Disclaimer: I am not a myths scholar. I am simply interested in myths and how they shape human behavior and stories. The post below is a synthesis of my research about Mnemosyne and my personal thoughts. It not be taken as verified fact, though I have done my best to ensure its accuracy. My sources are included at the end of the post.
Who is Mnemosyne?
Mnemosyne is the Greek goddess of memory and sometimes denoted a Titaness. According to the myths, Mnemosyne was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus. She was the mother of the nine Muses: Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry. Clio, the Muse of history. Euterpe, the Muse of music and lyric poetry. Erato, the Muse of love poetry. Melpomene, the Muse of tragedy. Polyhymnia, the Muse of hymns. Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance. Thalia, the Muse of comedy. And Urania, the Muse of Astronomy.
She was also the namesake of a river that flowed through the Underworld, parallel to Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. Those who drank from the river of Mnemosyne would not forget their past lives or be reincarnated. Instead, they would spend eternity with their heroes.
Memory and Humanity
Part of being human is the ability to remember. To relive experiences with some attached emotion or to draw upon our past in order to inform our future.
It makes sense to me, when thinking about memory this way, that Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, was the mother of the muses. Art helps us create a collective cultural memory and a way to understand ourselves and to relate to each other. It’s why we create and share. It’s why we take pictures and write Tweets and paint and sing.
But memory is fallible. It is not quite as reliable as we want it to be. Have you ever talked about an event you experienced with another person and found they have a completely different memory of it than you? Often, I have trouble distinguishing whether or not I actually remember something from my childhood or whether I’ve constructed a memory based on pictures I’ve seen and stories I’ve been told.
Memory and the brain’s cognitive abilities have always fascinated me. Had I been gifted with a passion for sciences, I think I would have liked to study the brain and its inner workings. But I have been pulled to the arts instead, and so instead I study stories and the way we use them to understand our own existence.
How to Use the Mnemosyne Myth as Inspiration
Memories are a cornerstone of the human experience. Here are a few questions to get you started using the Mnemosyne myth as inspiration in your own stories.
- What does memory mean to your characters?
- Is there a collective cultural belief about memory and its power?
- Are your characters in control of their own memories, or is someone else tampering with them?
- Does your society value perfect memory, and if so, what would they be willing to do to protect it?
- Is there a unique way to preserve memories in your world? (In my Sezna Seer books, characters can imbue specific objects—called Nemosyns—with memories so they can recall the experiences later. Kind of like having a digital recording they can play back.)
- What lengths would a character go to in order to retrieve stolen memories?
- Or what lengths would they go to in order to forget? (This one makes think about the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
- Does memory matter the same way to everyone? (This brings to mind the film 50 First Dates)
- Could memory be a commodity?
- Could memory be a gift or a burden bestowed upon an individual or a select few? (Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver explores this question)
Have other thoughts about the Mnemosyne myth or myths from other cultures that explore memory? Add a comment or send me a message at author@kierstenlillis.com. I’d love to chat more! And make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter so you don’t miss more myths and research fun!
For more myths and inspirational research, check out my other Writing posts.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth/Messianic-and-millenarian-myths#ref387069
https://www.greekmythology.com/Titans/Mnemosyne_/mnemosyne_.html
Image: Painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Found on Wikipedia, but is in Public Domain.
