#mnemosyne deity

[floatingwandererinsignia]

Of the female Titanes they say that Mnemosyne discoveried the uses of the power of reason, and that she gave a designation to every object about us by means of the names which we use to express whatever we would and to hold conversation one with another. And to this goddess is also attributed the power to call things to memory and to rememberance which men possess, and it is this power which gave her the name she received.

>Diodorus Siculus, Library of History

[boymanmaletheshequel]

The symbolism of Mnemosyne

🧸🧠🧸🧠🧸🧠🧸🧠🧸🧠🧸🧠🧸🧠🧸🧠

A titan deity of memory, the arbiter of nostalgia and remembering, speaker of many a language, and a mother of confusion, as well as artistic expression, Mnemosyne is the definition of a bittersweet goddess, she can bring great joy, but also painful suffering. Let’s take a look at her repertoire of symbolism, so that maybe if she speaks to us in the fog of our memory, we might recognize her better.

———————————————————————

• Colors 🌈

- Black, white, and purple: are colors that are all associated with memory, as many see the past in black and white, and knowledge is often associated with the color purple.

• Flowers and plants 🌸

- Periwinkle: a purple flower that is often associated with innocence lost by maturity, as well as the memory of the past, periwinkle is a great flower to represent lady Mnemosyne.

- Gingko: as for plants, ginkgos are associated with remembrance and wisdom, and are known for their ancient longevity, with some trees having been dated by their rings to living for over 1,000 years!

• Animals 🐴

- Parrots: known for their colorful feathers, long lasting and potent memories, and uncanny ability to mimic the human tongue and language, parrots encompass three major themes of Mnemosyne’s domain: memory, color, and speech.

- Elephants: perhaps the most obvious choice here, the elephant has long been a symbol of memory, knowledge, and sensitivity. They have the longest known memory cycle of any known animal on earth.

- Starlings: another bird with an uncanny ability to nearly perfectly adapt to and learn human speech, starlings are also known for their iridescent feathers, reminiscent of mnemosyne’s association with artistic colors.

• Food 🍗

- Drinking water. In Hellenic mythology, it is said that those that participated in the rituals at the oracle of trophonios drank spring water to help them to remember what they had seen while under the oracles influence.

- nuts. Nuts are one of the superfoods that are believed to improve cognitive function, especially in the area of our ability to strengthen and improve our memory.

- nostalgic foods. Not really a specific food, but eating a food item that is nostalgic to you, beckoning back to a past memory that you are fond of, is a good association for a food to Mnemosyne.

• Crystals and gems 💎

- Amethyst. A stone that is believed to restore one’s memory, and repair their cognitive function, amethyst was once believed to be able to cure inebriation by the ancient Greeks, and in fact, it’s name comes from the Greek word “amethustos” meaning “not drunken”

- Hematite. Some believe that hematite can help clear your congested psyche and guide you through your memory to help uncover and remember specific moments throughout your life!

- Kunzite. Kunzite is said to be a stone that is used for communication and language, both through divinity, and through everyday human communication.

• Planets 🪐

- Uranus. As a titan goddess, mother Mnemosyne is a daughter of Uranus, who is signified by the planet in our solar system. Uranus is often associated with memory and knowledge, so it’s the most sensible fit for a celestial association with Mnemosyne.

• Astrology ☄️

- Scorpio. A Scorpio forgets nothing it is said, for better or for worse, and although they aren’t necessarily the greatest communicators, just about everything else about Mnemosyne seems to fit the bill for a Scorpio!

• Other symbols 🧠

- the brain. The brain is the part of us that Mnemosyne exists entirely within, she really is our brain in a sense, so this is a symbol often associated with a goddess of memory and communication.

- Photographs. A snippet of a moment in time saved from our memory, and a great conversation piece in anyone’s home or camera role, photographs are a no brainer for something that directly channels mnemonic emotions, either that’s nostalgia, regret, or fulfillment.

———————————————————————

Well there you have it, now that you have become acquainted with some of lady Mnemosynes signs and symbols, perhaps you will find her hand on your shoulder the next time you grow emotional from nostalgia, pour over a memory forgotten, or learn a new word you can’t wait to speak with! 🧠

If you like my posts, and wish to learn more about the deities and stories of Hellen, consider giving my blog a follow! I post daily about hellenismos, and various other fascinating things. Blessed be your day 💙🏛️💙

[in-memory-of-mnemosyne]

I finally found a statue I like for lady Mnemosyne, so here’s her little area

[the-banks-of-lethe]

Hi Alec! I'd really love to know how you'd categorize nostalgia:

It has both aspects of fishing memories (so, a work of Lady Mnemosyne) and the strong emotional reaction from what was deemed subconscious, one of Lord Hypnos' domains.

