Aikaterine was an Athenian hetaera who served at the House of Aphrodite in Athens during the 5th century BC. She was the muse of the actor Thespis and accompanied him in every of his plays, though she was aware of his sexual encounters with other prostitutes, and she continued to sell her services to others as well.
In 424 BC, the demagogue Cleon's right-hand man, Commander Rhexenor, threatened to harm Aikaterine if she continued to associate herself with Thespis, leading to the mercenary Kassandra rescuing Thespis from Athenian soldiers at the tavern and learning from Thespis that he could not perform without his muse, Aikaterine, in the wings. Kassandra tracked down Aikaterine, who mistook her for a customer, before learning of Rhexenor's location, the local garrison, from Aikaterine; Aikaterine agreed to attend the play if Kassandra dealt with Rhexenor and brought back his "little sword" (referring to his genitals) as proof. Kassandra slew Rhexenor and brought back his bandit sword, causing Aikaterine to laugh at Kassandra's misunderstanding, and she agreed to go to the play. However, she also flirted with Kassandra, and the two made love before Kassandra reminded Aikaterine of the need for her to attend the play. Aikaterine went on to attend the play a day later, and the massive success of the play destroyed Cleon's popularity.