[4] Apollodorus, Lycophron, and Gaius Julius Hyginus said that Melpomene was the mother of the sirens,[4] though some ancient writers identified this role with other figures.

An English edition describes her as "a gentlewoman all in mourning; she holds a bloody dagger in her right hand; behind her, upon the ground, a garment of cloth of gold, and diverse precious jewels; shod with cothurni".

Another describes her as being "of a grave aspect, in a heroic dress, with her head finely attired; she holds a cup in one hand, and a dagger in the other, with a crown and scepter at her feet; she is shod in buskins, which were used by the ancient tragedians.

Theologian Louis A. Ruprecht interpreted this as a commentary on the similarities of recording history and writing fictional works of tragedy.

[5] The minor planet 18 Melpomene was named after the muse by the British Astronomer Royal in 1852, George Biddell Airy.

He chose a name representing tragedy because his daughter, Elizabeth, had died on the day it was discovered, which was also the thirteenth anniversary of an earlier son's death.