| Erato | |
|---|---|
Goddess of erotic and lyrical poetry | |
| Member of the Muses | |
 Roman statue of Erato (2nd century AD), playing the kithara or lyre | |
| Abode | Mount Olympus |
| Symbols | Lyre, kithara |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Zeus and Mnemosyne |
| Siblings | Euterpe, Polyhymnia, Urania, Clio, Calliope, Thalia, Terpsichore, Melpomene and several paternal half-siblings |
| Consort | Malus (Μάλος) |
| Children | Cleophema |
In Greek mythology, Erato (/ˈɛrətoʊ/; Ancient Greek: Ἐρατώ) is one of the Greek Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully suggested in the invocation to Erato that begins Book III of his Argonautica.[1]