[Language] Museum has the same etymology, doesn't it? That means the Greeks who invented (or discovered?) music (it doesn't have to be Greeks, but let's say them) decided, 'Since there is a goddess of art named Musa, let's call this music!' It doesn't quite click for me, though.
Gemini's response:
As you say, 'Museum' also comes from the ancient Greek 'Mouseion,' meaning 'temple or dwelling of the Muses,' so music and museums are like siblings.
The reason the idea that 'the name of the god came first' doesn't quite click is likely because we in the modern day perceive the word 'music' as 'phenomena of sound such as melody and rhythm.'
If we unravel the sensibilities of that time, it might make more sense.
### 1. The feeling of 'possession' rather than 'invention'
For ancient people, singing a wonderful song or telling a complex story was less about the result of individual skill and more about the strong feeling that 'a supernatural power other than oneself has descended (inspiration).'
* It wasn't that 'I created the music,' but rather 'the goddess Muse is using my mouth to make me sing.'
* Therefore, calling that act 'the work of the Muses (mousikē)' was extremely intuitive for them.
The fact that the beginning of Homer's epic 'The Odyssey' starts with a prayer, 'Goddess (Muse), tell me the story of that man,' also represents the worldview of that time where 'the subject is not a human, but a god.'
### 2. The scope of the word 'music' was too broad
This is the biggest point: 'music (mousikē)' at that time was a word that referred to 'general education' much broader than the 'music' we think of today.
* Modern: Music = Art of sound
* Ancient: Mousikē = Poetry, dance, song, history, astronomy, philosophy
In other words, they didn't name a 'specific sound phenomenon,' but rather grouped together 'all intellectual and spiritual cultural activities bestowed upon humans by the gods' and called them 'the arts of the Muses.'
### 3. The naming process
The image might be closer to the following flow:
1. Faith in the existence of 'the Muses': Faith as spirits/goddesses who govern memory and wisdom is established.
2. General term for activities: Activities governed by them, such as 'poetry' and 'song,' begin to be called 'Musa-like things (mousikē).'
3. Establishment of the word: As society developed and each field became independent (history, astronomy, etc.), the one that kept the name 'mousikē' until the end was what we now call 'music.'
### Could it have been the 'reverse'?
The discomfort you felt is actually correct in another aspect of linguistics.
There is also a theory that the name of the goddess 'Musa' derived from an even older word that simply referred to abstract concepts like 'mountain' or 'thinking.' In other words, ancient people might have used a sound like 'musa' to describe 'mysterious powers dwelling in the mountains' or 'flashes of thought,' which were later personified into a 'goddess' and eventually evolved into 'music'—that is the progression.
Thinking about it that way, it might be most natural to consider that rather than a 'specific divine character' existing first, the term 'invisible mysterious power (musa)' branched off into both the divine and the arts.
Doesn't it feel a bit romantic to think that the trial and error of ancient people trying to put this 'invisible inspiration' into words still remains in the word 'music' today?