The Muses are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne--

• Clio, muse of History
• Urania, muse of Astronomy
• Calliope, muse of Epic Poetry
• Euterpe, muse of Lyric Poetry
• Erato, muse of Love Poetry
• Melpomene, muse of Tragedy
• Thalia, muse of Comedy
• Terpsichore, muse of Dance
• and Polyhymnia, muse of Songs to the Gods

Mnemosyne is Memory itself:

• In addition to the gods you mentioned I must call upon all the rest and especially upon Mnemosyne. For practically all the most important part of our speech depends upon this goddess; for if I can sufficiently remember and report the tale once told by the priests and brought hither by Solon, I am wellnigh convinced that I shall appear to the present audience to have fulfilled my task adequately. -- Plato Critias 108d

• Sky was the first who ruled over the whole world. . . . he begat children by Earth; to wit, the Titans as they are named: Ocean, Coeus, Hyperion, Crius, Iapetus, and, youngest of all, Cronus; also daughters, the Titanides as they are called: Tethys, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Dione, Thia. -- Pseudo-Apollodorus Library 1.1.1-3

• [Zeus] loved Mnemosyne with the beautiful hair: and of her the nine gold-crowned Muses were born who delight in feasts and the pleasures of song. -- Hesiod Theogony l. 915

• For he lives in a city that loves music, the city of the Aeacidae with their clashing spears; and they very much want to foster a spirit familiar with contests. If someone is successful in his deeds, he casts a cause for sweet thoughts into the streams of the Muses. For those great acts of prowess dwell in deep darkness, if they lack songs, and we know of only one way to hold a mirror up to fine deeds: if, by the grace of Mnemosyne with her splendid headdress, one finds a recompense for toils in glorious song. -- Pindar Nemean 7 ll 10-15 [ant. 1]

source: Perseus Project

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