The four Muses

Thelxinoe’s place among the goddesses of inspiration.

Published 2026-10-23

Before the nine Muses became standard, different traditions counted different numbers.^[5]

Three on Helicon

Pausanias wrote that there were originally three Muses on Mount Helicon: Aoide, Melete and Mneme.^[5]

A set of four

A later tradition recognised four: Thelxinoë, Aoide, Archē and Melete, said to be daughters of Zeus and Plusia or of Ouranos.^[5]

The nine

From the Classical period the number was standardised at nine, from Calliope to Urania.^[5]

The moon

The moon’s source describes Thelxinoe as one of the four original Muses and a daughter of Zeus by Mnemosyne.^[1]

Numbered citations link to the sources list on the Thelxinoe overview page.