EUTERPE (muse of music)
Divine power · muse of music in Greek mythology
- Parents
- Zeus, Mnemosyne
- Siblings
- Calliope, Clio, Urania, Erato, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Thalia, Polyhymnia
- Consorts
- Strymon
- Children
- Rhesus of Thrace, Olynthus
- In the sources
- 5 ancient passages
Euterpe, daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, dwelt on Olympus as one of the nine Muses.1,2,3 Her name signifies that she gives delight to those who hear her sing.2 She is a sister to Calliope, Clio, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, and Urania.1,3
While most writers believe she is a virgin, a few poets, including Alcman, claim she is a daughter of Uranus and Ge.2 Euterpe had a son by the river Strymon.4 Accounts differ on the mother of Rhesus, with some sources claiming Calliope instead of Euterpe.4 Rhesus was killed by Diomedes at Troy.4
Neanthes of Cyzicus claimed Euterpe was the mother of Themistocles.5
The codex facts behind this entry
Euterpe is one of the nine Muses born to Zeus and Mnemosyne, a number supported by Homer and Hesiod. Apollodorus 1.3.1 +2
