Mnemosyne
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Quick Reference: Greek deities
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Greek deities
series |
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| Titans |
The Twelve Titans:
Oceanus and Tethys,
Hyperion and Theia,
Coeus and Phoebe,
Cronus and Rhea,
Mnemosyne, Themis,
Crius, Iapetus
Children of Oceanus:
Oceanids, Potamoi
Children of Hyperion:
Eos, Helios, Selene
Daughters of Coeus:
Leto and Asteria
Sons of Iapetus:
Atlas, Prometheus,
Epimetheus, Menoetius
Sons of Crius:
Astraeus, Pallas,
Perses
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Mnemosyne (Greek Mνημοσύνη, pronounced /nɪˈmɒzɪni/ or /nɪˈmɒsəni/), source of the word mnemonic,[2] was the personification of memory in Greek mythology. This titaness was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus and the mother of the nine Muses by Zeus:
- Calliope (Epic Poetry)
- Clio (History)
- Erato (Love Poetry)
- Euterpe (Music)
- Melpomene (Tragedy)
- Polyhymnia (Hymns)
- Terpsichore (Dance)
- Thalia (Comedy)
- Urania (Astronomy)
In Hesiod's Theogony, kings and poets receive their powers of authoritative speech from their possession of Mnemosyne and their special relationship with the Muses.
Zeus and Mnemosyne slept together for nine consecutive nights and thereby created the nine Muses. Mnemosyne also presided over a pool[3] in Hades, counterpart to the river Lethe, according to a series of 4th century BC Greek funerary inscriptions in dactylic hexameter. Dead souls drank from Lethe so they would not remember their past lives when reincarnated. Initiates were encouraged to drink from the river Mnemosyne when they died, instead of Lethe. These inscriptions may have been connected with Orphic poetry (see Zuntz, 1971).
Similarly, those who wished to consult the oracle of Trophonius in Boeotia were made to drink alternately from two springs called "Lethe" and "Mnemosyne". An analogous setup is described in the Myth of Er at the end of Plato's Republic.
Popular culture
As an embodiment of memory, Mnemosyne figures in many aspects of popular culture. Thus Mnemosyne is also the name of a computer software project that helps people to memorize facts.
Art
- "Mnemosyne", a piece for solo bass flute and pre-recorded tape by Brian Ferneyhough
- "Mnemosyne" is the title of a poem by Friedrich Hölderlin.
- "Mnemosyne", a painting by Geoffrey Laurence [1]
- "Mnemosyne" is the title of a photographic book by Bill Henson
References
Notes
- ↑ Collection of the Delaware Art Museum, Samuel and Mary R. Bancroft Memorial, Rossetti Archive.
- ↑ Memory and the name Memnon, as in "Memnon of Rhodes" are etymologically related. Mnemosyne is ometimes confused with Mneme or compared with Memoria.
- ↑ Richard Janko, “Forgetfulness in the Golden Tablets of Memory,” Classical Quarterly 34 (1984) 89–100; see article "Totenpass" for the reconstructed devotional which instructs the initiated soul through the landscape of Hades, including the pool of Memory.
See also
- Greek mythology in popular culture
- Mnemonic
- Meme
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Greek mythology (deities) |
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