Euterpe was a Muse, a goddess who was an authority of music. She inspired the poets and authors of ancient Greece, including the famous Homer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey. Euterpe was also called the “Giver of delight”. In addition to serving as a Muse for the arts in ancient Greece, she and her sisters were responsible for entertaining the gods of Mount Olympus.
Her mother was the Titan Mnemosyne, a goddess of memory, and her father was the thunder god (and also the king of gods), Zeus. Her sister Calliope was also a Muse for epic poetry, and was called the “Chief of all Muses” by Greek poet Hesiod and Roman poet Ovid. Euterpe also had seven other sisters who served as Muses, as well; Clio was a Muse of History (in other interpretations, she was a Muse of lyre playing) and Melpomene was a Muse of Tragedy (before that, she was a Muse of Chorus). Terpsichore was a Muse of dancing, Erato, a Muse of epic poetry, Thalia, a Muse of comedy, Polyhymnia, a Muse of hymns, and Urania, a Muse of astronomy.
Euterpe lived on Mount Olympus with her sisters, alongside Zeus and the other gods. As mentioned before, they were a source of artistry and entertainment. In later tradition, the sisters were thought to live on Mount Helicon in Boeotia, Greece, or on Mount Parnassus in central Greece above Delphi. There was a water spring on Mount Parnassus that was sacred to Euterpe and her sisters. Its waters flowed near Delphi for the use of the Pythia and other oracles. Some legends say Euterpe created the double-flute and other wind instruments. She was often depicted holding a flute in ancient paintings.
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