Euterpe was one of the nine Muses of ancient Greek mythology, the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne. She presided over music, and in later Classical times lyric poetry was added to her domain. Ancient poets called her the "Giver of delight," and she was held to entertain the Olympian gods with her art; she is most often identified by her attribute, the double flute or aulos.
Adapted from Wikipedia, "Euterpe" · CC BY-SA 4.0
I.Family
Euterpe was a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the Titaness of memory, and one of the nine Muses born from their union. Her sisters were Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Thalia, Polyhymnia, and Urania.
In some traditions she is named as the mother of Rhesus, the Thracian king, by the river-god Strymon. Certain sources also associate her with Orpheus.
II.Domain and attributes
Euterpe's primary sphere was music, with lyric poetry attributed to her in the later Classical period. Her distinctive emblem is the aulos, a double flute, and she is often depicted holding it in artistic renditions.
Some accounts credit her with the invention of wind instruments, though such claims of invention are disputed across the ancient sources.
III.Depictions in art
Euterpe appears across a range of ancient and later works, including a fresco from Pompeii, a Roman denarius struck in 56 BC, mosaics, and freestanding sculpture. Renaissance artists, among them Simon Vouet, also portrayed her, typically with her characteristic flute.