In Greek mythology, Terpsichore 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".
Greek statue of Terpsichore from Hadrian's villa, presently at the Prado Museum (Madrid)
Terpsichore on an antique fresco from Pompeii
Terpsichore, Muse of Music and ballet, an oil-on-canvas painting by Jean-Marc Nattier (1739)
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in ancient Greek culture.
Muse, perhaps Clio, reading a scroll (Attic red-figure lekythos, Boeotia, c. 430 BC)
Print of Clio, made in the 16th–17th century. Preserved in the Ghent University Library.
Gustave Moreau: Hesiod and the Muse (1891)—Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Apollo and the Muses on Mount Parnassus, c. 1650, by Johann Christoph Storer. Held at National Gallery of Art