- Erato
In
Greek mythology , Erato (Ἐρατώ) is one of the GreekMuse s. The name would mean "lovely" if derived from Eros, asApollonius of Rhodes playfully suggested in the invocation to Erato that begins Book III of his "Argonautica ". Erato was named with the other muses inHesiod 's "Theogony ". She was invoked at the beginning of a lost poem, "Rhadine" (Ῥαδινή), that was referred to and briefly quoted byStrabo [In "Geography" 8.3.20; Strabo's attribution of the poem toStesichorus was refuted by H. J. Rose, "Stesichoros and the Rhadine-Fragment", "The Classical Quarterly" 26.2 (April 1932), pp. 88-92.] . The love story of Rhadine made her supposed tomb on the island of Samos a pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers in the time of Pausanias ["Description of Greece" 7.5.13.] and Erato was linked again with love inPlato 's "Phaedrus " ["Phaedrus", 259.] ; nevertheless, even in the third century BCE, when Apollonius wrote, the Muses were not yet as inextricably linked to specific types of poetry as they became [Richard Hunter, editor. "Jason and the Golden Fleece" (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), p. 66 note.] .Erato is the
Muse of lyric poetry, especially love and erotic poetry. In the Orphic hymn to the Muses, it is Erato who charms the sight. Since theRenaissance she is often shown with a wreath ofmyrtle androse s, holding alyre , or a smallkithara , a musical instrument thatApollo or she herself invented. InSimon Vouet 's representations ("illustration"), two turtle-doves are eating seeds at her feet. Other representations may show her holding a golden arrow, reminding one of the "eros", the feeling that she inspires in everybody, and at times she is accompanied by the god Eros, holding a torch.Erato is also invoked at the beginning of
Virgil 'sAeneid Book 7 (also the beginning of the second half or 'Iliadic' section of the poem).Calliope (epic); evenMelpomene (tragedy) orClio (history) might seem more appropriate. This may express Virgil's love for his native land, but in any case shows the need for a new creative force and a change in the direction of the poem.With
Arcas , she had one son named Azan ["Description of Greece" 8.4.2.] .References
External links
* [http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/MousaErato.html Theoi.com - Erato]
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