Thalia

Thalia, in her own language of ancient Greek Θἀλεια (from Greek θἀλλειν, thallein, 'to flourish') is, in Greek mythology, the name of two female beings. The name was traditionally pronounced, in English, 'the (or thay)-LIE-e^r', IPA: /θə (or θeɪ) ˈlaɪ ə/, although more recent speakers in her native Greek, and in most European languages, pronounce it: 'TAH-li-a', /ˈtɑː lɪ ə/. The two are:

• the Muse of comedy ('happy drama') and idyllic poetry;
• the third of the Three Graces

The name Thalia has occasionally been used as a female forename in English. It has also been applied in biology to:

• A genus of aquatic herbaceous plants, Marantaceæ, natives of tropical America, sometimes called the prayer-plant family;
• An old synonym of the genus Salpa;
• A genus of coleopterous insects.

In astronomy, Thalia is the name of an asteroid.

Three ships of the Royal Navy have been called HMS Thalia, one broken up in 1814, one in 1867, and one sold in 1920.