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CLEO. Clio, the second Muse, was the daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne and the Muse of history. She and her sisters were called "Pierides" because the seat of their worship was in Pieria.

Chaucer invokes Cleo to help him tell Troilus's story, Tr II.8-14. Since most of his sources purport to treat the Trojan War as history, Chaucer may have thought Clio the appropriate Muse to invoke. Statius likewise invokes Clio in Thebaid I.41. [Caliope: Pierides]

Cleo shows the influence of French pronunciation and appears in final rhyming position, Tr II.8.

Statius, Thebaid, ed. and trans. J.H. Mozley, I: 342-343.
From CHAUCER NAME DICTIONARY
Copyright © 1988, 1996 Jacqueline de Weever
Published by Garland Publishing, Inc., New York and London.
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