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In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Langx, "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean", which means "of or relating to dance".

AppearanceEdit

Terpsichore is usually depicted sitting down, holding a lyre, accompanying the dancers' choirs with her music. Her name comes from the Greek words τέρπω ("delight") and χoρός ("dance").

FamilyEdit

According to Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus lay with the Titan Mnemosyne each night for nine nights in Piera, producing the nine Muses.<ref>Gantz, p. 54; Hesiod, Theogony 53–62, 915–7.</ref>

According to Apollonius of Rhodes, Terpsichore was the mother of the Sirens by the river god Achelous.<ref>Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.893 (pp. 354, 355); so too Nonnus, Dionysiaca 13.313–5 (pp. 452, 453); Tzetzes, Chiliades, 1.14, line 338 & 348.</ref> The Etymologicum Magnum mentions her as the mother of the Thracian king Biston by Ares.<ref>Etymologicum Magnum, 197.59 (p. 179).</ref> According to the Byzantine scholar Eustathius, Terpsichore was the mother of the Thracian king Rhesus by the river god Strymon.<ref>Eustathius on Homer, Iliad p. 817.Template:Verify source</ref>

In cultureEdit

File:Terpsichore.jpg
Terpsichore, Muse of Music and ballet, an oil-on-canvas painting by Jean-Marc Nattier (1739)

HistoricalEdit

LiteratureEdit

  • When The Histories of Herodotus were divided by later editors into nine books, each book was named after a Muse. Terpsichore was the name of the fifth book.

Music and danceEdit

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

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