It is rather apt that Hesiod refers to Mnemosyne as the mother of the Muses. The Nine Muses on a 2 nd century Roman sarcophagus. And when the time came, as the months passed away and the seasons turned about, and the long tale of days was completed, she bore nine daughters – all of one mind, their carefree hearts set on song”. Hesiod provides more detail in another part of his Theogony, “Nine nights Zeus the resourceful lay with her (Memory), going up to her holy bed far away from the immortals. In this work, Hesiod wrote “Again, he (Zeus) took love of Memory with her beautiful hair, from whom the Muses with their golden diadems were born to him, nine of them, whose pleasure is in feasts and the delights of song”.

One version of the origin of the Nine Muses is found in Hesiod’s Theogony.

This is reflected in the word ‘museum’, derived from the Greek mouseion, which originally meant ‘temple or shrine of the Muses’. Today, the domain of the Muses has been extended to include all aspects of art, literature, and science. Therefore, the Nine Muses were considered to be the personification of the literary arts, music, and visual arts, and each of them oversaw a particular aspect of the arts. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that these goddesses granted inspiration to those involved in creative work, such as poets, musicians, and artists. According to Classical mythology, the Nine Muses are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (or Memory).

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