Euterpe

This article is about the Greek deity. For the plant genus, see Euterpe (plant). For other uses, see Euterpe (disambiguation).

Euterpe on the replica of a Roman mosaic in Vichten

In Greek mythology, Euterpe (/juːˈtɜːrpiː/; Greek: Eὐτέρπη, Greek pronunciation: [efˈterpi], Ancient Greek: [eu̯térpɛː]; "rejoicing well" or "delight" from Ancient Greek εὖ 'well' + τέρπειν terpein 'to please') was one of the Muses, the daughters of Mnemosyne, fathered by Zeus. Called the "Giver of delight", when later poets assigned roles to each of the Muses, she was the muse of music. In late Classical times she was named muse of lyric poetry and depicted holding a flute. A few say she invented the aulos or double-flute, though most mythographers credit Marsyas with its invention.

Pindar and other sources (the author of the Bibliotheca and Servius), describe the Thracian king Rhesus, who appears in the Iliad, as son of Euterpe and the river-god Strymon; Homer calls him son of Eioneus.

See also

• Muse
• Muses in popular culture
• Euterpe by Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry

External links

• Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (ca 50 images of Euterpe)