While working on “The Tools Of Poetry Workshop” tonight I stumbled across a small snippet of interest: “The muses, the Greek inspirers of the creative arts, were the daughters of Memory, or Mnemosyne.”¹

Ok, I’m sure some of you already knew that the translation of Mnemosyne was “memory” but I didn’t and so I found it intriguing to put two and two together and realize a unique truth. All inspiration comes from memory.

I’ve always believed that inspiration was self-empowered and that goes to show that it can never be lacking. Motivation may wane but inspiration is everywhere, it’s in the mind and in the eye. All we see and do and feel is stored in our mind and it is from our memory that inspiration, the muses, are born.

It is an interesting insight and I wanted to share it with you. If it weren’t already gone midnight I’d go look up the names of the daughters of Mnemosyne and discover if their literal name translations have deeper meanings also.

The nine muse sisters, their distinction², and the English translation of their names:

• Calliope (epic poetry) – “beautiful-voiced”
• Clio (history) – “recount”
• Erato (love poetry) – “desired”
• Euterpe (lyric poetry) – “rejoicing well”
• Melpomene (tragedy) – “to celebrate with dance and song”
• Polyhymnia (songs to the gods) – “the one of many hymns”
• Terpsichore (dance) – “delight of dancing”
• Thalia (comedy) – “flourishing”
• Urania (astronomy) – “of the heavens”

As you can see, each of their names hold a symbolism and meaning that relates to their calling. When you create your draw on and harness these muses within yourself and from your own memory. For YOU are Mnemosyne, go fourth, inspire, create, become!

Footnotes

¹ “The Poetry Dictionary” by John Drury – First Edition, Page 158: Memory
² Mnemosyne – Wikipedia