The Chamber of Mnemosyne is a circular room perhaps thirty paces across which is flattened slightly at one end to accommodate the large, bronze double door which serves as the sole entrance. Evenly spaced along the rest of the wall are nine niches, each about a pace across. In each niche is a detailed mosaic depicting one of the nine Muses in their appropriate role, aiding Mnemosyne in her role as goddess of Memory. Along the rest of the wall are a series of mosaics which begin with the birth of all the Titans. The next mosaic depicts Zeus and Mnemosyne conceiving the Muses over the course of nine nights at Pieria at the base of Olympus and Mnemosyne giving birth a year later. Several others depict other scenes in mythology, and in each, Mnemosyne either looks on or advises various oracles. Last is a mosaic which depicts her statue in Athens and her throne and fountain at Lebadeia near the oracle of Trophonius. The ceiling is high (perhaps twenty feet in the center) and domed, with complex patterns carved across the entirety of the dome. The floor is tiled in black and white marble in a patterns of similar intricacy to those on the dome. The room is lit by an ambient light which seems focused on the center of the room.
In the center of the room is a beautifully carved marble statue of Mnemosyne herself, dressed in long, flowing robes; her hair extends down her back, in curls, practically to the ground. Mnemosyne is veiled, hung from her brow. The veil itself is made from some material softer than silk, as pale as the moon. Beneath the veil, any so bold, would see a face, made wan not by human sorrows but by some immortal concern - an experience beyond death. The eyes glow with some benign look, half-closed. The statue seems to be looking over the small fountain at its feet, which fills a small granite basin. Although the basin seems to have no way to drain, it never overflows.
The statue, the doors to the room, and the fountain are all magical.
Last modified: Thurs Nov 19, 1998 / Jeremiah Genest