders of Thracian tribes known as the Mygdones, Edones, Bistones, and Odomantes.
Calliope also had two famous sons, Orpheus and Linus, by either Apollo or the king Oeagrus of Thrace. She taught Orpheus verses for singing. According to Hesiod, she was also the wisest of the Muses, as well as the most assertive. Calliope married Oeagrus close to Pimpleia, Olympus. She is said to have defeated the daughters of Pierus, king of Thessaly, in a singing match, and then, to punish their presumption, turned them into magpies. (see Ovid, Metamorphoses 6.294–340, 662–78)
She was sometimes believed to be Homer's muse for the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Roman epic poet, Virgil, invokes her in the Aeneid (9.525).
Visual depictions
Calliope is usually seen with a writing tablet in her hand. At times, she is depicted carrying a roll of paper or a book or wearing a gold crown. She would also be seen with her children.
Later
The Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, in his Divine Comedy, makes reference to Calliope:
Purgatorio