![]() ![]() One of the earliest known examples is a lekythos, or olive oil jug, dating to about 440 BCE. Hypnos, like other Greek gods, was widely depicted in various art forms. Hypnos’ Roman counterpart was Somnus, whose name gives us the root of words like insomnia and somnambulant. Hypnos lends his name to words we use in English today, such as hypnosis, a sleep-like state. Hypnos’s best-known adventures are from Homer’s The Iliad, in which he tricks Zeus, putting him to sleep at Hera’s behest in order to help the Danaans win the Trojan war. His symbol was the poppy, a flower associated with the sedative properties of the opiate it produces. Hypnos was generally reputed to be a mild and gentle god, visiting people and helping them fall asleep. He was also attended by Aergia, goddess of slothfulness. Hypnos’s wife or consort was Pasathea, the Grace (a minor goddess) that presided over relaxation and meditation. Among them were Morpheus, god of dreams Phobetor, ruler of nightmares and Phantasos, bringer of fantasy or illusion. According to the Roman poet Ovid, Hypnos fathered children, called the Oneiroi, gods and demigods, who were in charge of dreams and nightmares. Hypnos was reputed to live in a cave which was the source of the river Lethe, the symbol of forgetfulness. Hypnos and Thanatos resided together in Hades, the underworld. Hiypnos’ twin brother was Thanatos, who was the personification of death, reflecting the belief that sleep was a state similar to death. Hypnos was the son of Nyx, who was the goddess of the night, and his father was Erebus, personification of the darkness. The Greeks of the Hellenistic period believed that a deity, Hypnos, presided over sleep. Though they were primarily worshipped from about 900 BCE to 300 CE, their exploits permeate literature, art, and music to this day. Probably the best-known classical, polytheistic pantheon in the Western world is that of the Greek gods, denizens of Mount Olympus ruled by Zeus. Sleep, in general, is found in several mythologies, such as the one told in the Babylonian poem of creation, where Apsû, the progenitor of the gods and sovereign of deep water, is made fall into deep sleep by Ea, who takes possession of the abysses.Ī curiosity: “Nanna” was the Sumerian name of the god of the Moon.FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, various cultures have subscribed to polytheistic beliefs, which is the idea that there are numerous gods and goddesses, each responsible for a different element or aspect of life (or death). In India, the “Lord of sleep” is Shiva, whose name derives from “Shin”, which actually means sleep. Another story is the one where Bodhvild “warmongering woman warrior” is seduced by Volund in her sleep. Yet, sleeping is at the center of suggestive narrations such as the one of Brunhilde, daughter of Wotan, who is awakened by Siegfried from the magic sleep into which her father had induced her. The Scandinavians, whose cosmogony is dominated by Wotan, have no god of sleep. The legend says that – once that she had fallen in love – her singing made the whole Ireland sleep for 3 days and 3 nights. In the Celtic mythology, the Goddess of sleep is Caer Ibormeith. Also Hermes, the messenger of the gods, has magic powers on the sleep, as Endymion has the ability of sleeping forever.įor the Ancient Romans, the god of sleep and dreams was called Somnus. On the other hand, Hypnos, who – in the iconography – is a naked young man with a winged head, was so powerful that he could put to sleep the gods themselves. Morpheus is the most important brother and is considered the “shaper of dreams”: the one who makes the dreams take shape. ![]() Morpheus and his brothers are the “Oneiroi” and regulate the dreams of the mortals. Morpheus, with Momus, Ikelus, Phobetor and Phantasos, is one of the children of the Greek good of sleep, Hypnos (Ὕπνος). No, unlike what people think, Morpheus is not the god of sleep. ![]()
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