Erato
Muse of lyric and erotic poetry who inspires romantic verse and song
The Myth of Erato
Erato was one of the nine Muses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over the arts and sciences. Her particular domain was lyric poetry, especially love poetry and hymns. She was typically depicted holding a lyre or a small cithara, and sometimes she wore a crown of roses. Her name derives from the Greek word for "lovely" or "desired," linking her directly to Eros and the sphere of romantic longing. Poets invoked Erato when composing verse about love, passion, and desire. Apollonius of Rhodes called upon her at the beginning of the third book of the Argonautica, where Medea falls in love with Jason. She represented the idea that love itself is an art requiring divine inspiration.
Parents
Zeus and Mnemosyne
Symbols
Fun Fact
Apollonius specifically invoked her for the scene where Medea falls for Jason — love needing its own Muse
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Aphrodite
⚡ godGoddess of love, beauty, desire
Goddess of love and beauty, born from the sea foam. Aphrodite's power to inspire desire was so great that even the gods were not immune.
Polyhymnia
⚡ godSacred hymns and eloquence
Muse of sacred hymns and meditative poetry, often shown veiled and pensive
Cupid
⚡ godLove, desire, attraction
Roman god of erotic love and desire, son of Venus, equivalent to the Greek Eros
Muses
💭 conceptNine goddesses of arts and sciences
Nine sister goddesses who inspired all forms of art, literature, and knowledge. Every poet, musician, and thinker invoked the Muses before creating.
Himeros
⚡ godDesire and longing
God of immediate desire and passionate longing, companion of Aphrodite from her birth
Aphrodite
⚡ godGoddess of love, desire, and beauty
The goddess born from sea-foam whose power over desire could override the will of gods and mortals alike.
Euterpe
⚡ godMusic and lyric poetry
Muse of music and flute playing who delights those who hear her melodies
Lyric
💭 conceptLanguage and music
An English word for the words of a song or poetry expressing personal emotion, derived from lyrikos meaning "of or for the lyre," the instrument that accompanied Greek sung poetry
Apollo
⚡ godGod of the sun, music, poetry, prophecy, healing, archery
God of light, music, poetry, and prophecy. Apollo embodied the Greek ideal of youthful masculine beauty and was patron of the Oracle at Delphi.
Muse
💭 conceptLanguage and creativity
An English word meaning a source of artistic inspiration, derived from the nine Muses of Greek mythology who presided over the arts and sciences
Venus
⚡ godLove, beauty, desire, fertility
Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, identified with the Greek Aphrodite but also revered as ancestress of the Roman people
Thalia
⚡ godComedy and pastoral poetry
Muse of comedy and pastoral verse who inspires laughter and rustic song