Gef Flimlin Rutgers Cooperative Extension Is your muse a mollusc? Gef Flimlin Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Phylum Mollusca 101 93,000 recognized species Nine or ten taxonomic classes (2 are extinct) Cephalopods….squid, cuttlefish, octopus Gastropods….conch, whelks, snails, abalone, and slugs Bivalves….clams, oysters, scallops, mussels And others, that we really don’t care about.
Cephalopods
Gastropods
Bivalve Molluscs (our favorites)
So what’s a Muse? According to 10th Edition Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary: Muse, n. 1. cap: any of the nine sister goddesses in Greek mythology presiding over song and poetry, and the arts and sciences. 2. a source of inspiration; esp : a guiding genius 3: poet
So what’s a Muse? In Greek mythology, the Muses are a sisterhood of goddesses or spirits, their number set at nine by Classical times, who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, traditional music, and dance.
So who are the Muses? Calliope (epic poetry) carries a writing tablet Clio (history) carries a scroll and books Erato (love poetry) has a lyre and a crown of roses Euterpe (music) carries a flute Melpomene (tragedy) is seen with a tragic mask Polyhymnia (sacred poetry) has a pensive expression Terpsichore (dance) is often seen dancing and carrying a lyre Thalia (comedy) is often seen with a comic mask Urania (astronomy) carries a pair of compasses and celestial globe.
So who are the Muses? Botticelli’s Primavera 1482 Three Graces
So who are the Muses? Raffaello’s The Three Graces 1505 Hesiod and the Muse The Three Muses (Louvre) Melpomene and Polynhymnia
Now back to mollusks, specifically, Shellfish.
So what do we do with them? Harvest them. Prepare them. EAT THEM!!!! Build businesses around them Study them (Show me the money!!!!) Regulate them. Make cool stuff from them. Have jokes about them.
Harvest them
Harvest them
Prepare them
Prepare them
Eat them
Eat them
Eat them
Eat them for fun
Quick quiz just for the men.
Quick quiz just for the men. ? How many oysters were on the oyster plate?
Answer:
Who Cares? They’re just two of the MUSES!!!! Answer: Who Cares? They’re just two of the MUSES!!!!
Moving right along…….
Research Them
Regulate them 2006 total US mollusc landings value: $780,390,000 With an economic multiplier of 4 that’s about $3.12 billion per year (or about a week for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.)
Build businesses around them
Build businesses around them
Build businesses around them
Wear them
Wear them
Make cool (and weird) stuff from them
Make cool (and weird) stuff from them
Make cool (and weird) stuff from them
Make cool (and weird) stuff from them
Have jokes about them
Have jokes about them
Make jokes about them
But Why?
For poet and "law-giver" Solon, Muses were "the key to the good life"; since they brought both prosperity and friendship.
Prosperity and Friendship
So why are molluscs your muse?
So why are molluscs your muse? I asked the question and these were some of the answers.
My Muses Stan Cottrell, Waretown NJ
My Muses William Pierson Jenks Brick NJ
My Muses George Washington Mathis New Gretna, NJ
We do this because we are caring people We do this because we are caring people. We care about the planet, we care about it’s resources, we feel connected to the earth. We try to do our part for the shellfish and for those who make their livings and feed their families from these resources. It could have been pigs, or butterflies, or rivers, but it wasn’t. For some strange event, some chance meeting, or twist of fate, we have all chosen molluscs as our muses. And we are glad we did.
Thank you.