Erato (Eratō, Ἐρατώ) is one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology, the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne. She presides over lyric poetry, particularly erotic and love poetry, as well as mimic imitation. In art she is typically shown holding a lyre or small kithara and crowned with a wreath of myrtle and roses, sometimes carrying a golden arrow that evokes Eros.
Adapted from Wikipedia, "Erato" · CC BY-SA 4.0
I.Etymology
The name Erato is linked to the same root as Eros, the personification of desire, and is generally rendered as "desired" or "lovely." This association reflects her domain of erotic and amatory poetry.
The connection was noted in antiquity by the poet Apollonius of Rhodes, who invoked Erato at the opening of Book III of his Argonautica, playing on the resonance between her name and the theme of love that drives the episode.
II.Family
In Hesiod's genealogy, Erato is a daughter of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne (Memory), making her one of the nine Muses born of that union.
Her eight sisters are Calliope, Clio, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. In one tradition Erato is also given a consort, Malus, the eponym of Cape Maleas, by whom she became the mother of Cleophema.
III.Role and Attributes
Erato is the Muse of lyric poetry, with a special association with erotic or love poetry, and is also linked with mimic imitation. Her sphere placed her among the patrons of song accompanied by the lyre.
Her traditional attributes are stringed instruments, the lyre and the kithara. Since the Renaissance she has commonly been depicted wearing a wreath of myrtle and roses and holding a lyre or a small kithara; in some representations she carries a golden arrow symbolizing eros, or is accompanied by the figure of Eros bearing a torch.
IV.Depictions in Art and Literature
Erato has been a recurring subject in painting, where she appears with her lyre and floral wreath; in works by Simon Vouet she is shown with two turtle-doves eating seeds at her feet.
She was also invoked in epic poetry at moments of transition: Virgil calls upon Erato at the beginning of Book 7 of the Aeneid, marking a structural turn in the poem.