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Who was Mnemosyne in Greek Mythology?
Mnemosyne is the personification of memory. She was a Titaness, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. Zeus coupled with her in Pieria for nine consecutive nights, and she later gave birth to the Nine Muses. There was a spring dedicated to Mnemosyne before the Oracle of Trophonius at Lebadea. The mortals who came to consult the Oracle had a choice afterwards to either keep their Memory and drink from the Spring of Mnemosyne or to forget their past and drink from the Spring of Lethe.
The children of Mnemosyne, the Muses, were not only divine singers, whose music delighted Zeus and other gods; they also presided over thought in all its forms: eloquence, persuasion, knowledge, history, mathematics and astronomy. The oldest song of the Muses is the one sung after the victory of the Olympians over the Titans to celebrate the birth of a new order. They were often referred to as the Pierides in Poetry. The Muses took part as singers in all the great celebrations held by the gods.
The Name & Role of the Nine Muses
| Calliope | Muse of Epic Poetry |
| Clio | Muse of History |
| Polyhymnia | Muse of Mime |
| Euterpe | Muse of the Flute |
| Terpsichore | Muse of the Light Verse & Dance |
| Erato | Muse of Lyric Choral Poetry |
| Melpomene | Muse of Tragedy |
| Thalia | Muse of Comedy |
| Urania | Muse of Astronomy |