The present article presents the art of memory of the sixteenth-century philosopherGiordano Bruno by taking into consideration the mythological figure of Proteus.Bruno’s comparison of the metaphysical Monad – aim of his philosophical quest – withProteus sheds a light on the mnemonic practice. Although Bruno is often presented as aherald of modern science, the description of the Monad as Protheus, always subject tonew metamorphoses, and the importance of Ovidius’ Metamorphoses show him ratheras a representative of the Pythagorean tradition. An echo of Ovidius is also indicated inBruno’s Cena de le ceneri showing that the Pythagorean influence is also present in hiscosmological view on the motion of the earth.