Personally, I know nothing exists in a vacuum so it could be a shared aspect, but it still intrigues me and I hope it's the same for you ~

- Stella

Hi Stella!

I've actually never really thought about it before to be honest. But I think I'd have to agree with you - nothing exists in a vaccum and domains / aspects can be shared between multiple deites.

Lady Mnemosyne being memory would I think make it more largely Her domain, especially being the mother of the Mousai whose role it generally was to preserve history and tradition through their various means; song, dance, poetry, history itself, etc. So I feel it would be largely Mnemosyne's domain, as looking back at your memories is the thing that makes you feel nostalgic.

Although, I do agree that Lord Hypnos and His deemed domain over the subconscious would make him connected to the feeling of nostalgia. Especially, lets say, if you were dreaming or daydreaming, or getting lost in your mind over those memories that are making you feel nostalgic.

So I guess the way I see it (from literally just typing this out) is that Mnemosyne is what creates or produces the feeling of nostalgia; as without memories you can't (generally) feel nostalgic. But the feeling itself, the emotional ties to it - the longing and the daydreaming of it, would be more Hypnos' domain. If that makes sense.

Mnemosyne = reason for nostalgia Hypnos = the feeling of nostalgia

It's probably also worth noting that it can also be seen as partly Khronos' and Rhea's domain, given that they are Time and Flow (of time / generations) respectively.

So, yes, I agree with you. I feel like it's definitely a shared aspect - although I would say that Lady Mnemosyne plays a slightly larger role with nostalgia given how closely it ties with, well Her.

That was actually a very interesting rabbit hole to go down - that you saw me go through in real time - so thank you for the ask! I hope this answers your question!

[royal-wren]

Lately, I've been thinking about Mnemosyne and Themis a lot (but especially Mnemosyne with her relevance to me and Hermes + Athene). I've always had issues with memory retention and it's only getting worse with age. It feels most appropriate and obvious to honor her as I have for a while now but it does feel like the time to add her more intimately into my worship in a daily sense. Completing the trio most directly (and historically) associated with the physical brain and what it represents/does makes sense. It also doesn't hurt that Hermes is a part of her retinue/following and she is sometimes noted as his patron. In memory, the arts, and writing none work as harmoniously as Mnemosyne of the shining diadem who drives Lethe away and Hermes of the honeyed tone who spills gold, silver, and jewels

[diana-thyme]

Travel Altars: Mnemosyne

A guide to travel altars for Mnemosyne. Please tell me if you want a certain deity covered!

In this guide, I’m assuming you’ve added a tea-light or LED candle. It isn’t necessary, but it’s not going to be included in any of these guides. I’m also going to be assuming you’ve added a photo of the deity and prayers. These guides will not include those, either.

Popular Mnemonic Devices

Notepads

Books

Pocket Watches

Photographs

Mementos

Art

Sticky Notes

Lavender

Amethyst

Dream Journal

Poetry

See more deities here.

[floatingwandererinsignia]

Painting of Polyhymnia & Mnemosyne by Antonio Canova, 1799.

[floatingwandererinsignia]

would it be okay to ask you to share some of your practice? ive been drawn to despoina lately but its hard to know where to start, since there's such little information on here. thank you so much regardless of your answer 💕

Χαιρε.

Of course it's okay! Pesonally I believe that when you begin to interact with and study any obscure deity, including lady Despoina, you also need to start building kharis with lady Mnemosyne as well. She is the goddess of memory, and I believe she is responsible for the rare, precious information that has been preserved about our deities. So before I go looking for information I like to utter a little invocation to lady Mnemosyne, asking her to guide me on the right path.

Regarding lady Despiona specifically I recommend studying the cultural characteristics of Arcadia at that time to understand and consider what specific role she have played in the local religion and practices, and why. Of course it's also important to study her relationship with her family and what domains she held based on that. In her temple at Lycosura there was a pantheon of Artemis, Demeter, Despoina, Antyus, who according to legend raised lady Despoina, and Tritoness. This reflects what beliefs were focused on, so I recommend thinking specifically about this combination and connection as well.

I wish you luck in connecting with lady Despoina, she is absolutely incredible!

Καλή σου μέρα.