Euterpe

Euterpe was one of the nine Muses, the goddesses of music, song and dance.

Residence: Mount Olympus
Symbol: Double-flute
Parents: Zeus and Mnemosyne
Siblings: The Muses

Mosaic Detail of Euterpe. Mosaic of the Muses, Vichten Roman Villa, 2nd-3rd c. AD. Luxembourg City History Museum.

In the Classical era, when the Muses were assigned specific literary and artistic spheres, Euterpe was named Muse of lyric poetry. Her attribute was the double-flute. Euterpe’s name was derived from the Greek words eu– and terpô, meaning “giver of much delight.”

Roman Mosaic of the Muses. Vichten Roman Villa, 2nd-3rd c. AD. Luxembourg City History Museum.
Hellenistic marble relief of Homer as a god with the Muses seen at the bottom, c. 225-205 BC, from Bovillae. British Museum.

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