![]() ![]() So, naturally, it makes sense that these two gave birth to children who are heavily associated with dreaming. Pasithea was regarded as the goddess of meditation, relaxation and hallucination. He would eventually take a wife known as Pasithea, who was the youngest of all Graces, promised to him by the goddess Hera. Hypnos would rise into the sky with his mother Nyx and bring sleep to all those below when the night did come. There is another variation of this cave located under the island of Lemnos, where the river forgetfulness would flow, which ties into the idea that sleep is a time when we could forget our problems. He made his home in a dark cave, blind in opiate blooms, such as the opium poppy and the bread seed poppy. ![]() It was believed that Hypnos resided in Erebus, the land of eternal darkness, which in some accounts was even considered to be his father. Lastly, Phantasos, whose name derived from the Greek word meaning “fantasy,” would be responsible for creative and fantastic dreaming. ![]() Still, in some variations, he was instead referred to as Hegellos, and he would make dreams seem more realistic. Phobetor, whose name originates from the Greek word meaning “frightening”, was responsible for creating nightmares.These began as hypnos’ siblings, but many believed that his sons also became part of the Oneiroi: Hypnos was said to own half of a person’s life because of how much time we spend sleeping (although technically, we spend about one-third of our lives asleep.) Given how relatively little we know about sleep today despite technological and scientific advances, it’s not surprising that ancient cultures attributed the phenomenon to supernatural beings.Īnd it makes sense to us because we feel sleep is heaven.Hypnos and Thanatos, Sleep and His Half-Brother Death by John William Waterhouse For example, there are notable similarities between Hypnos and the Sandman of Northern and Western European folklore. Many cultures have or had a god or mythological figure associated with sleep or the night, a testament to how vital and yet mysterious the sleeping state has always been to humankind. Hypno is also the name of a Pokemon with hypnotic powers. In 1922, horror story master HP Lovecraft wrote a short story entitled “Hypnos” about a man who unknowingly befriends the god and subsequently develops a fear of sleeping. He and his brother Thanatos are the subjects of Sleep and His Half-Brother Death, an 1874 painting by pre-Raphaelite artist John William Waterhouse. Hypnos has also made several cultural appearances within the last century and a half. A bronze statue of his head, found in Perugia, Italy, depicts wings sprouting from his temples. 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. 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). ![]()
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