TERPSICHORE (muse of dance)
Divine power · muse of dance in Greek mythology
- Parents
- Zeus, Mnemosyne
- Siblings
- Calliope, Clio, Urania, Erato, Melpomene, Euterpe, Thalia, Polyhymnia
- Consorts
- Apollo, Ares, Achelous
- Children
- Hymen, Parthenope, Thelxiepea, Molpe, Aglaophónos
- In the sources
- 5 ancient passages
Terpsichore, one of the nine Muses born to Zeus and Mnemosyne, dwells on the mountain of Olympus.1,2,3 She stands as a sister to Calliope, Clio, Urania, Erato, Melpomene, Euterpe, Thalia, and Polyhymnia.1 In one account, she was fashioned partly like a bird and partly like a maiden.2 Her nature is marked by honeyed speech that delights her disciples with the benefits of education.4,5
She united with the river god Achelous, and they bore the Sirens together.2 The codex relations also name Apollo and Ares among her lovers, listing Hymen, Parthenope, Thelxiepea, Molpe, and Aglaophónos as her children. In the past, she and the other Muses tended and sang in chorus to Demeter's unwed daughter.2
The codex facts behind this entry
Terpsichore is one of the nine Muses born to Zeus and Mnemosyne, as named by the poet Hesiod. Apollodorus 1.3.1 +3
