Some of the oldest ‘modern’ paintings of the Muses show them together with the god Apollo on Mount Parnassus. Finally, Urania (Ourania) if the Muse of astronomy, and is associated with a globe or compass. Thalia (Thaleia) is the Muse of comedy, and has a comic mask or a shepherd’s crook. Terpsichore is the Muse of dance, and usually appears with a lyre. Polyhymnia (Polymnia) is the Muse of hymns, and is associated with grapes and agriculture.

Melpomene is the muse of tragedy, and usually has the mask characteristic of the genre. Euterpe is the Muse of music and lyric poetry, so plays a flute-like aulos. Erato is the Muse of love poetry, and holds or plays a cithara, a type of lyre. Clio (Kleio) is the Muse of history, and shown with scrolls or books. Occasionally they are reduced in number, most usually to three, and have a long history of appearing in visual art.Ĭalliope (Kalliope) is the Muse of epic poetry, and is shown with a stylus and tablet or a lyre. Generally accepted as being nine in number, they are most usually named Kleio, Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania, and Kalliope.

Their origin is doubted by sources other than Hesiod, though: some claim their parents were Ouranos and Gaia, for instance. Internet Archive.The Muses (Greek Μοῦσαι Mousai) are the daughters of Mnemosyne, fathered by Zeus over a succession of nine nights which he spent with their mother. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1914. Hesiod, Theogony, in The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G.Gantz, Timothy, Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, Two volumes: ISBN 978-0-8018-5360-9 (Vol.Etymologicum Magnum, edited by Friderici Sylburgii, Leipzig, J.Apollonius of Rhodes, Apollonius Rhodius: the Argonautica, translated by Robert Cooper Seaton, W.Theremin 'Terpsitone' A New Electronic Novelty in Radio Craft, Dec. 'Terpsichore, a New Genus of Grammitidaceae (Pteridophyta)'. ^ 'New Flower Named For Rita Hayworth'.^ Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.893 (pp.The terpsitone, an electronic musical instrument invented by Leon Theremin, was named after Terpsichore.Terpsichore, a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Grammitidoideae named after the Muse.In the 1947 film Down To Earth, Rita Hayworth plays Terpsichore, who is annoyed and visits Earth to change a musical that depicts her in a bad light.George Balanchine's 1928 ballet Apollo (ballet) includes Terpsichore as one of 3 muses who dance to win the hand of Apollo.The eighteenth century French dancer and courtesan Marie-Madeleine Guimard named the private theater in her private palace (1766) the Temple of Terpsichore.The third version (HWV 8c) of Handel's opera Il pastor fido (1712) includes a new prologue written in 1734 titled Terpsicore.Terpsichore is also found in François Couperin's 'Second Ordre' from the Pièces de clavecin.Terpsichore (1612) is the title of a large collection of dance tunes collected by Michael Praetorius, some originating with Pierre-Francisque Caroubel and some later adapted for wind ensemble by Bob Margolis.Terpsichore was the name of the fifth book. When The Histories of Herodotus were divided by later editors into nine books, each book was named after a Muse.The British 32-gun frigate HMS Terpsichore (1785) commanded by Captain Bowen participated in the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1797).Terpsichore, Muse of Music and ballet, an oil-on-canvas painting by Jean-Marc Nattier (1739) Historical According to the Byzantine scholar Eustathius, Terpsichore was the mother of the Thracian king Rhesus by the river god Strymon. The Etymologicum Magnum mentions her as the mother of the Thracian king Biston by Ares. Īccording to Apollonius of Rhodes, Terpsichore was the mother of the Sirens by the river god Achelous. Her name comes from the Greek words τέρπω ('delight') and χoρός ('dance').Īccording to Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus lay with the Titan Mnemosyne each night for nine nights in Piera, producing the nine Muses. Terpsichore is usually depicted sitting down, holding a lyre, accompanying the dancers' choirs with her music. She lends her name to the word ' terpsichorean', which means 'of or relating to dance'. In Greek mythology, Terpsichore ( / t ər p ˈ s ɪ k ər iː/ Greek: Τερψιχόρη, 'delight in dancing') is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. Terpsichore on an antique fresco from Pompeii

Euterpe greek muse of music