Mnemosyne, the ancient Greek goddess of memory, daughter of Uranus and Gaea gave birth to the three muses fathered by Zeus: Aoede, Melete, and Mneme. The term mnemonic stems from, I believe, Mnemosyne. Does anyone know of an earlier civilization than the Ancient Greeks who had a figure (God or Goddess) or expression/word that conveyed a similar meaning to that of the Greeks' mneme or any aspect of memory?

-- Michael J. McGuire (mjmcguire@iwon.com), October 06, 2001

Answers

I cannot tell you much about the Sumerians and Bablylonians. I do know a bit about the Egyptians, however. They did not individuate mental functions up quite the way we do (or the Greeks did) and so there was no "god of memory" as such. Those of their gods that represented particular aspects of life pertianed more to things like the sun, the winds, the seasons, hours of the day, days of the month, etc. Thoth, who was the god of script and words, might be of interest to you (for it is primarily via writing that the cultural memory is maintained). Also of interest to you may be the interplay of the "ba" and "ka" which, though not gods per se, pertain to the human "spirit". Margaret Bunson's _Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt_ (1991, Facts on File) says the following about the ba:

"ba -- the human-headed bird representing the soul or the vital principle of human beings. The ba appears at the moment of union between the ka and the body, leaving the mortal remains at death with the ka. The ba can survive in the afterlife only if it remains in close proximity to the ka, whose servant it appears to be at that time.

"The translation of the actual name ba is uncertain. In many eras it was listed as the soul of the ka. For human affairs the ba played the role of a moral sense or a conscience. Great care was taken that the ba was not led astray after death by evil influences, as it appears to have had mobility, and rituals were designed to lead the ba safely to the ka and the mortal remains of the deceased after wandering. (See ETERNITY, KA and MORTUARY RITUALS.)"

About the "ka" Bunson says the following:

"ka -- The ancient Egyptian term for a spiritual essence, which existed alongside human form and yet maintained individuality. The ka was an astral being, and yet it was also considered the guiding force for all human life. The Egyptians recognized the 'double' aspect of the ka, and in some statues the kings were depicted as having an identical image at their side. While existing with the human being during his or her mortal life, the ka was the superior power in the realms beyond the grave. The term for death was 'Going to one's ka' or 'Going to one's ka in the sky.'

"Kas resided in the divine beings as well, and pious Egyptians placated the kas of the gods in order to receive favors. They served as guardians of places at the same time. OSIRIS was always called the ka of the Pyramids. The ka entered eternity before its human host, having served its function by walking at the human's side to urge kindness, quietude, honor and compassion. Throughout the life of the human, the ka was the conscience, the guardian, the guide. After death, however, the ka became supreme. Kings thus laid claim to multiple kas. RAMESSES II of the 19th Dynasty announced that he had over 20 such astral beings at his side.

"The ka was also viewed as a part of the divine essence that nurtured all existence in the universe. KHNUM, the god who molded mankind from clay in each generation, was depicted on many occasions as forming identical figures on his potter's wheel, one being the human and the other the ka, which was the vital element of eternal life in Egyptian beliefs. For this reason the ba was supposed to stay close beside it in the grave. The rituals of embalming were performed in order to prepare the corpse for the arrival of the ka, as well as for resurrection. The ka came to visit the mummy of the deceased, bringing the ba. For those commoners who could not afford the elaborate embalming processes, simple statues of themselves in mummified form were provided by the mortuary priests to attract the ka to their grave sites. (See BA, MORTUARY RITES and ETERNITY.)"

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), October 07, 2001.